Chicken Little's Close Call

The other day I was heading toward the chicken yard with the wheel barrow, when I heard the chickens set up a fuss. This isn't uncommon. They will carry on when they lay an egg, or if a hen wants a nest box occupied by another, if the neighbor sets off fireworks, if a motorcycle drives by, or if anything they think is suspicious, is going on around them. Cowboy, our rooster, either sets it off or joins in, and tends to be a bit of an alarmist. In fact Dan has taken to calling him "Peter Panic." But he is excellent at spotting hawks.

Cowboy and company (Buff Orpingtons)

It's because of hawks that we always go check it out when he sounds the alarm. Last summer we lost three chickens to hawks. From this we learned we are located along a hawk migration route. Spring and fall we see a lot. Because of that, Cowboy is always on the alert.

As I neared the hen house, I saw all the chickens clumped under the big cedar tree in their yard. Not a good sign; hawk for sure. I quickened my step. Sure enough, there on the ground was a hawk! Next to it, staggering around like she didn't know what hit her, was Chicken Little.

Not that screaming and yelling and charging a hawk does much good, but that's what I did. The hawk simply flew up to a branch in the pecan tree that shades the shed. It quickly became apparent that I was not going to let it have Chicken Little, so off it flew.

Chicken Little after her close call

Chicken Little (who is almost full grown) was dazed and stumbling around. I quickly caught her (still don't know if she's a she or a he, I think a she). Her head and beak were bloody. The wounds looked superficial, but I wasn't sure whether or not the beak was broken. Dan, whose read quite a bit about hawk behavior, says they usually attempt to break the neck at first strike. I quickly checked her wings and legs, and then took Chicken Little into the house. I bathed away the blood and applied triple antibiotic ointment. Nothing appeared to be broken, but I still didn't know about her beak. I'd have to wait and see about that.

I put her in the dog carrier with food and water for the night, and went back to the shed. The chickens were still under the cedar tree, fussing. There was the hawk, on the ground in the same spot. It flew off when it saw me coming.

The next day I let Chicken Little out of the carrier and tossed down some scratch. She could eat just fine, so the beak wasn't broken. My concern turned to the other chickens. Chickens are extremely ruthless to their own kind and with those fresh wounds and scabs on her head, I was afraid they would attack her themselves. Plus, being the littlest and youngest, Chicken Little is already at the bottom of the pecking order. She is the only one who hadn't experienced hawk attacks, and didn't know to take cover when Cowboy sounded the alarm.

All that day she was rather subdued and quiet, taking frequent naps. I kept her in the goat shed, shutting the gate to keep the other chickens out. The goats couldn't get in either, but with nice weather they weren't any worse off for it.

Yesterday she ventured out again.

Chicken Little and Surprise

I couldn't keep her separate forever, so I just observed after letting the rest of the flock out to free range.

Chicken Little in the foreground. The rest of the flock about their business.

She already knows to stay out of their way, and there were no worse squabbles than usual.

We do talk about a chicken tractor with a mesh top to protect from hawks. We see other problems with that, so the jury is still out. Animal housing is at the top of our discussion list these days though, so we'll be making some decisions soon.

Chicken Little's Close Call © Sept. 2012 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

A Common Enemy

I was in the kitchen washing dishes when I heard Dan fire off his 22. I didn't think anything of it because he usually uses it to scare off dogs, who are drawn into our yard like a magnet because of the chickens. Unless a dog is bred and trained for farm purposes, even a "good" dog will chase and kill chickens for the sport of it. This is not a big problem for us, but on occasion we have dogs passing through.

A few minutes later he came into the kitchen. "Didn't you hear the chickens?"

"No," I replied. "I heard your gun, but I didn't hear any fuss from the chickens."

"A hawk had one of them," he replied.

He had fired a shot to scare it off, and fortunately it flew off leaving the chicken behind. From a distance, Dan couldn't tell which chicken, so I ran out to check. Several of the hens were cowering wide-eyed in the goat shed. Our rooster, Lord B, was outside the shed strutting back and forth and fussing up a storm. The chicks were scattered. A half dozen were in the other stall with Mama Hen, two were hunkered down in the field by the fence, and the rest were hiding under the bushes and brush. I called "chick, chick, chick," and when they saw me, they made a mad dash for Mama. I counted 16, then went to look for the other hens. Soon everyone was accounted for, looking scared but unscathed.

Now, before anyone gets up at arms (is that a pun?), yes, we know it's illegal to shoot hawks. But it's not illegal to scare them off, and yelling at them or throwing things doesn't do the trick, trust me. The point of this story (and hence the title of the post), is how the chickens responded to the crisis. When faced with a common enemy, Lord B (who'd been chasing the chicks away for weeks, see "The Social Integration of Chickens") stepped up to the plate and rounded up nearby chicks to protect. And this, was the beginning of a change in the chicken yard.

We've had hawks try to nab our chickens before, though fortunately they've never caught one. (See "Chicken News: the Good, the Scary, the Silly") That first experience led to research and our experimenting with hawk deterrent methods. (See "Dan's Hawk Deterrent") Besides our efforts, we also have a flock of crows in the area. Crows dislike hawks and I've seen them chasing and harassing a hawk or two. Hawks are territorial however, and with a literal movable feast on our place, it is difficult to dissuade them. Because of that, we realize that we may lose chickens or cats to these predators. It's more likely with free ranged birds like ours, but even fenced chicken yards, unless they are covered with netting or fencing, cannot guarantee chickens won't be nabbed.

I feel responsible for our chickens, and sometimes wonder if letting them free range is the best choice. On the other hand, having the freedom of several large fenced areas, enables them to be what they were created to be, happy, healthy, about their business chickens. They not only give us top quality, free ranged eggs, but help with insect control and eat quite a few weed seeds to boot. I just try to keep in mind that the balance of life as we know it, is death.

For the record, Lord B still chases the chicks around when I toss them some grain, but he no longer tries to keep them away. They are allowed in the chicken yard and coop, and have learned to simply stay out of his way. He maintains his status, they are learning their place in the pecking order, and balance has finally settled on the barnyard.

Buff Orpington chicks drinking whey from my cheesemaking

A Common Enemy © September 2011 by Leigh
at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Dan's Hawk Deterrent

A follow-up to Chicken News: the Good, the Scary, the Silly

After researching how to deter hawks, Dan decided to try a couple of things. There are tons of recommendations on the internet: scarecrows, mirrors, fake owls, mannequins, kites, shiny fluttery milar tape, fake hawks, shutting the chickens up till the hawks go away, big dogs, larger livestock, radios, roosters, netting, and hawk call recordings.

We decided to use what we had on hand, which meant a good old-fashioned straw stuffed scarecrow.

We also took five old CDs and attached one, shiny side up, to the top of it's hat. I put the others in pairs, back to back, and dangled them from the scarecrows arms.

It was fun to make and when we stood back for final inspection, we had a good giggle. If the chickens and goats aren't afraid of it, then I wonder what the hawks will think. Dan says we'll probably find hawks perching on it tomorrow.

We have noted a change in the chickens' behavior since the hawk incident. Yesterday morning Lord B, our rooster, let out a cry and all the hens ran for cover. We didn't see anything, but are glad to know he's more watchful than before.

Later, when I shook the dust out of a couple of throw rugs, the flapping sound sent the chickens running for the bushes as well. Obviously it reminded them of beating hawk's wings.

I've read mixed reviews on how well scarecrows deter hawks. Some folks report success, others don't. It seems to help if it's relocated frequently. I reckon time will tell.

[UPDATE: 10/5/10]  Yesterday while we were at Tractor Supply, we found an owl decoy for $10.  These are supposed to help keep hawks away so we figured, why not. The tag said it's hand-painted for realism. Now I ask you, what in the world breed of owl sports huge orange polka dots???

Dan's Hawk Deterrent © October 2010 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Chicken News: the Good, the Scary, the Silly

My most exciting news (or is that eggciting?) is this...

My chickens have finally consented to lay in my 3R nest boxes!!! I almost can't believe it. For three months now they've laid them everywhere but. They still lay eggs elsewhere, but at least I can now have some small sense of satisfaction from the nest boxes I was so proud of.   :)

Speaking of eggs, I got a striped one ...

Or at least this is probably as close as it gets.  It's a Welsummer egg. The interesting thing about Welsummer eggs is that the speckles are completely random. Each egg is different. Like this one...

... which is curious because of the size of those spots.  Or this one ...

... with a pile of speckles at one end.  This egg is also unusual because it is lighter that most Welsummer eggs. These definitely keep egg gathering interesting.

Here's the scary news - we almost lost one of our Welsummer hens. I was out turning the compost pile when I heard a crash and Lord B, our rooster, let out a loud warning squawk. I looked up, expecting to see that a pecan branch had come crashing down near the chickens. What I saw was a hawk, extracting itself from the thicket under the pecan tree where the chickens like to hang out. Fortunately it's talons were chickenless, but I had some panicked pullets, not knowing which way to run. I ran over to see if everyone was okay. The near victim looked like she'd had a few feathers pulled from her back, but other than that was just frightened. She wouldn't let me catch her to look her over, nor would she come out when I scattered some scratch and called "chick, chick." Can't say that I blame her.  I did watch her for a little while to make sure she wasn't injured. She ate the scratch I tossed in the bushes and appears to be getting around just fine.

[UPDATE: Dan's Hawk Deterrent, posted 10/4/2010]

On a more humorous note, here's an observation. Chickens, like most animals, respond best to routine. Because of that, I tried to think ahead about the chores I needed to do and when (and sometimes where) I wanted to do them. Our morning chicken routine is this: I first go into the feed section of the animal shed, greeting everyone. I usually bring yesterday's kitchen scraps with me, and add a scoop of chicken scratch. Then I go around to the chicken yard and open the chicken's door. (Photos of chicken gate and chicken door in this post.) While they're enjoying their scraps and scratch, I go do other things. Awhile later, I come back and open the chicken gate to let them into the goat field.

No problem with that routine. It's all well and good. Until the day I decided to open the gate right after gaving them their scratch. No waiting, I figured they could just go out to free range as soon as they wanted. When I finally went to do a chicken check however, I was surprised to see them clustered in the chicken yard, waiting for me. Apparently, it never occurred to them that the gate to the field was already open! The routine is that I'm supposed to open the gate after they've finished their scratch. They never noticed it was open. They just waited for me to come.

Rain. Of my four breeds, the only one that doesn't seem to mind rain is the Delaware. The others prefer to stay in, but if the rain lets up, are willing to make a dash around the side of the shed to visit the goats. There they can scratch around in the straw and lay eggs in the hay. The goats don't mind the company as they don't like going out in the rain either. (Llamas, on the other hand, don't seem to mind the rain and Charlie comes and goes in it as he pleases.)

The last of my chicken news is that one of our hens caught a small snake. It was a baby black snake (or maybe a rat snake) about 12 to 13 inches long and oh what a fuss she made. She would carry it around proudly until it wiggled a bit, then she would drop it with a squawk and a huge backwards jump. Every time I tried to get a closer look she would run off with it, because chickens aren't inclined to share their prizes. She eventually ate half of it (lovely sight), and later must have gone back to finish it off because it disappeared after that.

And that's it for my chicken news.

Chicken News: the Good, the Scary, the Silly © October 2010
by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/