4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[BooBoo]

Yesterday mother and baby blue tit landed in the garden. Mother blue tit went off to find worms leaving tiny baby blue tit on the lawn….Rosie went up to investigate and pecked the baby bird over and over again!! The poor thing was flapping around trying to escape

 

I ran out and shooed Rosie away and the poor bird stumbled under my shed – where I found it dead this morning

 

Has anyone else’s chicken come across fledglings? And did she react like that??

[Guest]

not another horror story, I can't cope!

[bronze]

ugh no but I had a horrible experience (non chicken) this morning which I wont share becasue why upset more people.

[Egluntyne]

One or two people have reported similar events.

 

Sad...but mother nature is cruel.

 

I hope you are OK.

[Snowy]

My chickens attacked Dora the dove when she ventured onto the lawn. I had to hoof her quickly behind the netting that surrounds the flower beds. The yesterday a baby starling fell down inside our cavity wall and ended up under the bath. Caught it and let it outside but when it fluttered to the ground again they pounced on it. Again, it got hoofed over the netting for it's own safety (while mother starling dive bombed ME! )

[AnnieP]

not another horror story, I can't cope!

Well, from the title of the thread, it was quite obvious that it wasn't going to be pleasant! I suggest you refrain from clicking to read....

Poor you BooBoo. Not nice!

[Guest]

not another horror story, I can't cope!

Well, from the title of the thread, it was quite obvious that it wasn't going to be pleasant! I suggest you refrain from clicking to read....

 

Fair comment but not all titles are relevant to their substance and I was curious. As this is a family site and children read it too, I don't think we need to go into such gory detail when relaying these incidents. A simple "my chicken attacked and killed a baby blue tit today, do anyone elses' chicken do this?" instead of going into such minute detail.

 

It was the same with the cat story, the descriptions of blood flying everywhere etc etc.

 

Do we really need to be quite so graphic?

 

[joe14]

When they munch a worm we don't think much of it. Nature is nature at the end of the day.

We had a robin nesting in some ivy on the side of our house. The chicks were doing well and just starting to venture out. One by one our cat got the lot!!! Seems an awful shame but some make it and some just don't.

[Egluntyne]

not another horror story, I can't cope!

Well, from the title of the thread, it was quite obvious that it wasn't going to be pleasant! I suggest you refrain from clicking to read....

 

Fair comment but not all titles are relevant to their substance and I was curious. As this is a family site and children read it too, I don't think we need to go into such gory detail when relaying these incidents. A simple "my chicken attacked and killed a baby blue tit today, do anyone elses' chicken do this?" instead of going into such minute detail.

 

It was the same with the cat story, the descriptions of blood flying everywhere etc etc.

 

Do we really need to be quite so graphic?

 

 

If there is any censoring required, I'm sure the mods will see to it Poet.

 

As AnnieP pointed out the clue was in the title of the thread.

 

Similarly with the thread about the injured cat. I rather think the word "bloodshed" gave an inkling that it was going to describe an unpleasant experience.

[Guest]

[

If there is any censoring required, I'm sure the mods will see to it Poet.

 

.

 

okay, thank you for putting me in my place.

[AnnieP]

I feel the same way when I read threads about operations and giving birth and sanitary products.

But then I have always thought it was my own fault for reading them when it is obvious what they are about...

 

Edited to add:

Have edited the title of the thread,(which however, I think was perfectly explanatory) with an even more explicit warning so "Ooops, word censored!"ody else will get upset.

 

Back on topic,

They are so very much like dinosaurs aren't they? Gruesome creatures!

[Egluntyne]

Only recently someone posted a story about their hens eating a frog.

 

All normal behaviour.

[Christian]

Don't even mention frogs!

 

The day I saw Laverne running around the run with a mouse dangling from her beak will haunt me forever!

[Cooks]

How sad booboo, not a nice thing for you to witness, things like this always make us feel a little sad.

 

mine are toe peckers, bare toes are their delicassy (sp)

 

but all new summers shoes are with enclosed toes now... ha! luckily they haven't bothered with anything else not lucky for my toes

 

Although Sugar has charged at my tiny yorkie, but I was there to pick her up so no harm done.

Edited May 23, 2008 by Guest

[StephanieSB]

All normal behaviour.

 

Maybe I am morbid, but I was shocked that, after that subject line, it wasn't more graphic

 

But seriously -- and this is not an attempt to put anyone in their place, please don't think that -- but we are dealing with nature and animals. This is the way of the natural world. All we can do is properly husband our animals and care for them with love and respect, but they will be what they are. Birth, care and death are all part of what I expect my child to learn from growing up with animals in our home and garden.

[jomaxsmith]

The day I saw Laverne running around the run with a mouse dangling from her beak will haunt me forever!

 

Lily caught one in the Eglu run which meant I had to get it off her myself before there was chicken cage fighting going on. Yuck!

 

Jo

[Olly]

All normal behaviour.

 

Maybe I am morbid, but I was shocked that, after that subject line, it wasn't more graphic

 

But seriously -- and this is not an attempt to put anyone in their place, please don't think that -- but we are dealing with nature and animals. This is the way of the natural world. All we can do is properly husband our animals and care for them with love and respect, but they will be what they are. Birth, care and death are all part of what I expect my child to learn from growing up with animals in our home and garden.

 

Well said, Stephanie.

[Gallina]

What I don't understand is why everyone is so shocked on the rare occasion that a hen catches a bird, but accept it as part of life that cats can go into any garden they like and slaughter as many birds as they want between mealtimes.

 

But I had better not start on what I think about cats, save to say I regard them as smaller, less efficient foxes.

[Paola]

What I don't understand is why everyone is so shocked on the rare occasion that a hen catches a bird, but accept it as part of life that cats can go into any garden they like and slaughter as many birds as they want between mealtimes.

 

But I had better not start on what I think about cats, save to say I regard them as smaller, less efficient foxes.

 

I agree Sometimes not so less efficient

[Egluntyne]

I think people expect animals to behave like humans and are surprised when they behave like...well...animals.

 

Chickens are not so distantly related to jungle fowl who had to forage for whatever they could find, including small birds, rodents, and lizards etc.

 

They are bound occasionally to "revert to type" and do a spot of hunting, especially if prey presents itself.

 

All part of the cycle of life and death, and survival of the fittest etc.

 

Having said that, trainable animals such as dogs should be taught not to chase other creatures.

 

Also, we are expecting other creatures to recognise garden boundaries.

 

They won't. They have their own "territory" and won't pay the slightest bit of attention to our notion of "get off my land".

[StephanieSB]

Having said that, trainable animals such as dogs should be taught not to chase other creatures. Also, we are expecting other creatures to recognise garden boundaries. They won't. They have their own "territory" and won't pay the slightest bit of attention to our notion of "get off my land".

 

I completely agree. And I would extend this understanding of the nature of beasts to the fox. They are not domesticated animals, cannot be trained, and cannot be blamed for seeing our flocks are their local market. All we can do is our utmost to protect our hens and if, sadly, we lose any, to investgate further protection measures. There's no point blaming the animal for its nature.

 

Of coure, that said... Last night Mr Nuggethead, the fox that for the past 5 years has believed my trash bins are my nightly offerings to the lupine gods, deposited his posterior offerings neatly balanced on top of my son's favourite football. Little Joel has declared war. He's hunting in his toybox now for his super soaker, and Mr N is in serious trouble if he comes by tonight. My husband also hates Mr Nuggethead. His main delight in my chickens is that he believes I will join him in his hatred of the beast and sit vigil with him of an evening so he can 'solve' the problem. Heavens

 

Me? I just want someone to remind me of the name of that supposedly fantastic fox deterrent electonic thingy that supposedly frightens them off humanely...??

[Christian]

Me? I just want someone to remind me of the name of that supposedly fantastic fox deterrent electonic thingy that supposedly frightens them off humanely...??

 

That'll be FOXWATCH then!

[StephanieSB]

That'll be FOXWATCH then!

 

Thank you!!