Daylight Savings Time ended this past weekend. Yesterday, everyone - including our son and yard-man, Andrew - was working at the office until early evening. We arrived home after dark.
Andrew was out at the barn, unloading the lawn maintenance equipment. I shouted out a request for him to close up the chicken yard. Of course, the chickens had gone to roost for the night as they always do. Nobody looked in on them.
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There was a little foreshadowing of disaster this morning. As Rouse the Spouse left for work he announced, "I don't know what this means, but there's a big red-tailed hawk sitting in a tree above the chicken yard."I went out to dump the yuck bucket and throw out scratch. The chickens didn't come running in anticipation as they usually do in the morning. In fact, several of them were peeking their heads out of their little access door between the coop and the safe zone. I had the distinct feeling they didn't know what to do. Then I realized how quiet it was ... no rooster crowing and clucking and cooing to his girls. Uh, oh. I opened up the coop. No rooster. Big time uh, oh. I searched the chicken yard and found him in the corner of the chicken yard behind the coop. It was not a pretty sight.
What killed my chicken? I referred to to this handy chart that lists clues and probable culprits:
Chicken Predators
The hawk, spotted by Rouse, is the number one suspect. I like to believe Rex was killed while trying to protect his flock from the big, bad hawk which probably entered the chicken yard Monday afternoon. The hens fled to the safety of the coop. Rex was murdered. The predator returned the next morning to continue his feast. I buried Rex in the woods out back. RIP Rex.
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