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
Guess that's the last time they get to go outside their run w/o a hen-sitter. I've heard that you (or, ahem, one's parent who spends way too much time sitting at a computer) can made a large frame with chicken wire on top and on all sides so that they can safely forage in grass or garden. But boy, that would be hard to store, although I suppose one could engineer it to collapse.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. No more free-ranging unless a Chicken Tender is outside with them! They do make chicken 'tractors', which are moveable cages that go around the yard and the chickens are fully enclosed. I never thought hawks would be a problem in the city, although I guess I should have known because a few years ago we watched a hawk steal a bird right off our bird feeder in front of the dining room window!
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