Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[no fly zone]

Was surprised to learn about these recently from some Katahdin sheep farmers in open, rolling land in northeastern TN who said the "black buzzards" (which are actually vultures) occasionally swoop in to kill lambs and even calves.

Evidently black vultures are less prominent in the mountains of east TN than further west, though since being made aware of them, we have seen a vulture with a black head here. Could have been a juvenile turkey vulture or a black vulture.

Either way, not worried. They've never given us trouble, and I'm appreciative of the services they provide.

The chickens acknowledge vultures with the same level of concern they do a pileated woodpecker: casual predator call, sometimes a momentary freeze. No panic, scattering for cover, or hiding for 10 minutes, the way they do when a hawk gets too close.

Merle Hagbird with an eye to the sky.
View attachment 4120476

Very stoic rooster.

 

[BDutch]

Maybe a tiny bit off topic, but I've been wondering if the reports you sometimes see here of vultures attacking chickens are due to linguistic difference. What you in the UK call buzzards, we call soaring hawks (red tailed buzzard vs red tailed hawk). To most people in the US, buzzard means turkey vulture. Ergo, maybe somewhere someone from the UK said "I lost a chicken to a buzzard" and someone from the US said "oh wow, I didn't know buzzards did that!" and told all their friends "watch out! I heard vultures can kill your chickens"

I did have a visiting European Buzzard once who killed a Dutch bantam. Not every Eu Buzzard kills. Many are just scavengers and only eat dead meat. Never heard that they actually kill big chickens. Some people think so bc. a real hawk leaves his prey before its all eaten. People tend to nump to the wrong conclusion if they see a buzzard eating a chicken.

Wiki:
The buzzard (Buteo buteo) is a medium to large bird of prey from the hawk family. Dutch page https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buizerd

 

[Vulpes vulpes]

I did have a visiting European Buzzard once who killed a Dutch bantam. Not every Eu Buzzard kills. Many are just scavengers and only eat dead meat. Never heard that they actually kill big chickens. Some people think so bc. a real hawk leaves his prey before its all eaten. People tend to nump to the wrong conclusion if they see a buzzard eating a chicken.

Wiki:
The buzzard (Buteo buteo) is a medium to large bird of prey from the hawk family. Dutch page https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buizerd

Around here, the red tailed "hawk" (Buteo jamaicensis) is daytime chicken predator number 1. They're also what most Americans picture when they think of a hawk, even though they technically aren't one

 

[fuzzi]

Was surprised to learn about these recently from some Katahdin sheep farmers in open, rolling land in northeastern TN who said the "black buzzards" (which are actually vultures) occasionally swoop in to kill lambs and even calves.

Evidently black vultures are less prominent in the mountains of east TN than further west, though since being made aware of them, we have seen a vulture with a black head here. Could have been a juvenile turkey vulture or a black vulture.

Either way, not worried. They've never given us trouble, and I'm appreciative of the services they provide.

The chickens acknowledge vultures with the same level of concern they do a pileated woodpecker: casual predator call, sometimes a momentary freeze. No panic, scattering for cover, or hiding for 10 minutes, the way they do when a hawk gets too close.

Merle Hagbird with an eye to the sky.
View attachment 4120476

Submit that photo to POW!

 

[no fly zone]

Strawberries coming along

Blackberry plant is flowering

If you look closely, you can see 3 little onion shoots. Hopefully the damn squirrels don't dig them up.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Marble and I fed the rest of the chickens today. He pecked the feeder, the bucket, then looked at me to fill it. Then he called everyone over for the delicious meal he prepared. He's a gentleman and has been teaching all of these young boys some manners.

 

[MrsNorthie]

Was surprised to learn about these recently from some Katahdin sheep farmers in open, rolling land in northeastern TN who said the "black buzzards" (which are actually vultures) occasionally swoop in to kill lambs and even calves.

Evidently black vultures are less prominent in the mountains of east TN than further west, though since being made aware of them, we have seen a vulture with a black head here. Could have been a juvenile turkey vulture or a black vulture.

Either way, not worried. They've never given us trouble, and I'm appreciative of the services they provide.

The chickens acknowledge vultures with the same level of concern they do a pileated woodpecker: casual predator call, sometimes a momentary freeze. No panic, scattering for cover, or hiding for 10 minutes, the way they do when a hawk gets too close.

Merle Hagbird with an eye to the sky.
View attachment 4120476

We are in the "Upstate" region of SC, and those are the vultures I see most often. So far, we have not had any issues with them, the boys see anything big flying over and they send the girls to cover. (even the crane or egrets that visit.)

Handsome Merle looks like he has everything under control.

 

[Shadrach]

We've got three types of falcon localy, Kestrel, Peregrine and Merlin. Threre's a pair of Peregrine falcons nesting about half a mile away, I've seen the male here twice in three and a half years. The Kestrels are further down the Avon gorge going East towards the city. I see them quite often in some of the open fields and along the Avon river. The Melin I know of lives on the other side of the river and I yet to see it at the field.
We get the Red Kite, the Marsh Harrier (hawk) on the Somerset side of the river and I'm told there was a Goshawk here some years ago.

The river Avon, despite it's disgusting looks is the feeding ground of lots of birds, It also seems to attract rabbits, voles and mice along the bank and these bring the foxes and weasels and stoats.
There is probably so much food about for the birds of prey the chickens aren't worth the risk.

 

[Shadrach]

Bristol half marathon on today. Transport went West again. Two hours today. It rained early afternoon.

Someone asked me to take a picture of the quince tree at the field. I finally got around to it.

In the extended run.

Out on the field.

In the coop!

I'm not sure why Mow is in the nest box but it may be because I did her legs and she went in the nest box the last time I did them. One reason that occurs to me is a picked up hen often thinks this is mating. Mow did the post matting shake when I put her down. Is she in the box laying an egg?
Chickens.

 

[fuzzi]

Bristol half marathon on today. Transport went West again. Two hours today. It rained early afternoon.

Someone asked me to take a picture of the quince tree at the field. I finally got around to it.
View attachment 4120770View attachment 4120771

In the extended run.
View attachment 4120772View attachment 4120773

Out on the field.
View attachment 4120774View attachment 4120775

In the coop!
View attachment 4120776View attachment 4120777

I'm not sure why Mow is in the nest box but it may be because I did her legs and she went in the nest box the last time I did them. One reason that occurs to me is a picked up hen often thinks this is mating. Mow did the post matting shake when I put her down. Is she in the box laying an egg?
Chickens. View attachment 4120788

What is the green thing? Some sort of cover?