Good advice from brendasue. :) Like she said, you need to keep the bird warm and quiet to guard against shock, which can kill. I'd be willing to bet there as puncture wounds from the hawk's talons, though. Either the hawk's grip or the fall may have broken or bruised her leg(s) if she is limping. If taking the bird to the vet is out, it might be a good idea to get some over-the-counter bird antibiotic such as Ornacyn (at the pet store in the bird/reptile section) and add it to the hens' water. Use the doseage for parrots and follow label directions, and if it comes in tablet form crush it up first (the tablets take forever to dissolve). Keep her warm and quiet, and you can give her unflavored Pedialyte (at the grocery store, in the baby aisle) to drink to boost her electrolytes--good for injured or sick birds. You can get an idea of what is going on with her leg by starting at the top, GENTLY but firmly grasp her leg between your thumb and forefinger and squeeze, working your way down the leg. If she jumps or sqwauks at a certain point, you've found an injury. Get another hen and compare how it feels between the two hens' legs. You might be able to feel a serious enough break with your fingers. Also, test her--does she grasp with the injured leg's foot? Hold her up and tip her back and forth a bit, watching the foot--does it move or grasp? Anything that can help you diagnose her will help you. Feel up into her thigh area as well. Offer her goodies to keep her eating, such as live mealworms, cooked ground beef, scrambled eggs, diced grapes, raw corn on the cob, etc. Anything that keeps her eating and hydrated is good, and extra protein from things like mealworms will help her heal. I've got a chicken info site here that may help, this is the section of health: http://jackshenhouse.com/VSChickHealth.htm Good luck with her, and congrats to your wife for battling a hawk to save her! :) Velvet ~:>

We have three squirrel houses in 3 different trees and the only critters we've seen giving the squirrels any grief are raccoons. The first one I built is designed differently than yours, with a roof that overhangs the front. One time a raccoon hung over the front and managed to reach in and get a hold of one, although he didn't get it. I promptly put a little rail on top to block them. We've had Cooper's hawks come through and stalk them but never seen one try and get in one of the houses. No foxes around here, so I can't say. It's not as easy for a larger predatory bird to get at them in the box. Some boxes have ledges installed underneath the hole on the inside to keep other predators from reaching them. 6-7 feet is kind of low. The general recommendation is at least 15 feet although some say 10 is enough. Mine are about 15, 20 and 25 feet up. The one has been up for 8 years and I put two more made from tires up last year. What can I say? I found a plan, was curious and had an old tire. I almost laughed when I saw them moving in last fall. ("SOB! They work!") When you hang them, give them some kind of nesting material to get them started. I put dry crushed or mulched leaves in ours, about 1/3 filled. One caveat about your box. Even being one inch thick, pine will rot over time, especially the floor. Even though it has a hole for drainage, water will collect in there from time to time. I made mine of cedar and it's held up well, but I can see I'll have to replace the floor or build a new one before long. I got the idea for the tire ones from a guy who sells them online.(Not myself) They hang from hooks and he sells them with a rope and attachment to fling it over a limb. I also found a plan for a different style house made from a tire. They seemed to like them just fine.

I make my suet mixture using suet or lard. I melt the fat in a glass bowl in the microwave until liquid. Then I add crunchy peanut butter, which melts in the hot fat. Then I add the dried ingredients - corn meal, flour, oats (usually ground in blender), ground eggshells, crushed nuts, a little jam or jelly, etc. The mixture is about 1/2 fat, 1/2 dried ingredients - maybe a little more dried. I aim for a mixture that is the texture of Play-doh - it clumps together easily for the suet log, but also crumbles into pieces that I spread in a tray feeder. I made the suet log over 3 years ago out of an old red Pine log and glued lots of perches and branches. It did not have much bark on it - which is fine, except that over time the log has darkened quite a bit, perhaps because of the oils in the suet mixture. Also, most of the perches and branches have broken and fallen off. This birds don't seem to care. If you put perches on the log, this will enable many more birds to eat more easily. However, this isn't necessarily a good thing because with mine, it enables the Starlings and Blue Jays to hog the suet log, and it encourages House Sparrows. My suet log is pole-mounted with a squirrel/raccoon baffle, so nothing gets onto the log but the birds. Here's what the suet mixture looks like - Some Bluebirds on the suet log a couple years ago. They don't eat that much on the suet log any more, because I usually spread crumbles in a tray for them.

Happy Belated Birthday! I've been recovering from the Thanksgiving extravaganza and just finally made it back to the forum. :) Hope you're having fun with your new computer! Bri