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I am a 42 year old woman that is about as happy and content as one person can be. My husband of 21 years and our 15 year old daughter live on five and a half acres out in the country. We moved from the city four years ago and never looked back. I homeschool our daughter. We also love our animals. Our daughter has a miniature horse and two rabbits. We also have a border collie, two cats (again), two pot belly pigs, four peafowl, three emus, 2 llamas and an undetermined number of chickens, lets just say ohhh about 200. I have many breeds, from layers to fancy chickens. I love poultry shows, I love fowl in general as I have come to find out through having more than just chickens. Chickens will always be my first love though. I do show some of my birds occasionally.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Hawk 1, Chicken 0 * Company For Next Weekend

PB250004

This is something that a chicken flock owner does not want to see. Yet, about 8 a.m. Thanksgiving morning this is what I found.

Yes I know, the hawk is a beautiful bird, but he is standing on one of my buttercup hens, dead. :(

I live in the country, and yes, with this comes wild predators. I accept that.

You know what though. I think there are more predators in the city limits than here in the country. Well, where we are anyway. We are so open with no trees things like possums, raccoons and coyote do not feel comfortable trekking across the fields in search of food. So that in itself protects us to a certain extent.

I guess the mouse hunting was not good for this hawk. Last year there was corn planted across the street. I imagine once they had harvested that was prime hunting ground for this hawk. This year there was cotton planted though..and I dont know of any mice that eat leftover cotton, not even the seeds. So my hen took the fall for that.

We left the carcass out there to try and shoot the hawk. Once a predator finds a food source it will keep coming back til that source is gone, just a fact. Couldnt find the pellet clip for the darn gun. I think it is lost for good. It was not with the scope I keep put away and it should have been. We will have to order another clip. BBs are not enough to kill much of anything. Though it wasnt for lack of trying. We pinged that bird all morning and all the next day. Even if we hit him he just flew off and came back later. BBs dont fly true, they tend to curve. Pellets on the other hand are shaped like bullets and tend to fly more true. Anyway, the hawk got his fill without us being able to do him in. I am sorry to say I am sure we havent seen the last of him. I only hope I can get a clip before he visits us in the future.

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It is time for some company again. Shelby requested that Tiffany come over soon to spend the weekend...so after talking to Karen they will be coming up for the weekend next weekend.

Since we are going to have company anyway I thought I might conglomerate and have Kenny and Billie over along with Sydnee and Sam. They are the folks we went to visit when Kennys son was going to be shipped off to Iraq.

I called Billie yesterday and asked how their Thanksgiving was. They had a nice crowd of family and lots to eat.

We had talked about them coming up when we were over visiting them and I asked her how about this coming weekend. Believe it or not they werent going to be doing a thing, other than she would have to check with Kenny about his work schedule. She will call me back in the middle of the week to firm up the plans.

When anyone comes to see us it us usually a little haul so I made the offer that they were welcome to spend the night if they needed to. She said thanks for the offer but they would be going back home that night. We both know how this is. When you get older you just want to be in your own bed when it comes time to go to sleep for the night. I told her I totally understood how it is. Its probably about an hour and fourty five minute drive from their house to ours. Not too bad. I would drive it home, but I still wanted to offer anyway.

So you know what this means...I got to get cracking around here! I cant decide if I want the Christmas decorations up NOW before they come...or after they have come and gone, either way we wont be going to cut a Christmas tree til later. What do you all think?

 

I guess I will let everyone else around here have the computer now.:) Early bird gets the worm as they say...or the computer...just all depends on how you look at it.

I hope everyone has a great Sunday..see you tomorrow morning.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh that is just awful with the hawk.  They are one reason we cannot let our chickens run anymore and had to build such a big pen for them.  It is illegal to shoot a hawk around here.  We also have problems with Owls & Foxes.  I voted to decorate after your company, just seems more relaxing to me.  Then you won't feel you have to get things done by a deadline.  Just my opinion and I think wierd sometimes..LOL
Lisa

Anonymous said...

That looks like a hawk that gets the birds around here. I myself would prefer to decorate after the company leaves. Helen

Anonymous said...

Chicken hawks are so very hard to catch in the act.  Sorry for your loss.  -  Barbara

Anonymous said...

Kelly I hope you get that Hawk before it takes anymore of your chickens ~ we have a sparrow Hawk come here after out garden birds and I hate to see them ~ Sounds like you will be having a busy weekend with all of your company ~ I wonder if you decide to decorate ~ I voted Yes ~ Ally x

Anonymous said...

Sorry about your chicken, but that is a beautiful bird.  I understand completely.
Since this is just a visit & not a Christmas visit...I believe I would wait too.  That way you aren't stressed to get everything done.  I don't blame your company either, I would rather be in my bed too.  That was so nice of you to offer though.  I know your company appreciated it too.

Can't wait to see what you decide about decorating.

Hollie

Anonymous said...

It's illegal to kill the hawks here in WV, or that's what I was told anyway. Have fun with the company.

Lahoma

Anonymous said...

Don't shoot the hawk!  I sent you an e-mail about it.  Decorate after, don't stress yourself out over the company and try to get everything ready now, relax!  Linda

Anonymous said...

That is too bad about the hawk killing that chicken.  It may be illegal to kill the hawk but if no one knows, you have to do what you have to do to take care of your own.  I don't know what the other alternative is that is humane to the hawk.

That was so sweet about the invite to spend the night.  I voted to decorate before they come and most people went the other way.  See how off I am?  

It was a great shot of the hawk with the CAMERA though. lol

Nelishia
http://journals.aol.com/nelishianatl/PrayingandBelieving/
http://journals.aol.ocm/nelishianatl/Crocheted-creations/

Anonymous said...

I said decorate after. Less stress and more fun for you I hope. I know how those BB guns are. I have one that the little BB just fizzles out before it gets anywhere. lol Paula

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