That's the strange part! I wasn't home at the time it happened, but nobody who was home heard anything. I wonder if Delorean was already in the coop and waiting for everyone to join him when one of the hens snuck out of the run outside of his line of sight. I imagine it would have been a quick kill by the hawk.
Delorian crowing in defiance - a great sound. Not been able to watch your excellent vids for a while so was shocked to see the hawk tucking into one of your hens - which one was it ? It's a real mystery how the hawk got it and only thing I can think of is that person who shut them in miscounted and one was left out. Do let us all know if you find the reason.
This is definitely a juvenile Red Tailed Hawk. My best guess is this hawk is trying to hunt on its own without the parents helping it. It is also possible this is a migrant hawk that’s already left the nesting area. After traveling hundreds of miles, this hawk is so hungry that it doesn’t care what else happens as long as it gets the meal. I will say, a hawk without much hunting experience has a less likely chance of survival and only 10% of juvenile Red Tailed Hawks make it through the first Winter. This hawk also ate very late in the day. Other hawks would roost way earlier than this hawk did. I can see how dark it was while the hawk was still eating in your other video.
I did try to give it space. I don't think a fence would have helped in this case, as surely the hawk came in from above. This *is* why we only let them out of the run when we're outside with them, but Sharon managed to sneak out.
I would have thought so too! Our best guess is that he (or she?) was just really hungry and I wasn't presenting enough of a threat. I did stay about 10-12 feet away as I circled around. I'd imagine it's a lot of work for a bird of prey to get a meal, so he's going to guard it as much as possible. Given that raptors can be pretty vicious with their claws, I wasn't going to bother the hawk too much anyway!
Probably. They don't usually have too much trouble finding them regardless. I think scratching the ground with their claws also brings the worms up to the surface.
Great tour, looks like a nice chicken porch. I hope they stay safe. Raccoons do like to climb, so that zone where the original coop touched the extension up high might be a weak spot.
Thanks! I thought about making a cross bar, but the hardware cloth is pretty sharp and pretty close. I think a raccoon would take a lot of damage trying to fit through it.
Yes. It's been quite hot the past few days! (About 90°F / 32°C) Although I haven't been recording it, both sets of chickens have been getting ice/fruit treats near the hottest part of the day, and I keep changing the water out daily so they have nice, cool water to drink, too!
I let them both out at the same time today. The video is uploading as I type this! They interacted a bit, but went back to their own separate coops in the end. We'll have a few more play dates before they're forced to be roommates, I think. :)
Feathers grow back, it’s just like hair if it’s damaged it’s no big deal unless it’s very cold winter. Chickens usually have a soft molt every once in a while to partially refresh feathers, and then a big molt in fall to get fresh high quality feathers to keep warm at winter. I’ve had chickens for ten years and I’ve never worried about a little bit of feather loss from rooster, and I’ve provided saddles/capes as needed. I would not presume to tell this chicken owner what to do. But from what I see these are HAPPY and WELL CARED for chickens with owners who are doing a great job.
Well, we're doing our best, that's for sure. She's a *very passive* chicken from what we can tell. Today I started building more space for them, but it's slow going.
Victoria's condition is becoming a real concern, her wing could become permanently damaged if you allow this to continue, it has been going on for months now, hasn't it? Because, I have heard you mention it repeatedly in previous videos. Part of the problem is that your hen house 'run', is much too small for your flock, so the time they spend in there, Victoria and the Rooster's other favourite hens have absolutely no escape from his attentions. You could replace this rooster with a bantam breed such as a Cochin or Salmon Faverolle, these bantam breeds are much smaller and much less aggressive towards their hens. These are only suggestions, however I think any viewer at this point, would agree you, need to take the appropriate action, regarding the bird's welfare, both physical and emotional/psychologically.
Yeah, it is. I think we need to build out and give them more space. They free roam a little bit, but there are a lot of predators in the area, so I don't want to just let them out completely. I tried putting her in with the pullets after this in the hopes that they'd think she was in charge because she's older, but they immediately started picking on her, so I moved her back as soon as I could catch her again. I also don't want to get rid of the rooster. We got him from someone who was looking for a home for him, and it would seem like a betrayal of trust to send him elsewhere at best, or kill him at worst. The other four chickens on the way are intended to help with this, but I agree with you that more space is needed as well, and I am looking to remedy the situation.
@@tuxedobob2 Thanks for your reply, you clearly care about your birds, and if you wish to keep your rooster, that is your choice. You could simply separate Victoria along with two or three other hens, have a separate hen house and run for them and let these birds out at different times to the main flock and rooster? As for the other four hens you have on the way, it will not stop the rooster's attentions to Victoria or indeed his other favourite's, once a rooster establishes his favourite hen or hens that becomes a learnt and established pattern of behaviour, a rooster will always choose low ranking hens within the pecking order and hens that are more timid by breed, Easter Eggers certainly fit this category, however the decision is yours. Good luck.
No, it won't, this rooster has already identified who his favourite hens are, that will not change unless they are removed or he is removed, any experienced owner or breeder will confirm this.
We lost a chicken last year to I don't know what. It was before he had a chance to get big, and we think it's more likely than not that he was going to be a rooster. At that point we were left with seven hens, and we decided we probably wanted a rooster because part of what they do is to keep the hens calmer. So we put an ad up at the local farm store, and someone contacted us because Delorean didn't get along with his dad too well anymore. :)
Love watching chickens they all have their own personalities and sounds Spent hours as a little boy sitting in the chicken run. Would dig over a patch of ground and watch then excitedly scrap and find lots or worms and creepy crawlies simetimes dashing off to keep their finds to themselves!
Right? You see footage from factory farms and just a sea of white chickens, and you're apt to think they're all the same. But when you watch them and give them space, their personalities come out. Beth and Morgana are very food-motivated, for example. Beth will take over spots from other hens, but not from Morgana. Morgana is a little more polite about it but will still take a spot from someone else. And Amelia's voice especially is a higher pitch than the rest of them!
When we had chickens our friend would give us cockel shells which we'd put in a bag and crush with the garden roller and give then to chickens to help with egg shell formation Re the ceramic chickens don't have teath and they pick up small stones and grit which then sits in gizard and grinds the food up that they swallow. Great video
Yeah, I had to think about it a minute, but I realized it's probably fine, although I'm not 100% sure about the glaze on that. They do occasionally get oyster shells and will peck at little specks of rock, too. They haven't had any troubles with their eggshells, though!
