Sick to my stomache

black_fx_35

In the Brooder
9 Years
Mar 26, 2010
82
0
39
Charlotte, NC
Just went outside to check on our 8, 8 week old chicks who have been out of the coop for the past two hours. As I was walking to the back of the lot, I saw a hawk standing over what appeared to be a chick. As I approached, the hawk flew off. It had killed one of my chicks. Another, a buff laced polish was sitting down by the fence, and not moving at all. I thought she had been killed too. I rushed to the coop to see if any had made it back, I counted 3. I called my wife who came running out...she looked in the coop and thankfully counted 4, and realized that our BLP was actually alive, just "playing dead". We started to search our lot for the missing two, feeling sick about it. We thought they perhaps flew over the 6 foot privacy fence, and were in our neighbors lot. Even though we don't really think they could. Five minutes later, we saw the missing two, in shock, sitting underneath a garbage can waiting for us to arrive and safely get them back to the coop. While we are so thankful 7 of 8 survived (I initially thought only three survived), I am so sickened that this happened to begin with. We were clearly irresponsible for thinking they would be okay in our urban backyard for a few hours.
 
I know exactly how you feel. Predators are very tough. Yes they need to eat but I wish it wasn't our pets that they choose. Selfish I guess. I am so sorry for your loss.
hugs.gif
 
So sorry! I live in town, and we are having a problem with fox of all things! Two nights in a row, they tried to dig under the fenced in pen to try to get in. Thankfully, we buried the fence down a foot and they gave up trying to get under it. Yesterday, my daughter and I went out to the gravel pit and filled my car up with large rocks and placed them around the outside of the fence. No evidence of any digging this morning. Also, my neighbor called last week to tell me that there was a hawk in the tree on the edge of her property. My chickens are quite large now and I am not too concerned, but, I am planning on covering the pen as my next project. Again, sorry for your loss!
 
at home depo they have 14'x45' rolls of bird netting. once the hawk learns about chicks it will be back, our neighbor lost 35 in one week. if you use the netting hang something shinny from it to keep birds from crashing in to it
 
So sorry for your loss. Hawks are my most successful predator, so I can sympathize.
 
I'm really sorry. I had to rescue my favorite hen from a bald eagle about a month ago. She turned out to be alive, but I'd have been very upset if she hadn't.
sad.png
 
Sorry for your loss and glad that the majority survived. The hawk will return; therefore, watch your birds carefully.
 
I'm so sorry.
hugs.gif
This morning we had a Red-tailed hawk (big hummer) sitting on a pole overlooking our run. All the girls had hightailed it in the coop. I don't free-range often because of this. I live in a rural setting and we have too many predators to safely let them out. We have some chicken wire and a shade cloth over the run, thank heavens. I wish there was something we could do but I know hawks and such are protected.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom