Different predators

[Minorcafan]

Not sure where to post this but



My neighbour caught someone flying some sort of falcon which had attacked one of my goldtops so she (verbally) attacked the man after chasing the falcon out of my henrun. Hen was missing a lot of feathers but fortunately her skin was intact. I was out at the time. This should not happen again since I complained to the landowner where the falconer was and permission to fly has now been withdrawn.

 

[dinosaw]

You have done the right thing and if the landowner has withdrawn permission then it ought to be the end of it. No consolation to you but the falconer was probably not purposely targeting your chickens, normally it's rodents that they go after.

 

[bigyetiman]

Good job your neighbour was to hand.
Glad the landowner has stopped the falconer flying the bird on his land, hope the falconer doesn't decide to ignore it. Hope the gold top is ok

 

[LadyA]

I've just seen this. Glad your bird was ok. You don't know what kind of falcon it was, do you?

I've got what I think are Sparrowhawks nesting around my place somewhere! I've seen them the last few years, but tbh, I hadn't taken much notice, because I only saw them in flight, and hadn't realised the size of these things! But a few weeks ago, as I was walking up the road, there was this hawk sitting on the gatepost, and I was shocked at the size of it! I'm told it must have been a female, as they are much bigger than the males, and this thing was almost two feet tall! No idea of wingspan, because the cheeky thing continued to sit there, watching me as I walked past! Sadly, my phone was buried in a pocket under several layers of clothing, so I didn't get a pic. As they've been around for ages, and the hens have been ok, does anyone know, have I just been lucky, or are they no threat to chickens?

 

[Marigold]

If it was that size it's not a sparrow hawk, they're comparatively small. Possibly a buzzard, which is mainly a scavenger like red kites, and thus no danger to grown chickens?

 

[LadyA]

I've been trawling raptor websites, and I believe you are right. Buzzards. Very impressive! I do hope they stay around, and they weren't only here for the Winter. Mind you, now I think of it, a couple of years ago, we were over run with rabbits here, but my neighbour remarked several months ago that there isn't a rabbit to be seen around here these days! Maybe they've all gone to ground!

 

[Marigold]

i expect you're right. Buzzards take carrion when available but wouldn't be averse to a nice snack of baby rabbit - or chicks or growers if available.

 

[bigyetiman]

Definitely sounds like a Buzzard, and just to muddy the waters, Buzzards come in a range of colours from almost white to black and various shadings of brown. We have breeding Buzzards in the woods at the back of us, and they have never shown the slightest interest in the girls, but in bad weather or with young to feed they may well do. It is quite funny in autumn watching them running across the ground catching crane flies.