The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Scott H]

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Dog loves the doggie door. He doesn't bother the chickens at all. After about a week of owning the chickens, my wife, who had chickens growing up said, "I had no idea I would like them so much"!

Quote:
Hopefully they are just on a walkabout......good luck and sorry.

 

[lalaland]

keeping my fingers crossed your hens show up. They can be amazing at hiding at night - in trees, wedging themselves somewhere if they ended up flying out of the run.....

 

[Leahs Mom]

Just got back in from searching everywhere for two Black Amerecauna hens.

I hope they just got lost. There are no holes in the fences so it wasn't the bears or a dog, no feathers and the rest are acting pretty normal. That brings me down to 4 Amerecauna hens. Bah!

Any ideas on what predator can take a full grown bird within a five foot fence that can't be climbed with leaving a trace?

We do not have foxes, coyote, bobcat, lynx, skunk or possum here and the ravens ran the hawks off long ago.

ETA: Whoops - I thought you said you HAD those preds but you said you didn't. Sorry! My main point was that predators that you wouldn't think could climb do.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Just got back in from searching everywhere for two Black Amerecauna hens. I hope they just got lost. There are no holes in the fences so it wasn't the bears or a dog, no feathers and the rest are acting pretty normal. That brings me down to 4 Amerecauna hens. Bah!

Any ideas on what predator can take a full grown bird within a five foot fence that can't be climbed with leaving a trace?

We do not have foxes, coyote, bobcat, lynx, skunk or possum here and the ravens ran the hawks off long ago.

Humans could do it.

 

[lazy gardener]

Dogs, feral cats? Why do you think you don't have foxes, coyote, bobcat, lynx... ? What about raccoon?

 

[aaggjg]

My lavender orp came out with 2 tail feathers this morning a few shakes, a scratch and she has none. Her hatch mate is clinging on to her last and retreated to the coop in shame. Must be the 90 degree weather we are having that signaled them to molt this is stupid crazy hot for mid Nov!!!! supposed to rain this weekend .... so that's more like it!!!

Nugget's eye seems to be all healed up & 1/2 her feathers have grown back so she is looking a little more chicken like. Now if only shed stop roosting in the rafters! With so few feathers flying down is precarious at best!!!! (Crash landing every time!!)

 

[delisha]

As far as Ameracuana's go..they fly well..don't panic they are probably in a tree somewhere. I see you are on an Island. You have eagles and cougars. All of them can carry off a small chicken or two..or 10 with no problem with leaving no signs. Cougar cubs are hunting now.

 

[aaggjg]

I just heard a hawk call that sounded like it was directly over my head. I looked up in my huge eucalyptus but saw nothing. So I took out my iPhone played a few of my recorded crows and voila hawk is silent. Must have moved on!! I love when technology works!!!

 

[Shan30]

As far as Ameracuana's go..they fly well..don't panic they are probably in a tree somewhere. I see you are on an Island. You have eagles and cougars. All of them can carry off a small chicken or two..or 10 with no problem with leaving no signs. Cougar cubs are hunting now.

I think we have a winner! I panicked, what can I say, searched again with hubby when he got home at 11 pm, couldn't find anything.

Looked out the window this morning to see that they were suddenly back foraging with the flock. Very sneaky. I'm feeling pretty silly!

You are completely correct about the cougars and eagles. We definitely have a resident mama cougar but her and her cubs have not messed with anyone's livestock so no one bothers her. Probably due to the large numbers of fawns and rabbits in the area. They don't risk human contact unless very hungry.

Strangely the eagles have never messed with a live chicken. If one dies and we are too late to salvage it I throw it in the lower meadow and watch them come for it. At least some one eats

As for knowing that we don't have all those other predators, we are on Vancouver Island and they are not native species. I have heard that some fools accidentally brought over a pair of skunks as pets and had them escape.

 

[aoxa]

Del, my larger meaty girl has laid an egg! WOOT! She started BEFORE the Pennies! I am shocked/happy/amazed. It's a medium size, greyish cream coloured with some speckles

She looks much bigger than she feels. I'd say she's 10 pounds. Still very active.

ETA: She is 19 weeks old.