New chicks challenges

[busdriver9799]

Well we almost lost several chicks to I guess they were hawks. My daughter was out playing in the new tent we got today and heard the chicks start being louder than usual. She looked out and she says a hawk almost had one. She managed to chase it off, we didn't have chicken wire or anything over the pen. So I went out and watched the chicks while my son was getting more wire, and sure enough another bird tried to grab one, right in front of me! I had to hit it off with a shovel Then later after we had them covered another bird this one I think was a hawk was sitting on the wire watching the chicks under it. Unbelievable! Last year most of our loss was our neighbors cats, this year the dang birds are attacking! Our other new experience is Turkens. My son got two, both girls. They are the meanest, craftiest chickens I have ever seen! I'm actually building a new small coop just for these two, they are mean! Anybody else experience this with Turkens? Angela

 

[MeowCluckBark]

My friend had some turkens last year when she started out. It might be the breed or it might just be your luck and hers because hers were mean too. She got rid of them when they were about 8 weeks old and she realized they were not getting nicer.

We have a lot of birds of prey here too. In fact, my daughter's school is named after Morley Nelson, who is famous for his conservation work with birds of prey and founded the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation. It's about um, 5 miles south of my house. Yup. Just 5 miles. I'm always on the lookout for hawks in this area. I have noticed a lot of other birds near my house though. Doves, sparrows, robins, magpies, crows, finches, etc. I think my chickies like hearing all their morning songs because they start singing along at 5am :\\

 

[lady feathers]

"Go Mamahen"....woop up on those birds! Good job protecting your little babies, sorry to here about your turkens though. I don't have any but was seriously contemplating getting some when I place our next meat bird order later this summer ....I may have look into it further though if they are nasty personality wise!