Another One Bites the Dust

It never occurred to me how many of our laying hens we would lose to predation. A pair of immature Bald Eagles has taken up residence in one of the trees behind the hen house. This week we lost several more chickens to the young birds (who, by the way, are quite camera shy). Bald Eagles are on the endangered species list, so it is still nice to see this pair thriving despite our losses.

Pesticide poisoning, specifically DDT, was responsible for the deaths of many Eagles. Thanks to conservation efforts, their numbers are increasing and it has been proposed that they should be removed from the endangered species list. (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds)

I will say this, the ladies are not to happy with me right now. For the last few days after I have fed them, I have had to leave them in the coop. We are hoping that the Eagles will take the hint that chicken is off the menu and move on.