NY chicken lover!!!!

[Pyxis]

The roosters are dropping like flies over here Just found one of my blue cochin cockerels dead in the run and partially eaten. From the eating patterns I suspect it was a migrating hawk. He was one I was debating keeping - I have a black one whose type is better but with the blue I would have been able to get splash babies. Oh well, guess that decision has been made. And he did his job and protected the girls. I would just like to know where the heck my other 11 (and I mean that literally, I have 11 other roosters and cockerels right now) were during this. Surely a hawk couldn't have stood up to 12 roosters. Time for me to buy some of those streamers that scare birds of prey away.

 

[Gramma Chick]

The roosters are dropping like flies over here

Just found one of my blue cochin cockerels dead in the run and partially eaten. From the eating patterns I suspect it was a migrating hawk. He was one I was debating keeping - I have a black one whose type is better but with the blue I would have been able to get splash babies. Oh well, guess that decision has been made. Time for me to buy some of those streamers that scare birds of prey away.

Oh No ...I hate Hawks ..were they free ranging ? and not penned ?
We have been mean to our chickens lately ..If Im not home they stay penned ...
Better Safe than sorry .
They have been eating more too ...if they are in & with the colder weather coming 0n .
I still need to plastic up my coop ..I got it up on the back ..
Im waiting for the teens to start laying ..
One has ...laid a Olive Egg ...not blue ...

Once they all start laying I can close up the baby coop & put them in with the hens

 

[Pyxis]

Oh No ...I hate Hawks ..were they free ranging ? and not penned ?
We have been mean to our chickens lately ..If Im not home they stay penned ...
Better Safe than sorry .
They have been eating more too ...if they are in & with the colder weather coming 0n .
I still need to plastic up my coop ..I got it up on the back ..
Im waiting for the teens to start laying ..
One has ...laid a Olive Egg ...not blue ...
Once they all start laying I can close up the baby coop & put them in with the hens

They were penned, but somehow - and this is probably what led to the loss - a bunch of them got out, including Lacie, who is the main bird of prey deterrent, and she couldn't get back in - I know because I just had to let her in when I was out there. The other roosters were likely out too, now that I think of it. But the run for the free range flock isn't covered, so even in the run they are vulnerable to hawks. The geese have just been good deterrents, but I think I'll add some further protection after this.

I think they pushed the bottom of the gate open, which is concerning, because if they can so can something else. So tomorrow I'll be buying wood to make a new gate and run door.



Oh, and I also seem to have acquired a pekin drake :/ He can stay - I'm fairly sure he's from my neighbor's flock and they don't feed their birds well - but that means I now have four male ducks and only one female, sigh. Two of them are in their own pen, but that still now leaves a two on one ratio for my poor pekin girl, and I can't remedy that until spring.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Sounds like a good plan ..

 

[shodack]

http://www.nyis.info/index.php?action=invasive_detail&id=33 Multiflora rose- very hard to get rid of, the seeds will stay dormant for years and then it will take over again when conditions are good.

 

[tao chick]

The roosters are dropping like flies over here Just found one of my blue cochin cockerels dead in the run and partially eaten. From the eating patterns I suspect it was a migrating hawk. He was one I was debating keeping - I have a black one whose type is better but with the blue I would have been able to get splash babies. Oh well, guess that decision has been made. And he did his job and protected the girls. I would just like to know where the heck my other 11 (and I mean that literally, I have 11 other roosters and cockerels right now) were during this. Surely a hawk couldn't have stood up to 12 roosters. Time for me to buy some of those streamers that scare birds of prey away.

What a good rooster! I'm sorry for your two good roo losses.
Edited to add: What breed was he? Blue? (Re read your post. Duh. Love cochins and don't have any yet. Maybe in spring.)
I'm hoping I can get a couple good roos for my flock. I have three cockerels that I want to keep and I have 4 chicks that I think are boys from my last two hatches. Splash is one of my favorite chicken characteristics. I am not succeeding at focusing on anything in my flock. Some of everything.

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

Aint it the truth ...Love this Igloo Coop .

It is actually just a wood box burried in the snow. One of my feeding stations.

CL always has tons of used snow blowers. I'm sure you can find one. Though finding one is easy paying for it is the hard part.

The roosters are dropping like flies over here

Just found one of my blue cochin cockerels dead in the run and partially eaten. From the eating patterns I suspect it was a migrating hawk. He was one I was debating keeping - I have a black one whose type is better but with the blue I would have been able to get splash babies. Oh well, guess that decision has been made. And he did his job and protected the girls. I would just like to know where the heck my other 11 (and I mean that literally, I have 11 other roosters and cockerels right now) were during this. Surely a hawk couldn't have stood up to 12 roosters. Time for me to buy some of those streamers that scare birds of prey away.

I'm so sorry! You've had such a streak of bad luck lately...It has got to be time for some good luck soon!!!

 

[Pyxis]

What a good rooster! I'm sorry for your two good roo losses.
Edited to add: What breed was he? Blue? (Re read your post. Duh. Love cochins and don't have any yet. Maybe in spring.)
I'm hoping I can get a couple good roos for my flock. I have three cockerels that I want to keep and I have 4 chicks that I think are boys from my last two hatches. Splash is one of my favorite chicken characteristics. I am not succeeding at focusing on anything in my flock. Some of everything.

Lol, that's why I have my egg flock! I toss a little of everything in there. But now I really need to rehome all my extra boys for the girls' sake. I think I have a lead on a home for two of them, so hopefully that works out.


I have confirmed the attack was definitely a hawk. I know this because I looked out there and saw no one out of the coop and in the run, which was odd, so I went out to investigate. When I did the birds came pouring out to meet me as usual, but then I noticed a big hawk fly away from the cochin carcass I didn't dispose of it last night in the dark and apparently the hawk came back this morning for breakfast. So I chased it off, but it didn't fly away until I got pretty close.

So all the roosters had actually herded the hens into the coop (good boys!) but earlier before I went out to check on things I had seen two birds in the run and no one else - a white hen and Pretty Boy. It looks like Pretty Boy went out there on his own to brave the hawk and herd that hen into the coop with everyone else. So he gets a gold star today.

Anyway, I've put the carcass in my live trap. If I catch the dang thing I can't kill it because it's illegal so I'll have to relocate it or something. That'll be interesting. I've also given my birds tons of places to duck for cover if it decides it wants another hot meal instead of frozen leftovers, and I'm off to buy an owl decoy and some bird tape to hopefully drive it off. I may also lock everyone up for a few days so his source of food is gone.

 

[akaruby]

First morning of snow and the ladies are not leaving they're run! Silly chickens...

 

[rancher hicks]

http://www.nyis.info/index.php?action=invasive_detail&id=33 Multiflora rose- very hard to get rid of, the seeds will stay dormant for years and then it will take over again when conditions are good.

I also have a little ground cover rose. The flowers are small and red. it's very pretty and would make a nice base at the bottom of a climbing rose or Clematiis. Trouble is it's a one time bloomer.

Miniture roses do not smell.