Hawks gone/Birds out

The big girls have been cooped up (no pun intended) for about two months. Not they they don't have plenty of room and activities in their coop and playpen area. But they love the grass, bugs in the garden, and dirt baths along the back of the house. With the return of the hawks and the hatching of two baby hawks, it has not been safe for Harriet, Red and Sophia to be in the yard. The parent hawks, especially the probably 16" daddy hawk, had gotten fearless in coming near the chickens. We have been sitting in chairs by the chickens and he has sat in the tree right above them. One day as I did dishes and watching the chickens from the kitchen, the little ones started to race around and fly in their area. They were frantic. I was just about to dry my hands to go see what was wrong. Didn't the daddy hawk come around to the front of the pen (he had been on the side behind an evergreen) and sit right next to pen on the ground. Forget drying my hands. I went racing out the door to chase him away.

We have not seen or heard hawks for almost two weeks now. It's safe for the older, tamer chickens to have freedom in the yard again. They are very happy with that.

Sorry for how jerky this video is in spots due to me walking up the yard.

Most people love the way Sophia (the white silkie) walks. It's great from the back. That's the main reason for this video. Harriet and Red are the leaders and roam about the yard. Sophia looks up and realizes they have moved, so she runs after them.