Texas

[Belott]

I did a search and some say chickens will eat ants some say they won't. General consensus though is that they won't eat enough to make a difference. Hope someone has a good solution. Will try boiling water but I can't see that doing anything but possibly making them relocate. And by relocate I don't mean far enough away.

David

 

[jajeanpierre]

I did a search and some say chickens will eat ants some say they won't. General consensus though is that they won't eat enough to make a difference. Hope someone has a good solution. Will try boiling water but I can't see that doing anything but possibly making them relocate.

David

You can kill the whole nest with boiling water.

 

[magpiesing]

Identifying hawks is REALLY hard. The male and female of the same species are such different sizes (the female is about 50% larger than the male); the plumage differs from juvenile to adult, often from male to female; and worst of all, you generally just get a brown blur out of the corner of your eyes.

But, if you know what hawk is hanging around, you can get an idea of how dangerous it is. Hawks are everywhere whether you see them or not.

You are really lucky if you have crows around. I wish I did. A friend near Seattle feeds her wild crows to encourage them to stay very close to her chickens--she calls them and they come. She feeds them dog food to keep them around. Crows will mob a hawk and drive it out of the area. They will take a chick, but adult chickens should be safe with crows. (Ravens are a different story--they are very large.)

By buzzards, do you mean vultures? (Buzzards are an Old World hawk, not a vulture.) Vultures won't bother your chickens. I'm not sure about the Caracara, which hangs around with vultures, acts like a vulture but isn't one. I think they do take small animals, but don't know if a chicken is too big.

I don't think a Red Shouldered hawk is much of a problem for a large fowl chicken. I think the most common hawk to be a big risk is a Coopers and a Red Tailed. The Coopers is quite bold, too. Coopers and Red Shouldered hawks are about the same size.

We looked up the sound bites for Cooper's hawk and that is what we heard. i hadn't ever heard the sound before. It was the kak kak sound we heard. An alarm sound.
And yes I was talking about the black tailed vulture, just used buzzard as a local term. I have seen the crows chase and mob the hawks before so i knew they were good for that, and glad to know they won't mess with my hens. Still concerned about the bantams though. I thought the bird was more red but Bill said waht he saw was grey. So how much space would a pair of RS and coopers need. We have 5 acres but there is 10 acres of old growth pine and such either side of us and the we back up to managed pine forest that is huge. Could they share the same area or do you tink the reds will run the others off?

 

[magpiesing]

Well off to HD to get new kitchen faucet. Won't have to wash dishes in the bathtub after all. LOL Will catch up later.

 

[jajeanpierre]

We looked up the sound bites for Cooper's hawk and that is what we heard. i hadn't ever heard the sound before. It was the kak kak sound we heard. An alarm sound.
And yes I was talking about the black tailed vulture, just used buzzard as a local term. I have seen the crows chase and mob the hawks before so i knew they were good for that, and glad to know they won't mess with my hens. Still concerned about the bantams though. I thought the bird was more red but Bill said waht he saw was grey. So how much space would a pair of RS and coopers need. We have 5 acres but there is 10 acres of old growth pine and such either side of us and the we back up to managed pine forest that is huge. Could they share the same area or do you tink the reds will run the others off?

I really don't know the answer to your questions. I do know that Red Shouldered hawks tend to be quite protective of their territory, which is one of the reasons I like them so much. They make a lot of noise that is very distinctive when they are bothered by someone in their territory. I would not expect to find Coopers in the same territory as a Red Shouldered pair. During migration things change but in nesting season, they have pretty fixed territories. Migration should be pretty much over now.

I wouldn't worry about a crow hurting a bantam. They aren't that big a bird. If I had crows, I would be calling them down for a plate of dog food every day. Ravens are a different story--they could be quite dangerous.

I've had vultures come and follow my macaws when we first moved here. I think they were just curious about the bright red and green birds I was flying. They sure freaked out the Scarlet, though. She was would leave the area for hours, silly bird. I wouldn't worry about a vulture and your chickens.

 

[SlipsWife]

I quite like the Polish, I just don't like their top knot and all the problems that go along with that. I think their vision problems make them a bit spooky. If I keep them trimmed or taped up, they are pretty normal and quite sweet natured. I find them very entertaining, comical birds. They were the ones that played the longest--maybe they still play at a year old. One likes to get as high in a tree as possible, just to look around.

My Polish are mass produced hatchery chicks. Nothing special about them.

Ok, I'm going to give at least one a try this year. One out of three should be a pullet, right?

 

[Belott]

You can kill the whole nest with boiling water. 

That is GOOD to know!!! Thank you very much!!! Sorry for my skepticism. I do know boiling water kills weeds but had no idea it would actually kill ants!!
Thanks Again

David

 

[Nomibear]

Northeast Texas here. Jefferson to be exact. closest "big city" us Shreveport LA. I'm am currently attempting to breed frizzles and sizzles

I lived there for a couple years. Miss having the tall trees. Although I love the San Antonio area I'm at now.

 

[surfdok]

I didn't know if anyone would get the reference. Most people never get any of my Doctor Who references! Every time I see my Naked Necks all I can think of is 11. Ha!

I was a fan of the PBS repeats in the 70's and 80's. Loved watching Tom Baker as a kid. I'm a big fan of the new series as well. I introduced my wife to the Doctor when we were dating. It's amazing how many people are fans. I see evidence of fans everywhere down here in the valley.

 

[jajeanpierre]

That is GOOD to know!!! Thank you very much!!! Sorry for my skepticism. I do know boiling water kills weeds but had no idea it would actually kill ants!!
Thanks Again

David

The nest is usually close to the surface. Also, if they move, you will have killed some and the next nest will be smaller. I'm a bit concerned about pouring a lot of boiling water into the ground and killing the roots of trees, but there is no poison being added to the environment.