predators
12 stories filed under predators on Alektorophobia. The newest of them: “My chicken's giving me the cold shoulder: and the cold weather's got me worried”, “Our Bantam Rooster Declares Coop Independence Just in Time for Winter”, and “My Rooster Took a Three-Day Vacation and Came Back Clucking”. Oh, the classic chicken cold shoulder, and I mean that literally and emotionally. Oh, the audacity. Chickens. Everything there is to know about chickens and the fear of them. The list below is every predators story on Alektorophobia, newest first.
My chicken's giving me the cold shoulder: and the cold weather's got me worried
Oh, the classic chicken cold shoulder, and I mean that literally and emotionally. One of your new feathered friends has decided the run is her preferred nighttime hangout, and with temperatures dropping to 0°C, that's more than a little fowl play. You've just moved in, these girls were established long before you arrived, and now this rebel is breaking all the rules. It's enough to make anyone feel like the awkward new roommate who doesn't know the house quirks yet. Before you panic, know that chickens sometimes pull these stunts for surprisingly simple reasons, bullying, a drafty coop, or just being a dramatic diva.
Our Bantam Rooster Declares Coop Independence Just in Time for Winter
Oh, the audacity. For years, my flock and I had a perfect dusk routine, but now my bantam rooster has declared full-on coop independence just in time for winter. This little guy decided sleeping on the coop roof was his new vibe, and despite being safe from predators in his enclosed area, I am not about to let him freeze. After a week of me playing night-shift chicken wrangler, a second bantam hen joined his rebellion. Now, three weeks in, a third chicken, my olive egger, has joined the fowl play. I've checked for mites, confirmed no bullying (he's the boss, but generous with snacks), and set up a camera. Nothing.
My Rooster Took a Three-Day Vacation and Came Back Clucking
We've all had that heart-stopping moment when a beloved feathered friend vanishes into thin air. One morning, my rooster, a sweet silver laced Wyandotte, the friendliest of the bunch, was simply gone from our large, reinforced run. No feathers, no fuss from the hens, just a ghost bird. I figured he'd either cleared our 12-foot fence or been snatched by a hawk. With freezing rain and snow for two days, I mourned him. Then, three days later, I let the flock out to forage, and there he was, clucking along like he'd just popped out for a snack. Dirty, but totally fine. How? No clue. For more puzzling poultry escapades, check out "Cluck-tastic mystery: Who laid that pretty blue egg in my flock."
Suzie's Feeling Fowl: Is Our Queen Chickening Out?
Oh, Suzie. Our girl's having a rough day, and honestly, I feel for her, and for you. Seeing your usually sprightly queen looking a bit *off* is enough to make any chicken parent's heart do a little fowl-flip. You've painted a cluck-tastic picture of a hen who's just not herself: the longer-than-usual egg-laying, the ruffled feathers, and the solo time away from the flock. Given your history, mites, raccoons, and now a persistent rat problem, it's no wonder you're on high alert. That opossum sighting on camera? Yeah, I'd be watching the coop like a hawk, too. Your gut instinct to ask for advice is spot-on. We've seen similar stories with our own flock, and sometimes it's just a quirky phase.
Feathered Friends Fowl Play: Keeping Silkies Safe (From My Fear!)
Silkies are basically tiny, feathered Houdinis with a flair for drama, and this post proves it. I love my feathered friends, but watching someone navigate their escape-artist antics? That's the kind of egg-citing chaos I live for. This story isn't just about keeping them safe; it's about that vulnerable, slightly mad moment when you realize you're outsmarted by a bird with a bad haircut. I'm right there with you, and honestly, the fear is part of the fun. If you need a laugh and some solidarity, check out "Chickens Got Her Good! A Backyard Poultry Adventure" for more relatable fowl play. For now, trust me: you're not chickening out alone.
Five chicks, a fresh cluck-tastic start, and Filemón says hello!
Five chicks. After losing the whole flock to a snack and a pair of dogs, that's not just a comeback, that's a cluck-tastic victory lap. I'm genuinely egg-cited for this fresh start, and I'll be keeping a hawk's eye on these little feathered friends to make sure history doesn't repeat itself. It's a vulnerable thing, loving something that can be so fragile, but hey, after the storm comes the rainbow, right? This feels like ours. Y'all, please give a big, feathered welcome to Filemón, the newest member of the squad. And if you're looking for more fluffy feels, check out our piece on "Chickens Got Her Good!" for a laugh and a half.
The Great Egg-scape: A Vanishing Hen and a Freshly Laid Clue
Four days without a single sighting, and then this: a nest with three perfectly fresh eggs. That's not just a disappearing act; that's a full-blown fowl mystery. I'm with you on the police-style investigation, complete with neighbor interrogations and guard check-ins. It's the only sane way to handle a feathered friend who's clearly up to something. The egg buoyancy test is a smart clue, but here's the thing: hens are sneaky little cluckers. She might have a second hideaway stash that's so well-concealed, even your garden is keeping its beak shut. Abandoning a fresh nest? That's odd, unless she felt spooked or just got a wild hair mid-brood. Don't lose hope yet. Sometimes they reappear with a dramatic "what?" look like nothing happened.
Cluck-tastic Scump is the feathered hero our flock never knew we needed.
Scump sounds like an absolute legend, and honestly, she might be too smart for her own good. A chicken who defends the bullied and squares up to bulldogs? That's not just sweet, that's a tiny feathered superhero with a serious napoleon complex. Her size is her only real flaw, and it's a doozy when she's convinced she can take on anything that looks at her Jersey Giants wrong. I love the house chicken idea, especially since you work from home. The real challenge isn't her smarts, it's her little heart breaking when she thinks she's missing out. Maybe a window perch near your office could let her keep an eye on you without the full-on screaming match.
Mink-Proof Your Coop Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Hens)
Five hens in one night. That's not just a loss, that's a gut punch delivered by something with teeth and a talent for fowl play. I read about your mink attack, and honestly, my heart sank with yours. It's completely understandable that you're a wreck; you did everything right, and it still wasn't enough. That kind of betrayal by the universe leaves a mark. The badger on the trail cam is the stuff of nightmares, and I'm not going to pretend it isn't. But here's the thing: you rebuilt that coop with more love and steel zip ties than a hardware store has inventory. That's not crazy, that's dedication.
Oviduct Woes and Ugly Hens: Three Losses Too Many
Well, today just plain sucks. We lost another hen to her own reproductive system, and it's the third one. The vet said there was nothing we could do; it's the hazard of being a hen. I clean their shed daily, I'm on top of supplements and vet visits, and I track their laying like a hawk. But I can't out-clean a broken egg inside her body. We bred them to lay this much, and it's killing them. That's the maddening part. I know tomorrow I'll be back at it, doing my best for our feathered friends. But today? I'm just angry. It feels like fowl play, and not the fun kind.
Cluck-tastic mystery: what's got our feathered friends in a flap?
There's a special kind of bravery in wanting to have a heart-to-heart with the very thing that scares you. That's exactly what u/espada355 is going for, and honestly, it's both cluck-tastic and a little unhinged in the best way. We love the energy of just wanting to *talk* it out, as if the feathered friend is going to sit down and explain its fowl play. It's not about catching the chicken or outsmarting it; it's about understanding the fear on a personal level. It reminds us of our own adventures in the backyard, like in "Chickens Got Her Good! A Backyard Poultry Adventure," where things get a little ruffled.
Flocks vs Hawks: How to Free Range Without the Fowl Play
Ah, the eternal chicken mom dilemma: happy hens versus hawk hors d'oeuvres. You've got eleven girls who clearly think the grass is greener outside the run, and honestly, who can blame them? But with turkey vultures circling and coyotes lurking, letting them free range full-time feels less like a farm dream and more like a feathery horror movie. A rooster is a classic bodyguard option, sure, but he's not a magic bullet. He'll sound the alarm for hawks, but raccoons and coyotes? They might just laugh at his tiny feathery tuxedo. Before you go full Jurassic Park, remember that predator-proofing is a game of inches. It's a cluck-ton of trial and error, but your girls' joy is worth the fowl play.