Sacrifice of a Chicken
I was working in my studio and I could hear a lot of ruckus going on outside. A whole gang of those thieving crows are back. I looked out the back and all the dogs were looking towards the chicken coop. I thought to myself, 'those dang crows are stealing eggs again'. I stepped out the back and could see several crows, some in the trees and others flying around. They are really loud!
I came back through the house and out the front and I guess I had already scared the crows away because now it was deathly silent. How strange! We have farm animals...unless they are sleeping it's never quiet.
As I stood there listening to the total silence, I realized that none of the farm animals was making a noise....not one. The rabbits were still, the chickens were under the rabbit cages and perfectly still, the goats were up next to the chicken's safety pen not moving a muscle, and the geese were, from where I stood, to the left of the goats and everyone was looking to the right. But not a sound and absolutely no movement.
That was so strange, I'd never seen them act that way. I came back through the house and out the back door again to see if I could find what they were all looking at. It was quicker than going around and I didn't have my shoes on.
That's when I saw it. It was still total silence outside, the crows were gone and even my dogs weren't barking. I think they were just as confused as I was. Anyway, I saw the flapping of wings...what in the world? It even took me a moment to register what was happening. I thought it was a chicken intimacy session.
OMGoodness!!! Then I realized that a hawk had one of my chickens. I ran back through the house, realized I didn't have shoes on and slipped on my farm boots in one clean sweep as I was running out the front door, through the front gate, through the pasture gate, past all the still silent farm animals, and around the goat shelter, upon the hawk. Gosh they are big! He didn't hear me coming, I almost could've grabbed him.
Right before I was on him he did hear me and he flew away leaving my chicken behind. I was so close that I could feel the wind beneath his wings. Good thing he heard me because I might would have grabbed him to get him off my chicken, then I would've been left with those results of an attack.
The poor chicken was already dead by the time I made it out there. I looked around at the rest of the animals and they slowly started moving about and making their typical noises again. I'm like, what the heck?
The dogs never barked at the predator. They were obviously confused. I've noticed now though, that they do go after the aerial predators (Those roosters better be cautious). But the geese! I got the geese for that reason. They are supposed to keep aerial predators away. Ha, not these geese. They were literally hiding behind the goats and not peeping a honk.
They all stood by and hid. Sacrificing the chicken for their own safety. Survival of the fittest, I guess...or the smartest!