St. Phatty
Active member
My 7 month old black & brown chicken "Goldfinger" got attacked by a red-tailed hawk yesterday.
I was re-loading (bullets) and heard a ruckus outside. I ran outside and there was a big hawk flying away. It was all a blur. It looked like twice the wingspan of the chicken, but I think that's just cause they are wild animals and look impressive when they're doing their thing.
It took me a while to put together what happened, but the more I learn, the more impressed I am.
At the time it looked like the attack occurred right next to her place of refuge - a metal rat trap. That's where the feathers were, that's where she was (in the trap).
NOPE. Found some more feathers this morning, about 50 feet away, on another lawn area separated by hedges.
After the first hit, she ran 50 feet and jumped in the rat-trap, which closed behind her. This trap had fine mesh on it, because it wasn't doing a very good job catching rats. That probably helped protect her too.
I had to cut it apart to get her out. But maybe I'll get another one, for a completely un-suspecting purpose.
Anyway, I'm impressed. Of all the places she could have gone, she went to the one place the hawk could not follow. That almost begins to seem like intelligence - something not always associated with chickens.
I had to guess about the attack mode of the hawk, and checked with another 'chicken person' this morning.
It looked like, the hawk was focussing on disemboweling the chicken.
By the look of it, it was about one second away from breaking through her abdomen muscle, and 2 seconds away from beginning to pull out the intestines.
The woman I checked with, Lynn, had a similar story, but without the happy ending. She said the hawk holds down the chicken with its claws and does the butchering with its beak. A hawk did that to her chicken and she shot the hawk, even though it was too late for her pet chicken.
Anyway, getting a rooster and all that.
I was re-loading (bullets) and heard a ruckus outside. I ran outside and there was a big hawk flying away. It was all a blur. It looked like twice the wingspan of the chicken, but I think that's just cause they are wild animals and look impressive when they're doing their thing.
It took me a while to put together what happened, but the more I learn, the more impressed I am.
At the time it looked like the attack occurred right next to her place of refuge - a metal rat trap. That's where the feathers were, that's where she was (in the trap).
NOPE. Found some more feathers this morning, about 50 feet away, on another lawn area separated by hedges.
After the first hit, she ran 50 feet and jumped in the rat-trap, which closed behind her. This trap had fine mesh on it, because it wasn't doing a very good job catching rats. That probably helped protect her too.
I had to cut it apart to get her out. But maybe I'll get another one, for a completely un-suspecting purpose.
Anyway, I'm impressed. Of all the places she could have gone, she went to the one place the hawk could not follow. That almost begins to seem like intelligence - something not always associated with chickens.
I had to guess about the attack mode of the hawk, and checked with another 'chicken person' this morning.
It looked like, the hawk was focussing on disemboweling the chicken.
By the look of it, it was about one second away from breaking through her abdomen muscle, and 2 seconds away from beginning to pull out the intestines.
The woman I checked with, Lynn, had a similar story, but without the happy ending. She said the hawk holds down the chicken with its claws and does the butchering with its beak. A hawk did that to her chicken and she shot the hawk, even though it was too late for her pet chicken.
Anyway, getting a rooster and all that.
