These photos are of Hediye with our chickens.  She always hangs around when we do the chores and that includes cleaning the chicken coop.  Photos 2/15/09.

Photos 2/15/09.  Story of Hediye and the hawk below.  Also,  below are photos of Hediye with the Hawk she killed.

                                              

 

Ed was home this weekend (2/15/09) and we were able to get a  couple of photos of the hawk Hediye killed.  Then off the hawk went to the DNR to be studied.
 
Hediye is as predictable as ever.  In the photo with Ed, he is trying to show her the hawk and is praising her for a good job.  As you can see (top photo)she is already turning to flop on her back so that Ed can give her the much desired belly rub.  I can just tell in that photo - ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Hediyeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeee NOOOOOOOOOOO Dont plop
 
Well she did.  The next two photos (below)she had to play dead just like the hawk.  What a ham.
 
Char

                      

Heroine of the day - 2/10/09

This morning I went out to do my chores.  I was later then usual and the day was already warming up (yea - it's 62).  Anyway,  I have a routine and started into it.  I normally feed the goats, sheep, and then the chickens.  I went out and started calling - chick, chick, chick and the entire batch of chickens came running out of the coop.  I sprinkled their treat on the ground, left their gate open and went to feed and water the rabbits.  Normally I shut the gate but I knew I wanted to put straw in their coop so I left it open today.
 
Hediye always follows me all around quietly when I do my chores.  I was feeding my rabbits and all of a sudden I head a racket start up.  I head a bird screeching and heard the sound of wings flapping furiously.   I looked for Hediye as she normally hangs around the rabbit cages when I am feeding.  No Hediye.
 
Oh gosh, I thought, Hediye has gone after a chicken.  I ran around the barn to the coop as fast as I possibly could.  
 
As I neared the coop I stopped dead in my tracks.  Hediye had a chicken hawk in her mouth and had killed it.  That hawk was inches away from my chickens and Hediye got it.  The little Rhode Island Reds just stood by looking on.  I did a quick head count of the chickens and they were all accounted for.  I NEVER saw that hawk around the coop but she did and hung back.
 
I then praised Hediye over and over.  She tucked her head and PLOPPED down on her back with her feet in the air.  I gave the much deserved belly rub and a milk bone.
 
The camera was at hand so I got a photo of the chicken hawk.  Hediye would not cooperate and get in the photo with the hawk.  She could care less and could not figure what all the fuss was about.  After all, that is what she does and she did it.   She sees nothing special in that.
 
I SURE DO !  The hawk was small enough it would not have been able to carry off a chicken.  What they do then is try to anyway and it pulls the heads off the chickens.  You end up with headless birds.
Good going Hediye.  Thank you gal !
 
A grateful mom,
 
Char