Yesterday, morning I let my pack of dogs out. The large dogs are fenced in the back, (Lady and Lugh, both German Shepherds, and Zac, my year old Pit bull). The 2 small dogs, Eddie and his mom, Lacy, took off for their guard/hunting duties. Around I heard the chickens let out with a "HAWK" call. I looked out and saw everyone huddled under the pine tree and didn't think anymore about it. At noon I went to let the dogs in but Zac refused. He was just sitting on the septic mound looking at me saying no way. I decided to let him sit there and went back to my other work. Around 2pm I had to leave, so I called to Zac again, still sitting there in the same place. Then I noticed a white lump in front of him. I went out to him and saw it was one of my hens with her back feathers ripped out and the flesh was raw and bloody. I went ballistic and screamed at Zac to get in the house. My first thought was that I have a killer for a dog. I went to pick up the poor mutilated hen and found out she was still alive. I looked around, found a feed sack, placed her on it and carried her back to the barn to die quietly. As I was walking back up front to the barn, I found her feathers under the willow tree where our resident hawk likes to sit. There were no feathers by her and Zac. The willow is yards away from where I found her with Zac. And the big dogs can't get out of the backyard. He didn't attack her he saved her!
It's a day later and she made it. Her back is really bad looking, but she was out and about with the girls by noon. I still don't know if she will survive, but I do know there is one scared hawk out there.
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