New Jersey
- Thread starter jjthink
- Start date
- Oct 5, 2013
- 1,161
- 151
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Many thanks chickobsessed. I love my new additions. They are so much fun and absolutely beautiful! Will post some pictures of them with their new set up soon.
bauerdog
Songster
Does anybody in central Jersey have a few (4 to 6) large fowl hatching eggs or maybe even chicks for sale? I would like to humor my silkie, she is convinced it is spring and is completely broody. I don't really want to risk shipping at this time of year...
Last edited:
bauerdog
Songster
Not a particular breed, but good production layers. I have a ton of pretty girls, but not much going with high production. I actually looked for fertile grocery eggs at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. That was a waste. The employees think pasteurized means fertile! Anybody know of ANY WF or TKs that sell fertile eggs in NJ?
mechanic57
Songster
- Aug 23, 2014
- 254
- 113
- 151
Farms or people like us on this site with personal flocks would probably be a better source vs a grocery store. Stores get large orders of eggs from chicken farms where the birds are caged up their whole life. Feed goes in and eggs come out. They have no access to a rooster so none of the eggs are ever fertilized. Even if a rooster broke in and mated with some hens, by the time a fertilized egg went through the wash cycle, refrigeration, delivery time to the store and shelf time before going to your house, it probably wouldn't hatch.
Is anyone else having hawk problems lately. I am in west central NJ near Lambertville. Summer and winter we dont have any problems with hawks even though we see and hear them hunting often. I know the hawks are migrating in the spring and fall and I guess this is the problem.
We had 2 hits this past spring and 2 this fall/winter. I have only had 1 fatality and even then the hawk did not get to eat the chicken. On that occasion I had just been outside with family on my driveway and not 10 mins after going in the house my sister saw something 'that doesnt look like a chicken' by the fence. Sure enough it was a hawk who had just killed a chicken. My dog and I chased it away--though it took a fair amount of encouragement to leave my property all together.
Yesterday something hit the same pen of chickens. This time that pen has netting covering it. I have 3 groups of LF chickens, 2 are mixed layers each pen has a rooster. My ornamental ladies just got a rooster a few weeks ago (after the 1st hawk strike), but he is smaller than my other 2 roos.
My problem is that even though I was home, sitting by a window and was outside not 7 seconds after hearing the roosters alert call, I saw absolutely nothing. I am assuming aerial predator because of how the roosters behaved--they got all their girls under the coops and were screaming their heads off. I saw no predators at all. But when I did a more thorough check found a hen on her back making gasping noises. Her rooster was standing over her, I wonder if he tried to defend her. She has almost no wounds--small prick on her neck and cut on the opposite side of her head. The left side of her head swelled up some and there was a bit of blood in that eye (the cut is on the right side). Nothing appears to be broken. She is alive and better today--swelling down in her head, and antsy, but not eating on her own yet.
It looked to me as though she got hit hard--but with netting over the run, I would have expected a hawk to have a harder time getting out than in (there is a gap where it may have come in), giving me time to see it. I am shocked that I saw nothing at all. And also wondering why the 2 large open pastures with my layers has yet to get attacked? Birds too big? Roosters are a good deterrent?
We had 2 hits this past spring and 2 this fall/winter. I have only had 1 fatality and even then the hawk did not get to eat the chicken. On that occasion I had just been outside with family on my driveway and not 10 mins after going in the house my sister saw something 'that doesnt look like a chicken' by the fence. Sure enough it was a hawk who had just killed a chicken. My dog and I chased it away--though it took a fair amount of encouragement to leave my property all together.
Yesterday something hit the same pen of chickens. This time that pen has netting covering it. I have 3 groups of LF chickens, 2 are mixed layers each pen has a rooster. My ornamental ladies just got a rooster a few weeks ago (after the 1st hawk strike), but he is smaller than my other 2 roos.
My problem is that even though I was home, sitting by a window and was outside not 7 seconds after hearing the roosters alert call, I saw absolutely nothing. I am assuming aerial predator because of how the roosters behaved--they got all their girls under the coops and were screaming their heads off. I saw no predators at all. But when I did a more thorough check found a hen on her back making gasping noises. Her rooster was standing over her, I wonder if he tried to defend her. She has almost no wounds--small prick on her neck and cut on the opposite side of her head. The left side of her head swelled up some and there was a bit of blood in that eye (the cut is on the right side). Nothing appears to be broken. She is alive and better today--swelling down in her head, and antsy, but not eating on her own yet.
It looked to me as though she got hit hard--but with netting over the run, I would have expected a hawk to have a harder time getting out than in (there is a gap where it may have come in), giving me time to see it. I am shocked that I saw nothing at all. And also wondering why the 2 large open pastures with my layers has yet to get attacked? Birds too big? Roosters are a good deterrent?
I am so sorry to hear about your birds. I have had a lot of losses to hawks over the years. I lost two this fall and 9 last year. I think that the warmer than usual weather has kept them around a bit longer than usual. Unfortunately, almost any gap will allow them to get in if they want to. I found these videos when I was trying to determine how to protect my flock from them and realized that unless they are completely buttoned up they will get in and they move with such speed that the roosters warnings often follow the actual attack.
Maneuverability
Speed
My daughter and I were kicking a ball around the driveway one afternoon while the chickens were out ranging. A red tail hawk flew right between us and attacked a chicken. We didn't see the hawk. We only felt it and heard it. It was diving that fast and was that brazen. Our dog was outside with us. I am not sure why it went for your penned bird instead of one that was out ranging, but it may have to do with size, potential threats on the ground, and location. I think some species of hawk prefer to hunt in tight wooded areas vs open fields. Any idea what kind of raptor you have?
Maneuverability
My daughter and I were kicking a ball around the driveway one afternoon while the chickens were out ranging. A red tail hawk flew right between us and attacked a chicken. We didn't see the hawk. We only felt it and heard it. It was diving that fast and was that brazen. Our dog was outside with us. I am not sure why it went for your penned bird instead of one that was out ranging, but it may have to do with size, potential threats on the ground, and location. I think some species of hawk prefer to hunt in tight wooded areas vs open fields. Any idea what kind of raptor you have?
I have some chicks for sale if anyone is near Sussex county. I would be willing to drive halfway to meet depending how far I have to go. I have Dominique, Buff Orpington, and Buckeye chicks.
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