I do have tax photos from last week, from after Stilton risked his life to distract a little hawk.
It's the 2nd time this year I've witnessed him do this brave thing while being stalked by a hawk: Stilton will chase the hens to cover, but instead of diving to safety with them, he sprints to a different shelter up to 30' away.
It puts him in real danger but gives the hens a better chance at survival should the raptor decide to dive.
This time, he chased the hens to the coop run. As they disappeared under the coop, Stilton cut 90° and dashed around the outside of the coop to this sheltered corridor.
I was busy doing roll call and injury checks, so it took a long time to register that Stilton was acting un-Stilton like. He stood quietly here for at least 10 minutes.
The hens' response was as remarkable as Stilton's courage. Stilton's fence-line crush Miss Lorraine saw that Stilton needed support before I did. She bravely left her group's hidey hole to stand by Stilton at the fence. She clearly didn't want to be out and kept looking at the sky and bakawing at falling leaves. Yet she resisted trotting back to shelter until after I came to sit with Stilton.
It took a few more minutes to convince Stilton to move, but when he did, he nearly fell over himself getting under the coop to the hens. I knelt down to see this: Most Magnificent and Worthiest Head Hen Brahma Donna giving a hen version of a hug, resting her chest on him
The next day, he and the girls were back out as much as they ever are right now, which as I mentioned is less than usual. It's possible there are many hawk visits I've missed.
It's the 2nd time this year I've witnessed him do this brave thing while being stalked by a hawk: Stilton will chase the hens to cover, but instead of diving to safety with them, he sprints to a different shelter up to 30' away.
It puts him in real danger but gives the hens a better chance at survival should the raptor decide to dive.
This time, he chased the hens to the coop run. As they disappeared under the coop, Stilton cut 90° and dashed around the outside of the coop to this sheltered corridor.
I was busy doing roll call and injury checks, so it took a long time to register that Stilton was acting un-Stilton like. He stood quietly here for at least 10 minutes.
The hens' response was as remarkable as Stilton's courage. Stilton's fence-line crush Miss Lorraine saw that Stilton needed support before I did. She bravely left her group's hidey hole to stand by Stilton at the fence. She clearly didn't want to be out and kept looking at the sky and bakawing at falling leaves. Yet she resisted trotting back to shelter until after I came to sit with Stilton.
It took a few more minutes to convince Stilton to move, but when he did, he nearly fell over himself getting under the coop to the hens. I knelt down to see this: Most Magnificent and Worthiest Head Hen Brahma Donna giving a hen version of a hug, resting her chest on him
The next day, he and the girls were back out as much as they ever are right now, which as I mentioned is less than usual. It's possible there are many hawk visits I've missed.
