If you live in the country and let your birds free range, you're going to lose some eventually.
This morning I went out to let the dogs out. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a big bird take off. I looked fast enough to see a gray hawk with a black mask fly away from the rhododendron that the laying hens usually duck underneath. There was a mass of black and white feathers just at the edge of the bush.
Just when egg production had gotten back to 3 eggs a day, one of the Rock girls gets taken down by a hawk. Joe had just been out and all of the other chickens were under cover, so we think I just barely missed it. The hawk barely got anything out of the kill. Hopefully that means it won't be in a hurry to come back.
The three remaining Rock girls came out of hiding and went back about their chicken business. The four little layers still haven't come out of their coop, but I can't say I blame them.
We'll have to see if this is the start of a new problem. Until now, we've been relying on the tree cover to keep the hawks out and the dogs to keep the foxes at bay. Winter makes them hungry and this hawk got his Christmas dinner a little early. I'm hoping this was just a fluke, especially when I have my spring birds ordered.
I'm picking up a trio of Nankin bantams in January from a breeder. Those are just for me to breed and keep for fun. I'm also picking up 30 Chantecler chicks this spring. The dorkings were too difficult to find, so I now have 30 Canadian developed, very hardy chicks to start our own self sustaining flock. No more buying chicks every year!
Both of these breeds are quite rare, so I'm going to be watching the predator situation like a . . . too soon?
The bantams will require some supplemental heat in the winter, so I'm now devising a plan to keep them in a greenhouse. It's a win win scenario! Year round greens and adorable little birds. Joe has entered the 'nod and say yes dear' phase of this plan. Building a greenhouse can't be that hard, can it? I'm sure I can manage it. I might even be able to retain all of my limbs while doing it.
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