So Upset

[da417]

Update: First, thanks to all for your kind words and support. I did not have to spend the night away so I left the girls cooped till I got back home then let them out. What a sight...me standing guard with my hawk deterrant. I stayed with them till they went up. I am going to have to coop them though for a few days while I am out of town. My son cannot watch them and I cant have him feeling responsible if something happens to them because he is already upset about the roo as he feels responsible because I was out of town when he was attacked. So when I get back I am going to put up the Cds and stuff and begin to work on covering them. I am still hurt and angry enough to resolve the situation with my hand held deterrant. Maybelle is okay. She has patches of missing feathers but I dont see any cuts or punctures. She is very skiddish and stays around my feet. Thanks all.

 

[sourland]

Glad that your hen appears to be OK.

 

[da417]

Okay...so I strung fishing line in the pen and attached CDs to it and to the tree branches. It looks like...well it is weird because you see the Cds spinning around in the breeze and it looks like they are floating. The girls think they're in a disco. Anyway the hawk came and landed in the tree watching but I walked out so dont know if the Cds helped because I frightened it. I dont know how long it was there watching. So tomorrow is another day and I will see what happens.

 

[Mygirls20]

Cd's are a good idea but what if it gets cloudy? The whole point of something reflective is that it blinds the hawks when they try to fly down to grab the chickens. I would really cover your outdoor run with deer fencing. I had a friend use a few cd's here and there the hawks got use to them waited for a cloudy day and killed two of his hens. :/ Hope it works for you though good luck

 

[da417]

If it flies down there is so much fishing line strung up its bound to get tangled in it! At least I hope so. But yes, I am gonna cover the pen. I am going to coop them while Im gone for a few days.

 

[Mygirls20]

Oh ok didnt know you used a lot of fishing wire. That should do the trick hopefully good luck I have never felt so threaten by all the wildlife till one of my hens was attacked and another killed. It def opens your eyes now everything I see I am worried they are going to turn my coop into and KFC eeekkk

 

[da417]

Oh my gosh Mygirls! You are so right. I am so paranoid and I am sure all the neighbors that can see my pen or anyone who comes down this way thinks I am a kook! It was amusing to see a couple of the hens chase the little reflections though. I cant stay away from the window when they are out in the pen but I did manage to run some errands today for about 2 hours and all was ok. I know it sounds weird to people and they dont understand. They say "they're just chickens" and yes, that is true but they're MY chickens and it is my responsibility to care for them humanely and do the best I can to keep them safe. If I didnt care about them none of this would bother me. I think too I am a little more paranoid because there is no longer a roo to help.

 

[Mygirls20]

I know what you mean. I have had my chickens for months no problems what so ever. Then my husband went out of town I got my kids in bed was relaxing on the couch when I heard screaming. My chicken got attacked by a fox through a tiny 3 inch hole in the fence. I flipped out cried for like 20 mins felt I totally failed my chickens. (my daughters and I were sick this whole week) The next day I went out and bought over 100 feet in chicken wire and started to re-enforce my fencing. I worked on it all day ran out of wire, so I took my girls in and gave them a bath. While I was inside the fox stuck his head through a hole he found in the very back of my fencing. I ran outside and had to shoot it several times with a BB gun to make it go away. I felt so bad and wished I had just gone out and bought more wire and finished the job. He killed one of my adopted chickens that I had only had for a few weeks (was a city chicken and would walk right up to my dogs. It had no idea what a predator was) My daughters cried for 20 mins cause their snow white died. It was horrible.

I spent all week at war with this one fox.

I did not own a gun at the time and had to wait a whole week to get my .22. everything I see now I think of ways they can get in the coop and try to stop it. My current coop its a old covered goat pen. So I have decided instead of trying to keep up with predators I will just build another predator proof coop lol Everyone thinks I am crazy

but when something you own and take care of every single day dies it brakes my heart. If my dog died I would have felt the same way (maybe not as bad but still)

I really am sorry for your loss I know how you feel and I hope that the new improvements help and you dont loose another bird to anything but old age

 

[da417]

So far so good...CD's working for now and I just got a new RIR roo my son named Hugo. He is still young as his spurs aren't fully out yet, but he is bigger than my last roo and hopefully can alarm the girls if that blasted predator returns.

 

[Mygirls20]

yay glad everything is going well good luck