Peeps in Europe!

[abpatchy]

I think I know now the reason of the disappearance of my small bantam chicken.

Today I saw a real big buzzard in the sky searching for food. My chickens were safe in the run (covered with cat netting). pff.

I think its best to keep the chickens locked up for another week to keep them safe. Glad I have a good sized run for them with lots of hiding places.

oh oh... if he took her than he will be back... it will take longer than one week. I am sorry.. I thouht she might have come back.

 

[BDutch]

Any idea when it will be (reasonably) safe again to let the chickens free range again ?

 

[abpatchy]

Any idea when it will be (reasonably) safe again to let the chickens free range again ?

That I don't know. But if it was a hawk he's probably coming back because he was successful. I know you already said you can't cover your yard with netting. Other than to bite the bullet and cover it somehow, I don't know what to advise you.
My breeder friend has lost about 20 birds to hawk attacks in the last few weeks. Her area is so big, she can't cover it either.... trees in the way. She is trying it with strings running across from tree to tree.. Not pretty to look at... but if it helps? So far I don't know yet.

 

[BDutch]

That I don't know. But if it was a hawk he's probably coming back because he was successful. I know you already said you can't cover your yard with netting. Other than to bite the bullet and cover it somehow, I don't know what to advise you.
My breeder friend has lost about 20 birds to hawk attacks in the last few weeks. Her area is so big, she can't cover it either.... trees in the way. She is trying it with strings running across from tree to tree.. Not pretty to look at... but if it helps? So far I don't know yet.

How horrible loosing so many chickens.

I keep my chickens locked up for a while. Any bird if pray might come again I expect. The outside run is ‘the safe place to be’ right now. The netting on top of the run is ‘bird of prey netting’ on the party tent frame and strong ‘cat netting’ on the second run.
Because my chickens are so small (500 - 700 g) it’s big enough with just 15m2.

I will give them more weeds and grasses now and I’m going to buy some supplements like mealworms to keep them healthy and happy.

 

[Erba]

I knew someone who covered their entire run with thin wire with gaps about the length off your hand. He never had problems with hawks, but terrible problems with foxes. They either took them when they were not in the run but on his property, or when he forgot to shut the coop. Those foxes just always knew, when they could take a chicken. Day or night .

No fox has ever got a chicken from me, thank goodness, but I have had hawks take a handful of chicken in the three years I've been keeping them. They took a young one, a couple of weeks ago again. My roosters stopped them taking a hen, she survived but was injured but they couldn't care less about the young ones I guess. I've got masses of bushes and trees here, so they've really got to learn to run and hide.

 

[BDutch]

My neighbours had a fox twice , eliminating al the chickens and rabbits 5-6 years ago and again a year or two later. The netting was not strong enough (garden netting). I was so sorry for it. They didn’t want this misery anymore and got a mini-pig and a dog instead.

At the end this is much better. They had lots of rats because they didn’t keep the food away from the rats. After the chickens and rabbits had gone, the rats disappeared too.

 

[abpatchy]

I knew someone who covered their entire run with thin wire with gaps about the length off your hand. He never had problems with hawks, but terrible problems with foxes. They either took them when they were not in the run but on his property, or when he forgot to shut the coop. Those foxes just always knew, when they could take a chicken. Day or night .

No fox has ever got a chicken from me, thank goodness, but I have had hawks take a handful of chicken in the three years I've been keeping them. They took a young one, a couple of weeks ago again. My roosters stopped them taking a hen, she survived but was injured but they couldn't care less about the young ones I guess. I've got masses of bushes and trees here, so they've really got to learn to run and hide.

My wildlife camera only caught a marten once or twice... a cat looking for mice. No foxes or racoons yet. I was told though by a club member, he saw a racoon dead by the side of the road.
My neighbor (who is also my neighbor at the breeding club) said she caught a fox in her coop one day. She was in the coop (we both have 4 stalls inside the coop). when she heard something. The young chickens kinda made weird sounds... she turned around and they were just standing there. It happened again... weird sounds... she turned around and nothing. The third time it happened she saw the fox as he grabbed a young chicken. She chased him but of course she could not catch up with him. So it is possible there are foxes around and coming into the run. But so far my camera has not caught any. I have fencing material over top. So hawks can't get in. I am really grateful for that.
It really sucks to have to lock up the chickens... but sometimes it's the only way to keep them safe.

 

[abpatchy]

I just wanted to say...I am upset. My boys seem to be fighting pretty good lately. I am not there all the time so I can't say. But one of the boys lost a ridge in his comb, probably to fighting. He was supposed to go to the show in Erfurt. Now he won't.

The other day the head of the breeding club came by and said ... look at this guy... he is nogood. His comb has a problem. I said stop kidding he is one of my better roosters! Nope... he was right. His comb looked perfect from afar... but when you looked closer you saw that he had an "M" ridge... meaning the valley between two ridges is not as deep as the other ones. Now this one was minimal and I never saw it... but he is right. So another rooster out of the picture for the show.

I am down to 1 rooster that can go to the show.. I registered 3. Not certain if I can change it to hens... I will have to find out.

 

[BDutch]

So it is possible there are foxes around and coming into the run. But so far my camera has not caught any. I have fencing material over top. So hawks can't get in. I am really grateful for that.
It really sucks to have to lock up the chickens... but sometimes it's the only way to keep them safe.

Do you have fencing in the ground ? If not you can placepavement tiles against te fencing on the outside.
https://www.natuurpunt.be/pagina/bescherm-je-kippen-tegen-de-vos
From a belgium site but the picture is clear enough to comprehend.

Sorry to hear this about you’re boys. Do you keep them apart now?

 

[abpatchy]

Do you have fencing in the ground ? If not you can placepavement tiles against te fencing on the outside.
https://www.natuurpunt.be/pagina/bescherm-je-kippen-tegen-de-vos
From a belgium site but the picture is clear enough to comprehend.

Sorry to hear this about you’re boys. Do you keep them apart now?

No, I don't. The fence was already up. And it's not mine to mess with. It belongs to the breeding club.
I do plan on putting on an preditor apron around the rooster boxes.
Unfortunately I can't keep them seperate yet. I need to finish the rooster pens first. I have 8 rooster althogether...7 youngsters and one older rooster. I just don't have the space for seperation. I will have to butcher the ones I won't keep. One is sold if the guy still desires to buy a rooster. 2 I will keep. I just don't know which ones. Once the pens are done and I can keep them seperate, all will be better. The weather has not been kind to our building venture though.