March 2023 The chicks are approaching a good enough size that I think they can avoid becoming Mr and Mrs Hawk's lunch. They'll be given the protection of our large, black rooster when they go out on pasture.
May 2023-The hens are on pasture and have become scratchers and hunters.
August 2023-We're losing chickens...maybe to hawks. Maybe it's our dog. Until we figure this out, we'll keep our chickens on pasture.
Sept. 2023-The chickens are no longer in the pasture.
...we now know that the hawks are the killers. And it was a surprise to learn that the our first bird to lose his life was our black rooster. We like to believe that he died a hero, trying to defend his girls.
Now our birds live in a large enclosure covered with netting. To replicate pasturing, I feed them greens...lots of greens. I pull weeds and grow plants (sweet potatoes) for them. Also, Jan makes large batches of bone broth. So we end up with plenty of soft bones that the chickens relish.
May 2023-The hens are on pasture and have become scratchers and hunters.
August 2023-We're losing chickens...maybe to hawks. Maybe it's our dog. Until we figure this out, we'll keep our chickens on pasture.
Sept. 2023-The chickens are no longer in the pasture.
...we now know that the hawks are the killers. And it was a surprise to learn that the our first bird to lose his life was our black rooster. We like to believe that he died a hero, trying to defend his girls.
Now our birds live in a large enclosure covered with netting. To replicate pasturing, I feed them greens...lots of greens. I pull weeds and grow plants (sweet potatoes) for them. Also, Jan makes large batches of bone broth. So we end up with plenty of soft bones that the chickens relish.