Attack of the Hawk

A few weekends ago, we witnessed a hawk take down a dove on our back patio at the rental cottage. A lot of feathers and squawking, but also a reminder of the predator/prey circle of life. Just two days ago, we experienced our first hawk air raid on the chickens. It was the early afternoon when we heard a commotion outside and we caught a glimpse of the chickens scurrying into the safety of their coop. Maya exclaimed "Hawk in the chicken coop!" and the sound of nearby panicking crows confirmed the danger. I ran outside still in my socks, clapping my hands to make as much noise as possible. By the time I got to the chicken run the chickens were all in their coop and clucking in alarm mode---no sign of the hawk, but two kinds of feathers scattered around. I counted the chickens (no easy feat when they are weaving around each other), then counted them two or three more times. 27 sounded like the right number but I asked Maya if she noticed any missing hens (she can identify them better than any of us). The feathers belonged to a random buff orpington survivor and to our lead Araucana rooster, Fluffy. Maya was shaken by the near-death experience but I reassured her that Fluffy was a hero, having protected his hens from the predator at the cost of a few feathers (which were then taped to a sheet of paper in honor of his courage). For several hours, the chickens stayed in their coop unless a human was nearby, and then we decided to add a barrier to the exposed top of the chicken run by stringing some twine back and forth like a loose web roof.



This won't stop a hawk, but it will hopefully serve as a deterrent to buy the chickens a few seconds to escape to safety should there be another attack. Despite our efforts to protect the chickens, we must accept natural attrition and predation if we intend to go fully free-range with these egg-layers in the future. One solution, I'm told, is to get goats mixed into the flock.

Some Kind of Houdini

Over the past week, one of our Araucanas (which 8-year-old Maya tells us is "Gloria") had figured out how to escape the 10-foot-tall fencing surrounding our chicken run. Fortunately, she doesn't go far, but it has been a problem since we're not quite ready to go completely free-range. Yesterday, we were able to observe Gloria in action making a completely vertical flight to the top of the fencing where Maya promptly pushed her back into the chicken run with the handle-end of a nearby shovel. My theory is that this hen is smaller and therefore lighter than the rest of the chickens. Maya's theory is that she is simply smarter. As it turns out, Gloria does seem to have some sort of motivation.



While bringing in some firewood, we noticed a small nest of three Araucana eggs behind the woodpile and Dionne had mentioned seeing her back there during one of her escapades. It appears that Gloria was trying to find a way to keep her eggs from their breakfast plate fate, and it also explains our recent fluctuating egg count. A for Effort, Gloria.

Get the Skinny

Here's a quick way to find out more about Columbus, NC, where we are building:

http://www.zipskinny.com

You can also punch in your own zip code (U.S. residents only) to get more information on your local schools, employment, household income, and other social and economic indicators.

Revising the Home Plans

The layout we decided upon is a modified version of the Field of Dreams home plan by Healthy Home Plans. As you can see, the exterior has a traditional farmhouse look which complements the land where we are building. There's just something awkward about a contemporary suburban stucco home out in the country. We met with our builder, Jessica Oakley of Oakley Custom Homes, and made revisions to the "off the shelf" plan including selection of windows, flooring, etc. (Did we mention that Jessica is part of our food co-op? We tried to barter a life-time supply of eggs in exchange for the new home, but she didn't go for it...) Before final pricing, an engineer needs to give the revisions a lookover. Grading of the property, however, can begin as soon as we sign the contract!

The Chickens Have Landed

We finally had time last weekend to complete the new Sugar Mountain Farm-inspired chicken coop and the egg-layers have been relocated to Rose Cottage. The whole set-up at the rental cottage is designed to be modular and temporary, yet sturdy enough to secure the chickens and withstand the weather (cold, wind, and rain). Click here to view the entire construction process from start to finish. The chickens went right to clearing out the vegetation in their new run, and hardly skipped a beat when it came to laying eggs (sometimes traumatic happenings such as a physical move can cause them to stop laying). We were able to move them over in a makeshift cage in the back of Danna's pickup truck, although it took two trips. The old chicken run on the Smith property will be recycled into a dog run for their two new farm dogs, Abbie and Axel. The real beauty of relocating the chickens is the sheer convenience of having our twice-daily chores right outside the door versus a mile away. The kids appreciate being able to sleep in a little, too.