Animal Calculations.

1 Hawk + 41 chickens = 40 chickens.

1 Hawk + 40 chickens + 200 crows = 0 hawk.40 chickens

200 Crows + 1 Fox = 0 Fox.

1 Fox + Unknown Gender = MIA Fox.

Fishing line + Hawk= 0 Hawk.

I always hated Math.

Since Elementary school, I have despised math with a passion. So much so that the very thought of fractions makes me break out in a nervous sweat. And since I'm a girl, and girls don't sweat- you can imagine how nervous I really am. (Girls get dewey, we glisten....we don't sweat.)
So on Sunday, when I was researching hawk behavior, in protection of my feathered 40, I saw that hawks were all part of a greater equation.

I can't believe I just used that word.

Comes to finds out that if you have a hawk around, and you own chickens- once that hawk discovers that the chickens are there, the hawk will pick off the chickens one by one until they are all gone. All that I have read says, that a fake owl, wind chimes, even soft rock music will  not scare a hawk away. They will grow smart to the owl being fake, and the wind chimes, being cliche, and the soft rock being actually tolerable, swoop down and get the girls. But there is a warrior that will help protect the chickens, and that warrior is a crow.

Now I have mentioned before that we are surrounded by corn fields.  Crows naturally like corn, so on occasion we have about 200 or so crows land in the corn field and have a picnic for the day.  Since reading about hawks and crows and their inability to get along, I have been watching their behavior.  If the crows are around pinicing- there is no hawk.

That being said, crows are ALSO coming into mating season, and this means some high strung activities on their part.  Crows will basically kick the ass of any moving creature that comes within the territory of their nest. From small birds, to cats, to hawks, to foxes. Even though a fox will not climb a tree to eat the eggs of the crow- the crow will still give it a whoppin if it comes too close to the crib.  I can appreciate their fierceness.

So since I have read this- I have been paying attention to not only Ash- but all his (or her) fellow friends that we usually see on a regular basis.    
There have been none around.

We are used to seeing at least two other foxes in the field across the street playing and eating mice. I asked David if he has seen any- and he hasn't either. So I went a little further. I checked out the fox holes in the locations near our farm. No activity whatsoever. Hmmm. That makes me feel even better about Ashs' MIA status for the past month or so. ( No fear- we have some idea that he or she has been around once in awhile to eat- but we have not seen his or her face for one month)  And being the end of their mating season- I have come to the conclusion that someone besides myself might be carrying a cub (or nine) themselves.

(Side note: Fox mating season is in late winter in the colder climates like Mass and Maine, meaning January and February. In warmer climates below the Mason Dixon-ahem- Maryland, fox mating season can come earlier.  We witnessed Ashs' "odd," behavior start around November, when he or she sat in our yard listening to the mating calls go on across the street.  It was soon after that that Ash stopped storing his or her food, and instead- ate it.  Males make mating booty calls. I mean mating calls. Females listen. First trimester=starving)(More math!)

The only problem with having crows around is that they can become a nusiance, and possibly rob the chickens of their eggs.  I don't see how a crow can actually get into our coop so I'm not too concerned about that, but I will keep an eye open for the "just in case."  We did have two crows last summer, that were quite charming. They would come each morning and get their drink on at the bird bath. Since no other birds used it- and mainly it was the honeybee summer pool, I enjoyed their morning meetings. I look forward to seeing this again in the summer, and now I know to encourage it.

So what should be done for the feathered 40 and the Patton like Hawk?

Fishing line.

I spent a good afternoon walking fishing line back and forth across the chicken yard, while the fourty sat and watched me eventually growing bored. I spaced it a good six inches apart and basically made cross sections over the entire yard.  What will this do in hawk protection? It will allow the chickens to still free range peacefully out in their yard even if a hawk is present and they are unaware.  The hawk can see a blade of grass tremble if a mouse is underneath it from 300 feet up. If they can see the fishing line (which  gives a good shine) they will not attempt to dive through it. (Hopefully)  I have read that if a hawk can get through it- but not out of it- they will not try.  What else does the fishing line do? It saves us from putting up a net over the entire yard, which wouldn't work for longer than two weeks. Leaves, snow, rain, and wind, stretch out the netting and before long its hitting the ground, and the hens are pissed. Also since the human eye can't really pick up on the fishing line- it makes a unredneck look possible. ( caution tape, windchimes, and colored socks hanging six feet above a flock of chickens isn't really fifth ave. yah know.)

So we will see how this all pans out.  Its been the second day since letting the hens back out into the big yard, and they are positively happy. They were out at six am this morning, waiting for the sun to rise, and stretching their wings. It feels good having all that space.....I can relate.

And as far as Math is concerned, I am done for the year. These calculations, have used up any math possibilities that I might have possessed. I am happy.

Its a hen party!!!!!

This past weekend David started and finished the new chicken yard!  Its bigger and better than before, and here are the pictures to prove it!

A picture of David finishing up the removal of fallen tree. Parts of it are going to make some great fire wood!

David went into the woods to look for fallen sapplings (instead of cutting new ones down) to use as the post for fence yard. He dug a 3 foot hole for each of them to be buried in. This picture was taken before they were straightened out.

Here's the first part of the chicken wire going up. Nailed to the tree with special staples to keep it in place.  There is also a foot and a half section that lays on the ground. That section will be staked into the ground and logs or rocks added around it to help prevent any digging.

Here's the coop and the door on a hinge that David built. You can also see the second tier of chicken wire added making the wall of chicken wire at least 5'5". Also the betties on their maiden voyage out into the yard.

The exposure on the picture is a bit bright so I apologize.  The back view (trying to get most of the yard in) You can see in the background the "Fort Knox," part of their yard. ( low lumber built yard) If we want, we can block off that section only allowing them to remain at "Fort Knox," or open it up and allowing them into "Shawshank."  (I named it Shawshank, because despite the well built yard, and the confidence that no one can escape- we have some pretty smart chickens that I don't doubt will try to escape when they figure out a good plan.) The new chicken yard is about 2000 square feet. Its rustic looking which I love. Using materials from the yard makes it pretty green which everyone calls the new black?! The gals were so excited to come running out into the yard that they ran and flapped around for about a half hour, before settling into a scratch, scratch scratch, routine.

Back view

Completely took out post, chicken fence, and netting that lay over top of the yard. Nearly missed the Fort Knox part of the chicken yard, and the actual coop.

From the tree branches

What was the back chicken yard, and what was three standing trees.