Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[Bruce]

We forgot to put the chickens up last night and lost two of them to something. Our tame Egg Delivery (ED) hen was not anywhere to be found but I did find a pile of her feathers. One of the Buff Orpingtons was missing her head and that's the second time that has happened.

The dogs can't get to the chicken area?? I would think they would be going nuts if something was raiding the birds.

 

[Mike CHS]

The dogs can't go in that pen.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

So sorry that happened! What do you think it was that got them?

 

[Mike CHS]

From everything I've read I'm thinking an owl. There are some big ones back there and with the one hen gone, that makes me think even more that it's an owl. The Buff was twice as big as the other so it could have had problems getting in the air. We have baited a live trap several times recently but didn't catch anything. That was just in case their was a racoon out there.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Kinda hard to set a livetrap for an owl! Many years ago I had a bunch of bantams that roosted on a fence right under a security light. They liked to eat the bugs that were attracted to the light I suppose. One night I had gotten up in the wee morning hours and just so happened to look out the window. Perfect timing - a big ol' owl swooped right down and snatched a bird right off of the fence. If it hadn't been under the light I would never have seen it and never figured out what it was. Birds were locked up after that!

 

[Mike CHS]

We had sat the trap out in case it's a coon since we haven't seen anything. We are putting the game cameras out again tonight to see if we can spot something.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Hope you find out what the varmint is and....umm....it never comes back!

 

[Baymule]

That stinks about the hens. I have forgotten to close up mine before too, but I had dogs that could watch over the coop. I bet you both make real sure that the coop is closed up from now on.

 

[Mike CHS]

Now we're having issues with squirrels helping themselves to peaches off our trees. Since they aren't ripe yet, the critters are pulling them off the vine and sampling to see if they like it. They don't and toss them on the ground.

The first year we had our place I got rid of all of the squirrels during the hunting season and we haven't had any move in until this year. I'll have to go out and ask them to move to another location.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Squirrel stew!