A Buzzard ate my chicken!!!

[Liane]

Our buzzards get well and truly bullied and chased around by the crows over the fields. The buzzards only come down to the ground when the crows are not around otherwise they are quickly hounded away.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Our buzzards get well and truly bullied and chased around by the crows over the fields. The buzzards only come down to the ground when the crows are not around otherwise they are quickly hounded away.

same here-I have more trouble with crows stealing chicken food from the feeder and eggs, than from birds of prey. Unfortunately the small birds attracted by the chicken feeders have attracted a sparrowhawk who comes and hangs out. With that, a local hen harrier and the crows I have to keep all young birds netted. The adults have been fine.

 

[Bumblebear]

We have a Marsh Harrier that is constantly on the prowl - we even found it sitting on our lo's slide next to the hen/chicks! Just now we've picked up our banty roo who was being plucked on the lawn We heard a weird noise and found the dog with feathers in its mouth so assumed it was her. But much more likely to be dog rushing out to see what the noise was and interrupting the plucking. She never bothers the chooks and certainly wouldn't bother with plucking before killing So, it's the harrier. We have various pet banties and a duckling and weirdly enough lost a few white silkies last year. Not sure about buzzards but harries def take chickens.

 

[windseywoo]

We have about 3 pairs of buzzards around by us and as said before they are usually hounded by the crows. They haven't caused us any bother, but even though we are by a wood there are no squirrels, so they must keep the population down. The only thing that was killing chickens by us was my feral cat, made me very unpopular with the neighbours. Op sorry to hear the chicken had died, at least buzzard was it clearing up.

 

[ladyt25]

Hehe, this post made me chuckle (not because of the death of the chicken. That's not nice). Buzzards taking dogs and cats though?! Ha, what??
A red kite swooped down on our stable cat once when we were walking across the field. Cat got a shock buttons it was funny to watch.
I assume it was a young kite testing it's skills buy there is no way it would be able to lift a cat!
The guys that shoot rabbits round us hang them on the trees/fence posts for the kites etc sometimes. In fact the kites follow the shooters. The mainly take carrion although I have seen them steal chicks from crows nests but hey, that helps keep crow numbers in check right?!

 

[Cinnamontoast]

I was agreeing with you, and supporting your point, or at least that's what I'd intended!

image: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/images/smilies/smile-new.png
I do think though that when presented with a situation where what's happened isn't perhaps immediately obvious, the temptation is to clutch at straws, and then as the OP has accepted, the likelihood of our initial diagnosis being correct, is altered by what's realistic, as you clearly agree!

Alec.


Cheers Alec

What's going on with this post? Is Alec leading a double life?!

 

[hackneylass2]

Haha No, well, I don't think he is!

I quoted and Alec and responded to his quote. Honest.