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

[Blackrocksrock]

OMG I was in the greenhouse after putting the dinner on tonight to check things and the hens were as usual free ranging as they do all day long when I heard screeching = thought the cat had a rabbit then thought the cat had a hen - no then the blackbirds started screaming and flying about and I caught sight of baby blackbirds hopping and trying to fly away from the hens they managed about 3 feet in height and the hens were jumping to catch them - horrified I banged the nearest pot I could find and they came thinking it was food and I got them into their run. The blackbirds parents were frantic and to add to the equation the cat was also around. Grabbed him and brought him in too and now it is quiet - I hope the fledglings were ok and only frightened.

Who would have believed it from the hens. I will never look at a hen in the same light again - cannibals

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Thank goodness they didn't manage to catch them . It might have been hard forgive them that .

[josephine77]

Wow I'm glad you managed to intervene!

[Kit]

Oh no

 

 

My hens free range all day and there are countless no of nest dotted around (I counted 14 last week) our gardens and paddock. What do I do?

 

My cat has already been confined indoors to protect the fledglings after he bought a duckling home which thankfully we rescued with no damage at all.

 

Kit

[shibby69]

My little bantam wyandotte Lacey will chase the adults away when they land to eat the chicken feed - mum thinks she only does it because they're the only things that come in the garden that are smaller than she is

 

Hope the little fledglings are ok!

[Egluntyne]

Well done for intervening. It isn't unheard of for hens to eat fledglings.

[Blackrocksrock]

I did not go and look for the fledgelings as the mum and dad seemed to be getting things under control and it went nice and peaceful but I have robins, siskins et al nesting around too and I hope they dont get any - there was a dead siskin under a tree last week but they did not touch it. I did not know they would eat fledgelings! yuk.