Guarding the chickens

We recently lost a pullet to a red shouldered hawk from this flock of New Hampshire Reds so we moved Sofie, an Akbash Anatolian mix livestock guardian dog in with them for a few days.

Later in the afternoon we discovered the hawk had gone to a different flock on the opposite side of the farm and helped itself to one of the barred rock layers so we moved Josh, our other livestock guardian dog, into that pasture, leaving the goats to fend for themselves for a while.

Because our flocks roam within the limits of movable electric fencing they are protected from most predators. Aerial predators such as hawks have an advantage though they are usually not a problem. Colder weather is here and apparently some of the small rodents and snakes that comprise the hawks' diet are not as readily accessible

Sofie and the Snapper

It is soon becoming the time when snapping turtles lumber out of their hibernation in our bottom land and meander across the lower pasture to the large pond.  A year ago this time, Sofie met her first snapper, up a bit too close and personal.  The "snap" of the turtle left a scratch on her nose but she was otherwise unscathed and we moved her to another area while the turtle continued her walk to the pond.  

This is not the snapper that got Sofie; it is a photo from a few days afterward showing how curious she still is about these large creatures appearing in what she considers her territory.

As we continue to have freezing nights, the turtles may not be up and about for a while but when they appear, Sofie will probably bark again at these large creatures in the space she is assigned to protect.  

Sophie resting after meeting the snapping turtle.