Spring Chicken

[trichcycler]

We lost our first chicken of 2015 yesterday. She's considered the sacrificial Spring Chicken, offered to the local Hawk God. This one was a full grown three year old Orpington, an egg a day golden gal.  Free range chix are in danger every waking minute. When they're not under cover they keep one eye in the sky. when the eating is really good, like right now with earthworms everywhere here, some get lost in the gluttony and lose. 

 

RIP Chicken

[Willy]

We lost our first chicken of 2015 yesterday. She's considered the sacrificial Spring Chicken, offered to the local Hawk God. This one was a full grown three year old Orpington, an egg a day golden gal.  Free range chix are in danger every waking minute. When they're not under cover they keep one eye in the sky. when the eating is really good, like right now with earthworms everywhere here, some get lost in the gluttony and lose. 

 

RIP Chicken

I have roller pigeons,, hawks suck.. then again any BOP is a pain to birds that you raise outdoors. 

Try flying pigeons in hawk season... just as much fun... you can watch the hawk do there deal, how often they miss/succeed.  Last year i lost 7 good birds.. likely more this year...

And those little falcons, dam they come in like a rocket.. an explosion of feathers,, and then there both gone from site..  

[AbominableDro-Man]

I've actually expressed some interest in training a BOP companion for some time. There have multiple families of hawk and a some Balds that frequent the area, so we don't keep chickens/ducks/goats around.

 

I see glory, however, your chick has died in stupendous, glorious battle, proving itself amongst the other brave  chickens who have sacrificed for the common good of "Yeah..it isn't safe out there yet..".

[flower pharm]

too bad it was an orpp had a few breeds and theyre just gentle polite and quiet, good layers also! sorry for your loss.

[trichcycler]

We're not sorry, but thank you for the kindness. the hawk was just doing what hawks do. We also lost 16 rollers in one years time. All but 2 were bred here on the farm. They were a big loss for me. I spent years with these birds, until the hawk discovered their protective custody arrangement and infiltrated our space. Since then they hang out and wait to see what we're going to offer up this year.  small dogs, a cat maybe, some more pigeons, or the ole standby chicken. 

 

We do have shiny spinners around the property but not everywhere. they start looking pretty cooter after  the first three.

[fishhead]

Last year a mama hawk nested a young one in the back yard, that mama hawk yelled all summer for the young to leave the nest...and man was she loud.

Then the mama hawk notice the two kittens we rescued, the kittens were the size of a mouse.  She did fly bys over the deck when the kittens were in view of the doorwall.  I let my older male cat out, he is about 30 lbs or so, he is a big boy, part coon. That mama hawk watched him, but no swooping, he might be too big.

I caught a video of my older male cat chasing a young buck out of the yard, I was so proud.  He would put up one hell of a fight with that mama hawk, but she left him alone.

ah the beauty of nature.

[Willy]

[trichcycler]

whoa!!

[GregS]

(sniff)

[blackhorse]

We keep birds in pens, but still have problems with mink, fox, coyote, and coon. In past we had hot wire that would help keep out most of the critters. Lost 35 birds in two days from the mink. Some big owl's in this area too.

[trichcycler]

we have a great horned owl in our woods but we haven't seem him dine yet.

[rockinsteady]

Spring Chicken vs Spring Kitchen

 

Edited March 29, 2015 by rockinsteady

[Alex17]

I'm sorry for your loss grassmatch.