BDutch's bantam flock & natural breeding projects #5 🪺 🪺 and #6

[ManueB]

I always thought my bantams had the advantage over my standards in case of an attack, because they fly so well.
But I guess their size also makes them look more like prey to cats who would probably not attack the bigger chickens .

When Merle, my black bantam, was disturbed while sitting on eggs by my neighbour's dog (whom we later discovered had killed her two roosters and a hen) she flew something like 20 meters straight, high into an ash tree. None of my standards could have done that.
But she would probably not escape a clever wild cat.
If you can access the municipal wild garden, you could have a look ? Cats are messy killers . They leave feathers.

 

[fluffycrow]

My bantams fly really well too, but it's not always the smartest thing to do. Let's not forget, cats are built to leap. A chicken must think what the smartest thing to do in each situation is

 

[BDutch]

16'x8' hoop coop.

This is about 5 x 2.5 meters.

My runs are 3 x 3 meters and approx. 3 x 1.5 meters (not rectangle). So thats about the same size.

With 6 - 9 bantams locked up there is enough space.

Nevertheless , I like to let them free range a few hours each day. I do understand it’s not possible in your situation with so many predators.

My bantams love to free range part of the day, and I believe it’s also better for a healthy environment in the run during the time the spend there.

 

[ManueB]

My bantams fly really well too, but it's not always the smartest thing to do. Let's not forget, cats are built to leap. A chicken must think what the smartest thing to do in each situation is

Yes, definitely. But unfortunately with a cat, and with many predators, there isn't really a smart thing they can do.
Their only possible defences are fly, freeze, or hide, and in many cases none of this is sufficient.

This is about 5 x 2.5 meters.

My runs are 3 x 3 meters and approx. 3 x 1.5 meters (not rectangle). So thats about the same size.

With 6 - 9 bantams locked up there is enough space.

Nevertheless , I like to let them free range a few hours each day. I do understand it’s not possible in your situation with so many predators.

My bantams love to free range part of the day, and I believe it’s also better for a healthy environment in the run during the time the spend there.

I suppose your working hours will not allow you to be home when there is still daylight in winter, but probably they won't be as keen to get out. Maybe in spring and summer you can manage to supervise a little time outside, almost everyday ?
And be careful now for the adults. If it's the same predator that took Chef and Abby, it will try again .

 

[ManueB]

Your run is impressively nice by the way. Mine is a bit bigger but it's only dirt (since it's covered) and it looks much smaller.

 

[RoyalChick]

The neighbour cats don’t harm my Dutch. We have 4 cats who come into our garden every day/several times a day.

These are normal housecats and never attacked my flock. But I wouldn’t trust them with chicks. The bantams do make a little soft alarming sound if they see one and walk slowly away. They don't really flee like they do when they see a dog.

The strange cat is a little bigger as the housecats. I tried to teach my flock to be alarmed for this big cat just as if they see a dog. But the alarm difference between seeing a housecat and this big cat is small.

My Dutch are a bit bigger as show-standard (450g for females). They weigh 650 grams. But Abby was a bit smaller. Possibly show-standard size and just 400 - 450 grams because she was still a teenager.

Btw, I haven’t seen any dogs in our garden this summer except for the friendly neighbour dog. A labradoodle who only hurts a fly. He is trained well and is very rarely in our garden.

That you haven’t found any feathers or body parts makes me think more of a fox.
They take the bird with them and sometimes bury it to eat later.
Foxes are everywhere even if you don’t see them and they are very smart.
Also they are opportunistic hunters so if there is easier food they will take it. My understanding (and observation) is that they will return to the place they found a good dinner - but if there isn’t anything to be easily taken will look elsewhere.
What this says to me is that by locking the chickens up or only letting them out when supervised you might get the fox looking for food elsewhere.

 

[RoyalChick]

I always thought my bantams had the advantage over my standards in case of an attack, because they fly so well.
But I guess their size also makes them look more like prey to cats who would probably not attack the bigger chickens .

When Merle, my black bantam, was disturbed while sitting on eggs by my neighbour's dog (whom we later discovered had killed her two roosters and a hen) she flew something like 20 meters straight, high into an ash tree. None of my standards could have done that.
But she would probably not escape a clever wild cat.
If you can access the municipal wild garden, you could have a look ? Cats are messy killers . They leave feathers.

Yes cats are messy hunters. That is partly why my money is on a fox

 

[RoyalChick]

Don't. It won't serve you any good right now. We can protect our birds to the best of our abilities, worry about keeping them healthy while they're alive, but when they have passed it doesn't help them nor us to feel bad for what we didn't do. We just have to focus on what we can do to prevent more deaths. In your case however, it was never directly your actions that cause the girls to go missing. Every time we let them out to free range, we accept the risk that comes with it. You deciding to not free range the young ones next year is you taking the necessary responsibility. Feeling beat up after making this decision won't help anyone. You're an amazing chicken-er, and you're doing everything humanly possible to keep them safe

This is a very good way of putting it. @BDutch we are all giving you big hugs. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

 

[BDutch]

Thank you all for your thoughts .

I suppose your working hours will not allow you to be home when there is still daylight in winter, but probably they won't be as keen to get out. Maybe in spring and summer you can manage to supervise a little time outside, almost everyday ?
And be careful now for the adults. If it's the same predator that took Chef and Abby, it will try again .

My working hours are very flexible. And I only work 2-2.5 days a week away from home.
Being at home behind my computer isn't enough to scare a fox in broad daylight.

But she would probably not escape a clever wild cat.
If you can access the municipal wild garden, you could have a look ? Cats are messy killers . They leave feathers.

We looked there, but not everywhere because there are many blackberries who make it impossible to look thoroughly.
And now it’s too late anyway, because scavengers must have taken what was left by now.

A chicken must think what the smartest thing to do in each situation is

The first problem is that my chickens don’t get seriously alarmed when they see a cat.

That you haven’t found any feathers or body parts makes me think more of a fox.
They take the bird with them and sometimes bury it to eat later.

Maybe you are right. If so I need to keep the chickens inside for at least a month when we are not around supervising.

I was afraid for foxes about 10 years ago. We had them lurking around even in broad daylight. Had one who killed 2 of the rabbits we had then. But we havent seen any foxes during the day after they build a new suburb between our neighbourhood and the agricultural land and forest were the foxes came from. I know they still came into our neighbourhood in the night. Neighbours about 100 m away from our house shared a foto and camera footage a few years ago and we had one breaking into the run at dawn 2 years ago (lost only one chicken because we were alarmed by the chickens).

 

[BDutch]

Today I let the chickens free range because I planned to work in the garden.

When I went inside for a late lunch I saw the strange cat again running though or garden, chasing Katrientje. I went outside immediately and chased him away. But I couldn’t find Katrientje after he was gone. The Dutch were in the coop and on the coop (alarmed flight?).
Now it’s 1.5 hours later and I still haven’t seen her. Probably hiding in shock.

This convinces me its the strange cat who done it, and not another predator.