Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[elizajay]

Hampton, my Brahma has been standing staring at the food hardly moving for the last hour or so.

[elizajay]

Hampton's hatch mother was Spudnick and they had remained close despite the fact that the mother was half the size of the daughter.

[BarleySugar]

So sorry to hear that you've lost Spudnick, I hope Hampton cheers up soon. I haven't had mine long, but I think my cats are afraid of them, they are very cautious when the ladies are free ranging.

[elizajay]

Thanks BS, it is sad to lose them, but worse to see the impact on them.

[polo]

I'm so sorry you lost Spudnick. And it sounds like Hampton is quite shocked as well. Hope you are all taking it easy today after the shock. Is he eating today?

Polo

[Glutton4...]

Oh that's awful! So sorry to hear about the attack. I'm not sure a Cat would've done it, but you never know.

[jessmorris]

I've had a sparrowhawk trying to take collared doves out of the garden recently. It suceeded with a wood pigeon and left a big pile o feathesr.....

[petal]

that won't be a cat, are there any marks on its skin, throat area. ?or is the damage mostly on its back between the wings?

[elizajay]

She has a bald patch on her back between her wings with slight abrasions and a bald patch on her chest a bit above where it would be if broody. She had hardly eaten for a nearly a week even when I made her some scrambled egg she looked interested then pecked in the air above it. So eventually took her to the vet yesterday. She said the same as I thought, shock, but no obvious injuries other than above. She is on critical care formula syringed in, because she won't take it otherwise. Still standing staring into space and not coming out of the house in the morning. I am told foxes will toy like a cat and sometimes leave the body, but why?

[Hilary B]

I've had a sparrowhawk trying to take collared doves out of the garden recently. It suceeded with a wood pigeon and left a big pile o feathesr.....

Wow! That is an achievement, a wood pigeon probably weighs more than a sparrowhawk!

[petal]

was the bald patch new- if so its a bird of prey- its talons ripped the feathers out and the wind blew them around. ok, its possible- seen it before is all.

[RichmondHens]

Bad luck EJ. Hope the hen recovers. It might be worth keeping her in a warm box on her own somewhere quiet.

Second fertility test for my Indian Game cock has also turned out to be blank so he has to sadly go. The turkey hen who had a blip a couple of days ago and got off the eggs is now back on again, hopefully seriously this time. Goslings growing v fast although one still a bit wobbly but think we have sorted that now.

Had a bit of a scare earlier this evening - went to move a broody coop ( with hen plus 7 chicks) and as I was trying to shut all occupants into the house bit managed to drop the pop door onto a chick nearly chopping its head off. It squeaked a lot and my husband said "Oh you've killed that one then" but then it ran off cheeping like mad. I caught it and examined it and couldn't feel any injury so really hoping it's ok. It dashed under the broody so I've let it be, it must be really shocked, and hope there won't be a corpse in the morning.

[elizajay]

was the bald patch new- if so its a bird of prey- its talons ripped the feathers out and the wind blew them around. ok, its possible- seen it before is all.

Yes definitely new. She has huge feathers and they were easy to see amongst those from the other hen who died. So I knew she had lost the feathers and just had to look to find out where from. It would figure, because the other hen was taken twice last year and I thought it was a bird of prey then.

[elizajay]

Oh that's horrible. You must have felt awful. I remember feeling bad when I beheaded a mouse my cat brought in by dropping a bucket on it. I hadn't factored in it running so when the bucket landed the mouse wan't where I expected it to be.

[polo]

RH - hope that chick is ok this morning - and your nerves. These things happen but you feel sooo bad!

I chopped a frog in two at the allotment last week with a spade and felt terrible!