Partridge Silkies - Nothing else

[OzarkCountryGirl]

I had hawks in the past get chicks out of the pen with the coop so I put netting over their pen. I had seen the crows chase hawks before. Now I put my cracked and unsellable eggs out in our pasture for the crows. The crows hang around for the eggs and if a hawk comes around they will chase the hawk off.

That's an awesome idea! I've got to do that! Thanks

 

[AZChiknGoddess]

That's an awesome idea!   I've got to do that!  Thanks 

You still have to watch Ravens though. I had one carry off 3 chicks.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

You still have to watch Ravens though. I had one carry off 3 chicks.

Ravens will go after goats giving birth in the open field, too..they will stand around, waiting to grab at the kid as it's being born as well as ripping away the placenta. Thankfully the ravens around here seem to be intimidated by our livestock guardian dogs who remain vigilant and stick close to the dams during kidding.

 

[TiffanyKim]

Here are my 3 silkies all look like they are partridge but one is silver/Black? <---is this a type of partridge??

 

[AZChiknGoddess]

Here are my 3 silkies all look like they are partridge but one is silver/Black? QUOTE] Maybe a gray?

 

[Sylvester017]

I have lost chicks to hawks before. The brooder chicks were in a small temporary pen right next to where my DH was working and a hawk came down and plucked one of the chicks out of the pen. Hubby said it happened so fast that he didn't have time to react. Now when I put the young chicks out into the temporary pen I cover it. I have a chick coop and covered pen for the chicks when they leave the brooders. I had hawks in the past get chicks out of the pen with the coop so I put netting over their pen. I had seen the crows chase hawks before. Now I put my cracked and unsellable eggs out in our pasture for the crows. The crows hang around for the eggs and if a hawk comes around they will chase the hawk off.

So sorry about everyone's losses to Hawks.

I used to detest Crows because I've seen them go after baby Ducklings before. I thought Crows were good for nothing more than eating the remains out of discarded popcorn bags and squawking annoyingly. But my opinion changed about them as I learned they are excellent Hawk chasers. If a Cooper's Hawk shows up around the yard the Crows hang around the rest of the day just in case the culprit returns. The Crows don't bother my adult hens and have never approached closer than a roof or telephone pole but I still wouldn't trust leaving out Chicks around ANY predatory bird.

To be secure with shelters for the hens we erected several plywood plank lean-to's and an old reclaimed headboard on cinderblocks, a pop-up canopy, 2 recycled doghouses, an old wheelbarrow, and planted some stickery rose bushes for the girls to hide - in 3 years the Cooper's Hawk has not gone after one hiding hen even though he's only 5 feet away from one. Yesterday he showed up on the telephone pole and the girls all dove inside the doghouse til he was chased off - the Crows came around enmasse and no more Cooper's Hawk! The hens instantly hide from the Hawk but not from the Crows but they still eye them warily.

As for Chicks, Goslings, or Ducklings I would not tempt fate to leave them in an uncovered yard/pen.

 

[Sylvester017]

Ravens will go after goats giving birth in the open field, too..they will stand around, waiting to grab at the kid as it's being born as well as ripping away the placenta. Thankfully the ravens around here seem to be intimidated by our livestock guardian dogs who remain vigilant and stick close to the dams during kidding.

How do you tell a Crow from a Raven? Our Crows are pretty darn big around here. Can the two species co-habitate in the same area?

 

[cmom]

Quote:

Quote: Ravens are larger than crows, with larger, thicker bills, stronger legs, longer, wedge-shaped tails, and more tapered, longer wingtips. In the air, they are more raptor-like, soaring for extended periods, unlike crows. They are often seen in pairs, and sometimes in larger flocks, but rarely occur in as large of flocks like crows sometimes are found in. Ravens have deeper, hoarser voices. They can co-habitate in the same area. Crows are tolerant of noisy, populated areas with people and other animals, which gives them their reputation for harassing the cornfields of farmers, since they like scavenging seeds, fruits, and vegetables in groups. Ravens like privacy in their solitary hunt for insects, fruits, and carrion, so they're more likely to be found in remote woods, meadows, and hills. They adapt well to many different environments.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Here are my 3 silkies all look like they are partridge but one is silver/Black? <---is this a type of partridge??

They are adorable!!!

 

[kabhyper1]

My little surprise boy. I have been thinking for 3 months now that he was a girl. The streamers popped this week lol.