Friday, November 16, 2012

And We Meet Again

Who got to meet again? Was it Toby and the chickens? Mr. Red Tail and the chickens? Or was it all three?



If you guessed all three, you're correct.

Last Sunday, a few days after Hawk Attack #1, we decided to let the Girls out of their coop to free-range, except we stayed with them the entire time and even brought the yellow dog outside with us, thinking this would definitely prevent a 'hawk event'.  (White dog was not invited, since we're almost 100% sure she would eat the chickens faster than the hawk would.)

We were a bit leery since Toby and the Girls haven't mingled side-by-side before, but that part actually went very well.

First, he just watched from a distance.

 
Then, he got a bit closer and got pecked.






And once he got pecked, his feelings got hurt and he didn't want anything to do with those sharp-beaked birds.Watch the series of pictures as Karana comes closer to him.


So Toby stayed by the tree, a few feet away, watching the chickens peck, probably wondering how we could stand to be near those meanies.

We were outside close to an hour when one of the chickens, Ethel (she's the weirdo), started doing her strange flying dance. Guess what? She's not so weird after all. She's alert. And ten minutes after she acted strange, Mr. Red Tail made a guest appearance, looking for lunch.

Apparently our presence did not deter the hawk from trying to snatch a chicken. We started yelling and Toby started barking, which I think ultimately scared the hawk away. So now the Girls can't free range in the yard at all.

The verdict: Until Jason builds a chicken tractor (a movable cage that travels around the yard), the Girls are stuck in their pen.

The Chicken Tenders




Friday, November 9, 2012

A Brush with Death

If you've been following the blog since the beginning, you may remember the trouble in the tree from this past spring. We had a different kind of trouble in the tree yesterday. Only the trouble dive-bombed the Girls!


I let the chickens out of their run to peck around in the yard, went inside to pour a cup of coffee, and luckily I looked out the kitchen window at just the right moment. Mr. Red Tail swooped down from the sky and made a grab for his breakfast. 

The Girls scrambled under the big pine tree and I ran frantically into the yard, screaming like a banshee as Mr. Red Tail flew away without any breakfast. One lucky neighbor witnessed the entire scene.

I quickly scooped up the Girls and locked them safely in their run. Yikes.... this was a close call.

The Chicken Tenders

Friday, November 2, 2012

Flew the Coop


The Girls flew the coop, but not permanently!  A few days ago we hatched an idea; we let the Girls roam wild and free in the yard. After the dogs were securely locked in the house, the chickens experienced a freedom they haven't had since their wings grew big.


At first they stayed by their coop door, but soon realized a great big world of grass and bugs and berries awaited them. 


We haven't let the Girls wander in the yard since they were small because we were afraid they would fly away. And we haven't trimmed their wings because, well, what if they couldn't fly up to their roosting pole at night.

So, after talking to our 'mentor' chicken friends (shout out to the Vandercars), we decided to give it a try without clipping wings and let the Girls out of their coop.



We had some chicken photo ops and watched the Girls scratch for bugs under the big tree in back. The dogs watched from the porch windows, wishing they could join the fun. When it was time to go in, we lured the Girls to the coop with a trail of breadcrumbs. It worked perfectly!


 Until next time,
The Chicken Tenders