Silkies and predators

[Ozkan]

Hi
I’m going to get some micro miniature citron silkies and micro miniature Siamese silkies. The breeder said that when fully grown they will be 8 inches (20cm) tall.
I’m a bit worried as how small they are and the predators. I was planning to keep them in 40m electric netting and a shed as their coop. I was going to buy the hatching eggs on the 30th jully so they’ll hatch in September. They’ll be 16 weeks when it hits winter. I was worried on how they’ll keep warm and the predators like crows and we get lots of red kites as they’ll be easy prey. Where the electric netting is there are lots of trees so not much landing space for birds but some. I was going to hatch them with some brahmas. Will crows and red kites attack them or another other animal? As there will be no netting around the top to protect them from birds.

 

[Fishkeeper]

You need netting around the top. For tiny birds like that, kept outside, you have to fully enclose them. Basically, make them a little backyard aviary.
I wouldn't keep them with brahmas. Brahmas are too big and might accidentally step on the tinies, or Brahma roosters would try to mount tiny hens and hurt them.

 

[True Patriot]

At that size they will always be at risk. Having them with the larger birds may have problems of its own. The best option would probably be to have a separate covered run for them.

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

Open top and birds of prey = missing chooks, regardless of size usually, smaller means easier to grab and fly off. Raptors swoop in and grab up doves on my land fairly regularly and those micro birds sound like they are smaller than the doves. Mixing sizes of chooks usually ends up with the smaller birds being pecked on.

 

[Ozkan]

Thank you I’ve changed my plan I was just going to just keep a citron rooster will the birds of prey take the rooster which is like 30-40cm?
Thanks

 

[Ozkan]

This is a photo of the micro mini citron Rio:

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

That is going to depend on 1. size of the raptor, 2. ease of access and 3. fierceness of the Roo. I raise Black Copper Marans, these are large birds and they live with our hogs, we have Redtail Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Barn, Screech, and Great Horned Owls for the main raptor population. On occasion we see young Eagles fly over. So far No losses with the Marans. We have had two owls swoop the 1 acre area our chooks stay in but the birds have not attempted a take so far. Our hens are around 6 pounds and the Roo is close to 8 lbs. He has attitude (has attacked me several times and got me with his spurs once). I am of the opinion that an aggressive Roo will spook the raptors enough that they think twice about trying for a take. Our pen area has several very bushy cedar trees and the chooks do run for that cover if the roo sounds the alarm. I do have plans to use red 60 lb. fishing line to run a matrix over the acre eventually (when we manage to sell our hog breeding stock) so I can add ducks to our bird flock. The red lines will snag a raptor's wings, which means they won't try to land or swoop low. On the other hand, the Redtail Hawk is my spirit animal and I've seen them roost in the trees but leave our birds alone. So maybe those are just coming to tell me hello.

 

[Ozkan]

Hi we don’t get hardly any hawks but red kites and crows are they a problem?

 

[Ozkan]

Hi
What do you mean by ease of access ?

Thanks

That is going to depend on 1. size of the raptor, 2. ease of access and 3. fierceness of the Roo. I raise Black Copper Marans, these are large birds and they live with our hogs, we have Redtail Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Barn, Screech, and Great Horned Owls for the main raptor population. On occasion we see young Eagles fly over. So far No losses with the Marans. We have had two owls swoop the 1 acre area our chooks stay in but the birds have not attempted a take so far. Our hens are around 6 pounds and the Roo is close to 8 lbs. He has attitude (has attacked me several times and got me with his spurs once). I am of the opinion that an aggressive Roo will spook the raptors enough that they think twice about trying for a take. Our pen area has several very bushy cedar trees and the chooks do run for that cover if the roo sounds the alarm. I do have plans to use red 60 lb. fishing line to run a matrix over the acre eventually (when we manage to sell our hog breeding stock) so I can add ducks to our bird flock. The red lines will snag a raptor's wings, which means they won't try to land or swoop low. On the other hand, the Redtail Hawk is my spirit animal and I've seen them roost in the trees but leave our birds alone. So maybe those are just coming to tell me hello.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Thank you I’ve changed my plan I was just going to just keep a citron rooster will the birds of prey take the rooster which is like 30-40cm?
Thanks

The proper question is not "Will the birds of prey take the rooster?" but rather will the birds of prey KILL my rooster? The answer is YES and it matters little the size of the rooster in question.

Most hawk attacks are low level affairs that are only undertaken after the hawk has spent considerable time scoping out your flock from the safety of a tree limb or from the top of your coop. CDs, fishing line, or other visual deterrents are unlikely to make a hill-of-beans worth of difference in whether your chickens are safe or else become hawk scat.

Observe how useless red fishing line would be in stopping these hawk attacks, and watch how late the rooster shows up to defend his harem.