Buzzard attack??

Simply Dottie. · « **on:** May 23, 2013, 14:25 »

Brief story - We have four chickens who have lived the life of luxury for the last 2 years and have rewarded us with a plentiful supply of delicious eggs. Four weeks ago we noticed that young Rita (Columbian b/t)had a pronounced limp but we could find no visual sign of any injury and believed it to be a strain or pull of some sort. The limp disappeared after a few days and she is perfectly well. Just as she got back to normal we found four CBT feathers in another field about a quarter of a mile away. The feathers were still 'joined' at the bottom and looked like they had been roughly ripped from the 'base' in their entirety. We do have nesting buzzards within half a mile and they, and others, are often circling around and being chased off by other birds. Are they known to have attacked chickens??? The 'evidence' is very circumstantial as Rita had no other injuries and there was no sign of any disturbance, but having said that the girls are now only producing 1 egg a day, mainly from the same bird, instead of the usual 2 or 3. Could this all be connected??

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks.

ANHBUC · « **Reply #1 on:** May 23, 2013, 15:44 »

Hello and welcome to the site Simply Dottie.

It will probably be a case of you will never know what happened but I suppose it could be possible. I hope that your girls keep safe, it is prime predator time with them feeding their young (be it fox, badger, mink, buzzard etc.)

Simply Dottie. · « **Reply #2 on:** May 23, 2013, 19:22 »

Hi ANHBUC, and thank you for the welcome.

I shall suspend all air traffic, double the guard and widen the moat, just in case.

darkbrowneggs · « **Reply #3 on:** May 23, 2013, 22:21 »

I have had Marans growers killed by buzzards, though normally they just sit in a convenient tree, drop down and eat them there. The older birds are more savvy and run for shelter when a buzzard is around. I keep my growers in netting lidded runs now.

Spana · « **Reply #4 on:** May 23, 2013, 22:51 »

We have lots of buzzards here,they are flying over us all day and they nest not far from my chickens and i can honestly say i've never seen them go for a chick or chicken, they are carrion eaters. Sparrow Hawks on the other hand.........

darkbrowneggs · « **Reply #5 on:** May 23, 2013, 23:17 »

I would have said that till about 4 years ago.

I had some growers in a part of the garden over by a tall hedge with a dead tree which was a regular buzzard perch. It took 3 or 4 till I realized what was happening and actually saw the buzzard fly down onto the last one though I was right across the field and could do nothing about it. Perhaps it was a rouge buzzard, or perhaps it was just too easy a morsel.

Anyway that winter I made pens with netting lids, and make sure that the youngsters are protected. Interestingly they were a mixed batch of growers and it only took the pullets. Maybe that is just s*ds law, or perhaps even the young cockerels keep a weather eye out on what is going on overhead.

The crows and ravens pick off the ducklings within a week of hatching unless they are in covered runs even if they are with their parents in the large netted run which has a big pond.

That's why I rarely fell guilty about eating my poultry, because I know that had I not vigilantly protected them throughout their lives they would have been eaten by something else first

frenchliving · « **Reply #6 on:** May 24, 2013, 07:54 »

Being in France we see more birds of prey here (although im ashamed to say I don know the difference) we are sure that we had a small hen/pullet cleanly taken by one of these birds, we often have them circling especially when we have young!! (magpies are just as bad!!) Luckily the mothers are very protective and tend to sit down on the young but when they are a little bigger they run for cover and then you see the bird!

Hope you find what ever did it to your Rita! x

Sassy · « **Reply #7 on:** May 24, 2013, 08:20 »

I think they usually will only take younger/smaller birds. The feathers could have come out another way and been picked up and dropped by other birds. I have found sheep tags on my land and have located the owner and they have not had a problem with that sheep but the tag is 2 miles away on my land? I agree you will probably never know. Glad she is ok though

Simply Dottie. · « **Reply #8 on:** May 24, 2013, 14:38 »

Thank you one and all for your comments and concerns. Much appreciated.

barley · « **Reply #9 on:** May 28, 2013, 23:51 »

in a nut shell yes buzzards do and will kill chickens as I know to my cost 3 times now

2 swooped on my 12 week old babies but lucky for them they were near the side of the run and they missed

then again one swooped out of the big oak tree on my girls in the cabbage patch but thankfully they dived under the cabbages so it missed again .... me shreiking made it take off rather sharpish

but 2 years ago one swooped down and killied one of our bantams so since then the girls go in the run unless we are out with them ......... wales seems to have buzzards everywhere , I often wonder if they attack the sweet little newly born lambs

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Buzzard attack??

Simply Dottie.

Buzzard attack??

ANHBUC

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Simply Dottie.

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darkbrowneggs

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Spana

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darkbrowneggs

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frenchliving

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Sassy

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Simply Dottie.

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barley

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