We ordered about 75 chicks this spring, 40 to butcher and the rest for layers. Up until now, they had been living in a stock tank in the shop, but they had outgrown that habitat. So yesterday, we moved them to their new coop and and fenced run. I thought I had their run wired up like Fort Knox, but right in broad daylight something got in an ripped the heads off four of them. Careful crime scene investigation revealed no critter tracks or signs of forced entry, so we decided it was either a weasel or similar small vermin or a bird of prey. We have a large populations of obnoxious ravens living here and they are very interested in the chickens, thus making them suspects. Of course the only logical solution to a bird-of-prey predation problem is to bust out the.......
.....Two Foot Tall Ceramic Owl!!!
Where, you might ask, does on acquire such a specimen to guard one's chickens? Well, a friend found it in a house she moved into and gave it to my sister-in-law (who has a thing for cutsie owl decor) as a gag gift last Christmas. Josh and Zech conferred briefly this morning and decided it was time to call the owl up for chicken duty. Josh pounded in a post and got it all secured before work this morning. And nothing says love like taking time away from work to install a massive owl decoy:o)
And here is Guildy with one of her Americauna pullets, which, under the watchful eye of the guard owl, will grow up to lay blue or green eggs.
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