Lost all of our hens last evening.............

[noobiechickenlady]

Boooooo!!

 

[freemotion]

A Cooper's hawk just killed one of my young pullets. I'm down from 18 to 7 now. I threw a pitchfork at it OFG-style but missed. Then I switched to rocks.

For me, I think it is the drought that reduced the squirrel population or something. I never had such an issue with hawks before. I still have all my broody-raised pullets. Hmmm.

 

[i_am2bz]

For me, I think it is the drought that reduced the squirrel population or something. I never had such an issue with hawks before.

Well, I was out earlier today & heard a hawk screech overhead, but I'm overrun with squirrels this year so someone's not doing their job. :/

The reason I have all my hens in a coop/run was I heard so many spooky hawk stories from other people. We went on a "coop tour" where a lady told me she had a hen picked off by a hawk 10 feet in front of her; it flew right over her shoulder & it actually grazed her cheek. Another lady had a hawk wiggle its way between overlapping sections of chicken wire to get into the run; the hawk was still there when she came home from work. And this was all in the city limits of Raleigh (wall to wall houses on 1/8 acre lots).

 

[journey11]

Oh no, I'd be really devastated. You put so much into them, you don't want the preds to eat them for free and steal your dinner (and breakfast).

 

[valmom]

Oh, that really stinks. I have buried wire under the coop, but I think the opening is big enough for weasles to get through. I couldn't convince SO that hardware cloth is needed. So far a hawk got one of ours, and an eagle up from the river was perched on the coop fence- luckily while I was home! We covered the coop/run with bird netting after that.

 

[SKR8PN]

I have plans for my next coup in my head. I want a Fort Knox for my next flock of layers. I am about half afraid to grow my meat birds next spring, in the kennel cage I have. I may have to rethink those plans a little bit and modify that cage so I can electrify it.

 

[Henrietta23]

So sorry!!! We need to do some shoring up around here too. I can only let them out when we're out with them because of the hawks. Free-we're overrun with squirrels, is it legal for me to carry them across state lines so you can have some?? They hide out in my shed and scare the poo out of me when I get hay in the morning....

 

[VickiLynn]

So sorry to hear about your chickens.

 

[hoosier]

So sorry to hear about your losses.