Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[fluffycrow]

Low aerial predator load here as well. Kestrels are common, as well as a few peregrines. No accipiters that I have seen. I’ve only seen five kites flying above in the over ten years of chickening. Then there are Jays and Crows. Hooded crows are really common. From my observations, it doesn’t seem like they form very tight knit murders. As for nighttime aerial predators, my observations are limited to Tawnies and Barn Owls.

No losses from any of the above, so far. I expect that number might chance once the hens (hopefully) start hatching out chicks naturally

 

[Shadrach]

What is the green thing? Some sort of cover?

Yup. Most people cover their more delicate crops here It's not just chicken protection, it's pigeons, doves, crows, jackdaws et etc.
I use chicken wire frames and a net for seed starters because it allows pollinating insects in, primarily the bees at the field and the bugs, I leave to the chickens to sort out. So far I've had fewer bug problems than any of the others at the field. Then again I don't try to grow stuff that needs a lot of care.

 

[Vulpes vulpes]

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.

In a sufficiently dense forest you could live 100ft from a goshawk and never know it, unless they went after your chickens or bird feeders, of course. They're some of the most hardcore hawks I know of, falconers used to call them the cook's bird because an austringer could go hawking with a gos at dawn and return in the afternoon with enough quarry to feed dinner to a whole inn.


Not a goshawk, but a really pretty Harris's hawk:

Second picture I was too lazy to process properly, but I made sure to uphold the lovely falconer's anonymity

 

[Shadrach]

In a sufficiently dense forest you could live 100ft from a goshawk and never know it, unless they went after your chickens or bird feeders, of course. They're some of the most hardcore hawks I know of, falconers used to call them the cook's bird because an austringer could go hawking with a gos at dawn and return in the afternoon with enough quarry to feed dinner to a whole inn.


Not a goshawk, but a really pretty Harris's hawk:
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Second picture I was too lazy to process properly, but I made sure to uphold the lovely falconer's anonymity

We had Goshawks in Catalonia. During the ten years I was there the Goshawk was the main predator. I've watched them glide up the sheep field track a couple of feet off the ground at 30mph plus and hacking though the woodland in and out of the branches. Very impressive. I've had broody hens back down Goshawks. It seemed from what I saw if they didn't get the first strike right they were not up for a ground fight.

 

[Molpet]

three types of falcon localy, Kestrel, Peregrine and Merlin.

I have ones called the same. The kestrel and Merlin here are too small for an adult chicken. The peregrine worries me, but I have not seen one. A few miles up my road, a deceased one was found hit by a car.
Juvenile Red tail hawks and Bald eagles are my problem daytime raptors. Sharp shin and coopers hawks sometimes but usually they are just zooming through scaring everyone. So far I have just had turkey vultures soaring around...no black vulture yet.

 

[notabitail]

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.
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Out on the field.
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In the coop!
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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

I think I've got a couple quince trees over my chooks. They eat the leaves.

 

[fuzzi]

I have ones called the same. The kestrel and Merlin here are too small for an adult chicken. The peregrine worries me, but I have not seen one. A few miles up my road, a deceased one was found hit by a car.
Juvenile Red tail hawks and Bald eagles are my problem daytime raptors. Sharp shin and coopers hawks sometimes but usually they are just zooming through scaring everyone. So far I have just had turkey vultures soaring around...no black vulture yet.

I've seen Coopers/Sharp-shinned hawks go after songbirds at my feeders. They're very good at flying through a dense forest without hitting trees.

 

[fuzzi]

I have ones called the same. The kestrel and Merlin here are too small for an adult chicken. The peregrine worries me, but I have not seen one. A few miles up my road, a deceased one was found hit by a car.
Juvenile Red tail hawks and Bald eagles are my problem daytime raptors. Sharp shin and coopers hawks sometimes but usually they are just zooming through scaring everyone. So far I have just had turkey vultures soaring around...no black vulture yet.

I've seen Coopers/Sharp-shinned hawks go after songbirds at my feeders. They're very good at flying through a dense forest without hitting trees.

 

[fuzzi]

Sorry about the duplicate post, the forum was just sitting/spinning when I posted. I didn't see the second one pop up.

 

[Shadrach]

Three hours today. It stayed dry despite the storm warnings.
In the extended run.

Out on the field.

Going to roost. Fret had already gone in.

Got 50 onions in the ground.

It would be lovely if I could turn up one day soon and find all the fruit bushes in the picture above moved and thrivng in the extended run.