I actually have something to tell ya...

[Marcia]

Hello everyone,

Yes, the list has been quiet, BUT now I have something to write
about! I have a fenced day run for the chickens (15) and guinneas
(3). I went to town and came back in time to see my Bante Frizzle
hiding next to the fence. Found chunks of her feathers here and
there. Picked her up and she was bleeding from a small circular wound
on the side of her head. 1/4"? She was definitely in shock, if
chickens can be in shock. Poor thing. She spent the next 2 nites
inside with me. The next day I saw a hawk circling around. I now
know she is a "hawk survivor"!!! That is the only thing that makes
sense. Either my timing when I came home from town was incredible or
she can run like crazy. All I know is I have a "hawk survivor! And
she's doing just fine!

M

[wc...@juno.com]

if you haven't all ready put netting on top your run, you may want to do so asap or next time she may not survive.  Now that the hawk knows your chickens are there it will probably keep coming back.

Wanda

 

 

____________________________________________________________
"Shoot" into a New Career
Film Degrees, in front & behind the camera at New York Film Academy

[Moderator]

I'm glad she made it. She will need to stay away from the other hens or
else they will finish what the hawk started. It seems that everyone
likes to eat chicken these days - even other chickens.

Dennis.

[Moderator]

Netting over the top is a minimum. It will keep the hawks out, but wont
even slow the coons down. Chicken wire wont stop a coon either. What a
lot of people use is 1" x 1" or 1" x 2" welded wire. However, it is
important to provide perches up off the ground. If any of the ladies
sleep on the ground, they almost always do it right next to the fence.
While a 1" x 1" welded wire enclosure will keep the coon out, it wont
keep him from reaching through and tearing the chicken apart and taking
her out piece by piece. They can reach about 2 feet depending on how
big the coon is.

Can you tell I don't like coons?

Dennis.

[Richard]

I have always used very tight welded wire, maybe 1/2 inch or less. I had
racoons take birds through chicken wire when I first got started. Glee

[Linda Hickey]

Good for you and her. I have a hugh hawk hanging around. Came down for
sombody the other day but my husband was out and deterred him. My rooster
was going nuts he said jumping up and down and making all kind of noises and
the girls were scattering under everything. One of the few times I
appreciate him.

Linda

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[Jeffrey Reppel]

We had a coon raid in the past. There continue to be a lot of them in the area. What is keeping them out of our coops (I believe) is the two strands of electrified wire, one about nine inches another about 18 inches off the ground. The electricity is turned on only when the chickens are latched in their coops during the night.
I do not really mind the occasional loss to a hawk. What puts me to action is something like last year's fox attack that reduced our flock of 42 down to 20. We killed 4 foxes in the following months and have lost only one chicken all summer. Knock on wood.
I strongly recommend to anyone setting up housing to use an electric fence.
Regards, Jeffrey

--- On Sat, 11/14/09, Moderator <n4m...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Subject: [DOM_BIRD] Housing

>
> Netting over the top is a minimum.  It will keep the hawks out, but wont
> even slow the coons down.  Chicken wire wont stop a coon either.  What a
> lot of people use is 1" x 1"  or 1" x 2" welded wire.  However, it is
> important to provide perches up off the ground.  If any of the ladies
> sleep on the ground, they almost always do it right next to the fence. 

[Dave Burrup]

Move your electric wires to the top of the run or the edge of the coop roof.
On the roof place the wires one above the other about 6 inches and about 6
inches off of the roof. On the coop place them so they are 90 degrees to
the fence, on the outside, again about 6 inches apart. This will keep the
chickens out of them and let you keep them hot all of the time. The raccoon
has to crawl through them to get in. If you have something get in move the
wires to a 4 inch spacing.
We have to much snow here for netting. What I am going to use if the
problem arises is cables. The size that you typically see on garage door
openers. Stretched length ways or better yet in a crisscross pattern, about
8-12 inches apart. These do a surprising job when used over fish runs.
They are not fool proof. If a hawk gets in he can not get back out, or with
difficulty. Work it over good an it probably will not come back.
Dave
South East Idaho

[Barry Koffler]

>Hello everyone,
>
>Yes, the list has been quiet, BUT now I have something to write
>about! I have a fenced day run for the chickens (15) and guinneas
>(3).

But also be aware, if you have roosters, that if male guineas are
confined with them, not free range, they will often harrass the roos
so much that they don't come down to eat or drink enough and slowly
waste away.
--

-Barry

*******************************************************************************************
bar...@feathersite.com Barry Koffler mid-Hudson Valley, New York
the FeatherSite at
http://www.feathersite.com
Lead me not into temptation . . . I can find it myself

*******************************************************************************************

[Nancy Curtis]

[Nancy Curtis]

Hey Marcia......
To answer your question, yes, chickens can go into shock and they can
die from its affects just like any other human or animal can. Good thing
you found her. I am sure chickens and guineas are all very happy to have
a safe place to be outside now......I am so happy for them AND you.
Nancy C.

[Rene Levary]

One of the few times I appreciate him.

Who did you appreciate the Hawk or your husband??

 

 

Rene LEVARY

---

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[Linda Hickey]

LOL. I was referring to the rooster, I usually apprecialte my husband except when I'm mad at him lol. I did go out Saturday morning and everybody was running for cover. I looked up and saw the biggest hawk I had ever seen sitting in a tree next to the barn. My son threw rocks at him, not great aim, and he just moved to the next tree. It was a miserable day so we were inside. My boys called me out in the early afternoon and I saw the remains of one of my chickens. He left some parts and apparantly took the rest. Now I'm wondering if he took more. We figured out who it was, my Sicilian Buttercup. Do you think fake owls will help? Any suggestions.

 

Linda

--

[Richard]

 

----- I have strung fishing line back and forth across the chicken yard and then hung holographic colored tape from it.  I guess hawks don't want to get tangled in the line.  Glee

[Patrick]

    S S S   !!!!!!!    (Shoot, Shovel, Shutup)

[linda]

I understand the theory of SSS, and have mixed feelings about it - but to even suggest this towards an owl, hawk or eagle is suggesting

commiting a federal crime and I put my foot down on that.  Its our responsiblity to house our flocks so

that they are protected form the elements of nature best we can - legally. 

Linda

---

From: Patrick <pat...@ndemand.com>
To: dom_...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Mon, November 16, 2009 1:33:21 PM

[Linda Hickey]

Just to clarify, that wasn't me who just put the message about S S S. I guess another Linda posted it. I personally have been a vegetarian for 28 years and would not harm any animal but if I see something trying to kill one of my animals I am not going to stand by and watch.

 

Linda - The other one

[linda]

No, I'm Linda B, and I don't want my opinions to be forced onto another "Linda".  Sorry if you got blamed for my opinion.

 

I am not a vegatarian (though I commend all who are, including my sisters and their families)  
but even though I know its hypocritcal, I don't eat and would never eat one of MY chickens.  However

I too will protect them by whatever means I must from harm.   I fall short of shooting the animals that may

harm them, especially raptors.  I lost a rabbit and hen to an owl myself, instead of shooting the owl, I

put up better protection for them.  I realize that those of you who have alot of land that they can free

range have limits to the kind of protection you can put up, but I just think its wrong to suggest shooting

a federally protected animal. 

Linda B

---

From: Linda Hickey <alp...@optonline.net>
To: dom_...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Mon, November 16, 2009 2:52:14 PM

[HOUSEOFCAKES]

Agreed. Just because we don't use animals for our own purposes doesn't mean they don't have a purpose in the ecosystem.

I agree that deterrents are the best solutions and I second the electric fence--worked for deer and rabbits too for our garden (at different heights of course). Our hawk has not come back (there seem to be less squirrels though). I'm sure there will be a second round. Fortunately I do not think we have raccoons in this part of the neighborhood, but I've used a cheap radio (set on annoying talk radio) to keep animals at bay.

(And I would eat my own chicken if I could figure out a more efficient way to go through all the process of butchering. It's made me rethink how the chicken ends up in the grocery store! :P )

K

linda wrote:

No, I'm Linda B, and I don't want my opinions to be forced onto another "Linda".  Sorry if you got blamed for my opinion.

 

I am not a vegatarian (though I commend all who are, including my sisters and their families)  
but even though I know its hypocritcal, I don't eat and would never eat one of MY chickens.  However

I too will protect them by whatever means I must from harm.   I fall short of shooting the animals that may

harm them, especially raptors.  I lost a rabbit and hen to an owl myself, instead of shooting the owl, I

put up better protection for them.  I realize that those of you who have alot of land that they can free

range have limits to the kind of protection you can put up, but I just think its wrong to suggest shooting

a federally protected animal. 

Linda B

Karen Oh

HOUSEOFCAKES

270 Sterling Street

Brooklyn NY 11225

tel 646 244 8223

fax 718 636 1245

www.houseofcakes.com

[Marcia Baumgartner]

  What a good idea.  I have old cds/dvds attached to a short piece of wire, but I'm going to try and string some line also.  How big was your spacing?  Did you crisscross at all?  How large of an area did you cover?  Thanks, M

Quoting Richard :

 

----- I have strung fishing line back and forth across the chicken yard and then hung holographic colored tape from it.  I guess hawks don't want to get tangled in the line.  Glee

--

This message came from the "dom_bird" discussion group. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: Dom_bird+u...@googlegroups.com

Marcia
MO Ozarks

[Richard]

I need to redo it.  I put them pretty far apart, from roof of house to roof of chicken house.  I need to put more up...the more the better, I think, Glee

[Jeffrey Reppel]

Don't waste a perfectly good hawk. They make great gumbo, almost as good as owl.
JOKEING! Jeffrey

--- On Mon, 11/16/09, linda <mybes...@yahoo.com> wrote:

[Jeffrey Reppel]

Yesterday afternoon my daughter saw a hen that was acting as if injured.
Long story short, a legband was cutting into its foot (ankle?). The band, advertised as the correct size for the hen, was a plastic ring about the thickness of a piece of spagetti. It was supposed to expand with the growth of the bird.
We removed the band, applied neosporin and "purple medicine" made for livestock. She is doing much better today, just wanted to pass on the warning about this type of legband.
Regards, Jeffrey

[Nancy Curtis]

I bought some of that style leg band last year to put on some young birds.
I had so much trouble just trying to put the first one on, I threw the whole
bunch of them in the trash. I decided to do what I had done for years in
identifying my chickens......use my eyes.
Nancy C.

[Marguerite Cline]

Linda wrote;"I realize that those of you who have alot of land that they can free

range have limits to the kind of protection you can put up, but I just think its wrong to suggest shooting

a federally protected animal."

 

I totally agree. I have chickens that free range over several acres, and I do the best I can. Now, should the neighbors dogs come after them again, I will deal with that (not by shooting them, tho) but if they fall prey to the hawks and owls then I have to change my management techniques. I have chosen to keep the chickens, which means it's my job to make them safe. To me, that doesn't include killing off anything that might want them for dinner. I am probably looking into a donkey as "on ground" protaction, but haven't seen any that fly <G>. I have lost two chickens to what I suspect is an owl, and if I could convince the one remaining free-sleeper hen that 40 feet up in the pecan tree is unsafe, I would. Since I can't catch her, and she won't sleep inside, I don't know any way to protect her better.

 

Non-lethal suggestions appreciated :)

 

Margo

 

Pelzer SC

[Rene Levary]

Hello Marguerite Cline,

 

The only way to entice her to come down is to offer her

favorite food.this can be another piece of chicken.

Everybody loves chicken even chicken.

try it or you can also try worms.Chicken love it.

 

Rene LEVARY

Email:  rene.levary@grandmerit.com
Website: http://www.grandmerit.com

---

From: Marguerite Cline [toomany...@earthlink.net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 9:34 PM
To: dom_...@googlegroups.com

[Gail Armstrong]

We have a Great Horned Owl family that lives on our property. Our chickens are inside the barn at night, but daily are out in a chain link fence covered by the plastic fence that you see on construction sites.  It really has worked  well for over two years now.

gail

 

[Marguerite Cline]

Thank you, Gail, but they free range on about 7 acres (that I can figure, sometimes they just disappear farther into the woods). I could cover parts of it, but they have "bolt holes", and I hope that's going to help. They're pretty wary. I never see the owls during the day, that's the time for hawks. We do have a pretty large crow population, and between them and the local Mockers, the hawks get harrassed pretty regularly, if they even appear (knocking on wood that this continues).

 

Margo

Gail wrote;

"We have a Great Horned Owl family that lives on our property. Our chickens are inside the barn at night, but daily are out in a chain link fence covered by the plastic fence that you see on construction sites.  It really has worked  well for over two years now."

gail

 

--