Windy hill chickens - first flock(s) of my own

[cavemanrich]

Had a female hen harrier and a cattie face owl hunting overhead and in the surrounding fields this afternoon

Put up a sign for them,,, that the rodents taste better.

 

[Perris]

He'll do the nest noise, she goes to check it out, they have what looks a lot like a minor argument about whether or not it's a perfectly good place to lay an egg and why can't she just go here?! She eventually decides he's an idiot and stomps off to her preferred nest

I happened to catch this on film (so to speak) yesterday (you have to supply the 'how about here?' clucks yourself):

Dyffryn comes along to evaluate his choice

She thinks not and moves on

He insists to draw her back for a better look

She rejects again but considers the pot next door just to be nice and preserve his dignity

Maria the matriarch arrives to relieve Dyffryn and have a look at Fforest's suggested nest site (he's still calling 'hey girls, check this out!')

She's not dismissive; gives it a proper try out

Guess what? She thinks not. And she's managed to get him to give it up and shut up and not mislead any more hens or pullets into nesting in such a dumb spot

 

[kattabelly]

Would the Gull attempt a chicken?

Probably unlikely but a couple of the Shetlands are still pretty small - around pigeon size, and it's not unheard of for the larger gull species to go for those or similar-sized mammals like rabbits. We get great black-backed gulls here too and those are enormous; the hen harrier and owl are both regular visitors and there's various other birds of prey in the area too. There are plenty of rodents and smaller wild birds here to eat, so I'm not too worried but it's still good to know that the older cockerels are giving warnings and the younger birds are mostly listening and reacting to those. In future years any chicks will hopefully be raised by the flock and be let out to range along with the adult birds for some protection.

I'm more bothered about the cats who again, wouldn't generally go for mature large fowl but might try for one of the smaller juveniles especially without an adult around to protect them. My presence is less of a deterrent for them as well although I'm trying to change that.

(you have to supply the 'how about here?' clucks yourself)

Do your boys cluck then? Mine does a screechy growl that sounds like somebody's murdering a pair of mating cats I'll try to get a recording one day when it's not too windy to interfere with audio.

 

[Perris]

Do your boys cluck then?

I call it clucking, but my vocabulary is seriously deficient when it comes to noises chickens make; I can't distinguish as many as people who've really researched this can and confidently assert there are X 'phrases' in chicken-speak.

For me, growling means 'don't mess with me', purring = 'I'm very content', screeching = 'I'm extremely excited about something', barking = warning, and the tid-bitting noise is much the same whether it's roos doing it for hens or broodies doing it for chicks. Clucking seems to be the best word for a variety of sounds in between those and which are hard to pin down in intent. The screechy growl sound to which I think you refer is the sort of racket Maria makes at the back door to let me know that she has now decided to get up and have breakfast, and service is required

 

[Debbie292d]

I happened to catch this on film (so to speak) yesterday (you have to supply the 'how about here?' clucks yourself):
View attachment 4194673
Dyffryn comes along to evaluate his choice
View attachment 4194674
She thinks not and moves on
View attachment 4194675
He insists to draw her back for a better look
View attachment 4194676
She rejects again but considers the pot next door just to be nice and preserve his dignity
View attachment 4194678
Maria the matriarch arrives to relieve Dyffryn and have a look at Fforest's suggested nest site (he's still calling 'hey girls, check this out!')
View attachment 4194681
She's not dismissive; gives it a proper try out
View attachment 4194682
Guess what? She thinks not. And she's managed to get him to give it up and shut up and not mislead any more hens or pullets into nesting in such a dumb spot
View attachment 4194683

You could write, narrate, and have the beautiful pictures for a wonderful children's book. You ought to consider it!

 

[Perris]

You could write, narrate, and have the beautiful pictures for a wonderful children's book. You ought to consider it!

thank you, but no. However, if you fancy having a go at it, you have my permission to use them for such a purpose

 

[Debbie292d]

thank you, but no. However, if you fancy having a go at it, you have my permission to use them for such a purpose

Awe, that's sweet of you, but I have no time. If ever I get the whim and time though, I just might take you up on it!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I happened to catch this on film (so to speak) yesterday (you have to supply the 'how about here?' clucks yourself):
View attachment 4194673
Dyffryn comes along to evaluate his choice
View attachment 4194674
She thinks not and moves on
View attachment 4194675
He insists to draw her back for a better look
View attachment 4194676
She rejects again but considers the pot next door just to be nice and preserve his dignity
View attachment 4194678
Maria the matriarch arrives to relieve Dyffryn and have a look at Fforest's suggested nest site (he's still calling 'hey girls, check this out!')
View attachment 4194681
She's not dismissive; gives it a proper try out
View attachment 4194682
Guess what? She thinks not. And she's managed to get him to give it up and shut up and not mislead any more hens or pullets into nesting in such a dumb spot
View attachment 4194683

“You’re nuts! There’s, like, ZERO closet space! And don’t think you get to use that wall for your giant TV.”

 

[kattabelly]

“You’re nuts! There’s, like, ZERO closet space! And don’t think you get to use that wall for your giant TV.”

I read it more as
(through gritted teeth) "Mmm, yeah, maybe. I'll keep it in mind"
* Massive eye roll as soon as he isn't looking *

That's definitely how it goes here