Re: Unbelievable...
OK, here's the whole story...
The coop is actually a 10' x 12' mini barn that was here when we bought the place. It had been insulated and drywalled inside and was a childrens playhouse. It even has vinyl flooring!
We used it as a tool shed for a while - until the first chickens arrived... (four Rhode Island Red hens). I think they were 8 weeks old.
We put up a 4' chicken wire fence around it, but as they grew, the hens regularly 'flew the coop' - easily clearing the 4 foot fence.
We covered it with nylon netting, but then small wild birds would get caught in the netting - so down the netting came...
When we are outside, we usually let the chickens free roam the yard, and they would return to the coop around dusk.
Shortly thereafter, a fox ate three of the red hens - so one hen was all that remained...
Yep, the GF was pretty upset... and thought about finding a home for the last hen.
I was at the pole barn a few weeks later, and the surviving chicken was out digging up the flower beds as usual...
Mr. Fox appeared in broad daylight (he didn't see me) and was making a beeline for the last hen. Fortunately, I had my HK USP45C - but as I drew, he saw my movement and turned for the woods. I was able to get one shot off (I missed!) and at the insistence of the GF - and $400 later - we had an 8' fence, which gave the lucky hen a 25' x 25' pen and a tin covered lean-to for rainy days.
Yeah, this is a now high class chicken coop - for one hen! :
She decided to keep the last red hen and get her some 'company'. She set her sights on some silkie chicks to replace the three lost red hens. A couple days later, she came home with a box that had four silkie chicks in it, so I now had to build a protective enclosure INSIDE the coop (the red hen didn't like the strange looking fuzzy chicks) and I had to run
electric to the coop for the heat lamps. Oh, did you know that (3) 600W heat lamps will dramatically increase your electric bill? :duh:
So anyway, we had no idea if we had four hens, four roosters, or a combination of both. As they matured, we soon learned we had three hens and one rooster. The rooster quickly established himself as king, and was rather comical with his crowing and puffed chest and general horniness. Silkie eggs are quite small, and I don't think you can eat them? Maybe Terra knows...
I called the silkies "Chickens of the Corn" (after the horror move Children of the Corn) because when they were big enough to fend for themselves - they lived UNDER the chicken coop and would not let me near them. I'd throw some feed out, and they'd dart out from under the coop, peck a few kernals, and dart back under making weird 'peep-cheep' sounds...
ANYWAY - I cut two side entrances (12" x 18") in the coop for the chickens to come and go as they please. This worked rather well, and with the large enclosure and lean-to, all was good - or so we thought...
Now keep in mind that we have a couple cats that actually sleep in the coop with the chickens, and the GF has two small dogs that routinely chase the deer away from the garden, so we never in our wildest dreams imagined a hawk would go inside the coop.
All we can figure is that the hawk dove down to nab himself a meal, they all freaked - ran into the coop - and the hawk followed them in. We suspect the rooster put up a fight, which is why he got ate first. The hens had attempted to bury themselves under the straw and were completely motionless (I actually thought they were dead).
We had enough of the nylon netting left from before to cover the entire pen, so now I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
If nothing else, it is never a dull moment around here! ;D
I came out to get in the truck to go to work one morning, and looked up in disbelief as there was a herd of cattle in the back yard, eating whatever was in range. I said to myself, "DAMMIT - I wish the neighbor would fix that fence of his right!"
So I head up to herd the cows back down to the when I hear a rather distinct "snort!"
I look to my left and thought "Where in the hell did that bull come from?!?" and "Damn, that SOB has some BIG HORNS!"
So I eased back down to the truck, figuring I'll drive over to the idiot neighbor and let him deal with it. About this time, the GF's two little mutt dogs (mix between daschund and pekingese) are tearing out back to chase off the black giants that have invaded their space.
I figure OH NO this is gonna be bad, with another trip to the vet (or worse) after the bull stomps the dogs to pieces. Much to my surprise, the dogs actually scare the cows and the entire herd takes off on a mini stampede and smashes down the other neighbors fence around her garden. Of course, the herd is now content with eating and stomping her entire crop.
I see her come out and try to run them off with a broom - until she saw the bull herself - and she runs back inside to call her son-in-law (the owner of the herd).
It's now getting late, so I leave for work chuckling, and shaking my head...
