This means war! The Bobcat and my chicken

[smokeythecat]

I have three rather spoiled rotten hens. "Big Red" a Rhode Island Red, "Buttercup" a smaller Buff Orphington and "Scambles the Wonder Chicken" a quite large Buff Orphington. My ladies are 4 years old now. I got them when they were a few weeks old.

Scrambles, or Scrambie as we call her has never quite been right. She does not want to be held. The others go one way, she goes the other. Anything the others do, she does the opposite. And she eats everyone's eggs. She is about 10 pounds. I think her egg was scrambled before birth.

A bobcat has been trying to get them the last I suppose two years, without success. They feel quite secure in their new home, it is bobcat proof, although the beast does try frequently to get them. I see it from time to time but it's like spotting greased lightning.

After the birds' breakfast this am, I do a couple things outside and as I'm passing their house on the way into my house, I hear this strange, odd noise. So I stop.

Say what? I stare at Scambles (who else). Scrambles is growling, just like the bobcat does. This 10 pound feathered fiend is growling at me!

So is this a myna bird chicken? Growling like the bobcat. And she's good at it too. Who would have thought! A chicken that growls.

 

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[Kansas_Jayhawk]

Build a wood tunnel with one end the entrance and at the other end Scrambie behind chicken wire. Make it to where door falls after cat goes in. Designs on web. A good bobcat pelt from up north can pay a good chunk towards a new detector

 

[smokeythecat]

Nah, I don't want to hurt the bobcat. That chicken growling at me this morning was a bit much though.

 

[Tpmetal]

Haha that's ridiculous. Never heard of such a thing.

 

[smokeythecat]

TPmetal, I was at first looking for a cat next to the chicken house! Then I saw her worship open her cockeyed beak and growl. It sounded just like a cat/bobcat, just not as loud. I'm going to try to get it on film soon. Maybe after a snack that does not satisfy her every need. She is something else.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I've had run ins with coyotes, foxes, weasels (we eventually won) and one or more fishers (we lost, big time) but never a bobcat!

We let our chickens free range mostly and lose the occasional chicken.

A growling Buff O? That's something new.

Our rooster is a knee-high Rhode Island Red we got for free off Craig's List. Very "energetic" with the girls (most are missing feathers on the backsides from wear and tear - which I assume is why the prior owners dumped him) but he's survived three epic battles that I know of - I assume foxes. Quite the home defender. His spurs are about 2-1/2 inches long! He stays because he is people friendly. We have had others that were not!

 

[smokeythecat]

Mine are locked up and when I let them out, I'm right there with them. There was a hawk hanging around yesterday and it was quite annoyed it could not get the chickens. All the bigger predators around here hate me.

 

[against the wind]

So where are the pictures??

 

[pa plateau hiker]

I'm curious. Are your 4 year old hens still good egg layers?

 

[smokeythecat]

Eggs? Oh yeah, those are those things I buy at the store in boxes! One or two lay when they feel like it but Scrambie eats them very fast. In the winter when it's cold out I get them a sausage, egg and cheese croissant from the local store. They haven't laid well since they were 3.

 

[Kray Gelder]

Chickens are smart animals, but I never heard one of ours mimicking. That would have made my hair stand up, if I had hair.

 

[Duckshot]

Smokeythecat, listen very carefullyy-

Get your laser pointer and check to see if Scrambles will chase it. If it chases, your pet chicken has a bad case of feline possession. You might need to dispatch of Scrambles or hire a man in a pope suit to try and preform a yankitoutofme. If it spreads you could lose the other two birds. Or, Scrambles might try to eat them.

Never turn your back on poultry.

 

[smokeythecat]

Duckshot, she actually does chase a laser pointer. I tried that for unknown reasons a couple years ago. She is one scrambled egg. Scrambie may try to eat me! I'll try for a sound bite over the weekend of the growl. She doesn't exactly do it on demand. She does nothing on demand.

 

[Duckshot]

She does nothing on demand.

The power of the feline got ahold of her.

 

[smokeythecat]

Yup. She definitely is a bird of a different feather. Doesn't listen, doesn't lay eggs, sings the "egg" song AFTER she eats the egg, runs away, doesn't like to get pet, growls, is greedy, yup - the perfect pet!

Here's a pic of her worship.

(At least she thinks she's special. A special *what* we'll probably never know.)

 

[Kansas_Jayhawk]

Sounds like she is cannibilistic (however you spell it).

 

[Duckshot]

Yup. She definitely is a bird of a different feather. Doesn't listen, doesn't lay eggs, sings the "egg" song AFTER she eats the egg, runs away, doesn't like to get pet, growls, is greedy, yup - the perfect pet!

Here's a pic of her worship.

(At least she thinks she's special. A special *what* we'll probably never know.)

View attachment 1577220

At 10lbs maybe she will make a special stew.

I killed a chicken through transcendental means once , maybe. I was trying to chase it out of the garden and for some reason the little bugger charged at me. Keeled over and dropped dead about five feet from me. She made a special compost.

Other chickens I have chased for about a mile without killing them.

 

[smokeythecat]

She is not for eating. Not sure what she is good for except looks and growling.

 

[Kansas_Jayhawk]

She is not for eating. Not sure what she is good for except looks and growling.

Well if some critter was coming by and looking at you for their next dinner you might go on a diet as well.

Capturing that cat and hauling it a good distance from your location making sure you cross a river might be worth the time and effort.

 

[smokeythecat]

It's not the bobcat (s) I'm concerned about. I also occasionally see a mountain lion, and no, I have not been drinking. I took out three large trees near the house so it could not get too close to the house where it could stalk ME.