In the past, Qiaoyun would have been scared half to death. Now, although she is no longer afraid of her mother-in-law's scolding, she is still anxious. She has watched these chicks grow up one by one: "There was no snake. I only heard that the chickens seemed to be frightened by something. Sister Chunfeng and I went to check, but we didn't see anything wrong."
She also noticed a few scattered chicken feathers, and realized that this was a place where chickens roamed, so it was normal to have chicken feathers there.
In the past, we only brought adult chickens up the mountain. There were no wild animals around, so the chickens would roam around the house and never got lost.
Now that we have chicks, their numbers have increased, and they roam a wider area. When one went missing before, everyone just assumed it had fallen into a crack in the rocks or a ditch, and after searching for it, they gave up.
Now that it's lost again, we definitely can't ignore it anymore.
Jiang Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow, Errui will build a fence to keep the chickens in, so they can't run all over the mountain anymore!"
Aside from those that got lost, there are all kinds of animals in the mountains. Some of them were driven away by wildfires, but they should be coming back now.
Xu Errui stuffed a mouthful of food into his mouth and mumbled, "Okay, we'll make the fence tomorrow. Mom, could those chickens have been snatched away by hawks? I've seen hawks flying over the mountain a few times lately!"
"Oh dear, that's quite possible!" Jiang Zhi realized at this moment.
The hawk, also known as the common kestrel, is a smaller bird of prey than the eagle and is also a migratory bird.
They are small in size and usually eat pigeons and sparrows. They pose no danger to adult roosters, but newly grown chicks are their targets.
I used to live in a village full of people, and kites never came down. If it really is this guy, then this is going to be troublesome.
Winters here aren't particularly cold, so the kites stay to overwinter, and our own flock of chickens becomes their canteen.
To scare away hawks, you either need to keep dogs; as soon as you swoop down to catch a chicken, the dogs will bark wildly.
You can raise geese; large geese are not afraid of hawks and can attack enemies together with chickens.
Now that we live up in the mountains, we can't find dogs or geese anymore, and it's too late to raise them now.
The only solution is to raise chickens in enclosures, which requires feeding them grains, and this is clearly not a sustainable solution for Jiangzhi, who is already short of food.
This is a real problem, but for now, this is the only option.
Jiang Zhi put down her chopsticks: "Forget it, I won't go to pick firethorn berries tomorrow. I'll just weave the fence first."
Firethorn berries and wild chrysanthemums can be harvested for a long time, so weaving a fence won't take much of a break.
The next morning, the chicks happily rushed out of the coop, drank water from the mountain spring, and immediately ran to their favorite woods.
Xu Errui had already gone to cut down a large bundle of Vitex negundo and tree branches early in the morning, and used a knife to trim off the side branches, leaving only the straight and long branches.
Jiang Zhi then wrapped the branches around the area where the chicks liked to stay, inserting one vertically into the soil every five centimeters, and then weaving and pressing them horizontally, one above the other, to secure them.
Xiaoman quickly learned about the need to build a fence for the chickens lost on the cliff, and came over with a machete to help: "It doesn't need to be very big. The chickens still need to be free-range every day to grow fast. You can only keep them locked up for a while. When you have time, you should have someone guard them in the morning and evening."
Having someone guard the chicks is a simple but effective method; the process isn't over until the chicks grow up and the hawks migrate away.
On this day, both families came together to build the fence; many hands make light work.
Chunfeng and Xu Errui cut tree branches, while Xiaoman did not go out but went down the mountain to carry bamboo up.
Several people busied themselves digging ditches and driving stakes along the uneven slopes of the woods, and it wasn't until dark that they had erected a sturdy fence to prevent weasels and wild dogs from stealing chickens.
Most importantly, build a low shed, only one meter high, in the middle with branches, so that the chicks will have a place to hide if a hawk swoops down.
On this day, Jiang Zhi could also see the hawk circling overhead, truly a remarkable "hawk somersault".
No matter how well a sparrow hid, it was caught and snatched away by a nimble hawk as it flew up from the edge of the rice paddy.
Ah! If only these hawks came during the wheat harvest, Grandpa Xiaoman wouldn't have to guard the wheat fields every day.
Everyone was busy that day, and no one paid attention to the little wild boar next to them, who ate and slept and wandered around whenever it was free.
The next day, as soon as they left the coop, the chicks, who were used to running around, wanted to run wildly, but they were herded back into the enclosure.
At first, they didn't seem to notice anything and continued searching for insects among the leaves.
Jiang Zhi didn't rush out; she needed to observe how well the shelter functioned.
Xu Errui was also preparing some branches to complete the final repairs on the fence.
No sooner had the chicks left the coop than hungry hawks in the sky set their sights on the flock.
As if sensing something was wrong, a rooster perched on a tree branch not far away watched the surroundings warily, occasionally letting out a short "hehe" sound.
The hens stood there blankly, their heads tilted as they looked up at the sky.
At her doorstep, Jiang Zhi also sensed something unusual about the chickens. When she looked up, she was startled: a hawk was silently circling overhead, its target the chicks that had just entered the enclosure.
"Errui, watch out, the hawks are coming!" Jiang Zhi shouted.
Xu Errui was still tying branches in the woods when he heard the noise and went outside, trying to scare the hawk away, but it was too late!
In the sky, the hawk, which had been planning this for a long time, suddenly plummeted like a stone, crashing into the flock of chickens in the forest.
The chicks immediately erupted into chaos. Some darted into the woods, while others remained still. Even the mother hen, who had largely neglected her chicks, panicked and started circling around, clucking.
Xu Errui was furious. This guy was incredibly audacious, daring to catch a chicken right in front of people. He rushed over to stop him.
It is said that skill breeds daring, and the same applies to kites.
Jiang Zhi once saw that chickens in mountain villagers' homes would hide under chairs, and some bold hawks would even rush up to snatch them away.
Now, the hawk is catching chickens right in front of people, and the chicks are desperately rushing into the low shed where they are hiding.
However, something surprising happened: the hawk folded its wings and easily glided sideways into the low shed, rendering its intended hiding place for the chicks completely useless.
In the blink of an eye, the chick, which had already hidden deep in the bushes, was pinned down by the hawk and could only flap its wings and let out a pitiful cry.
The hawks and chicks were inside the low shed, and the tree branches that were originally meant to protect them became obstacles to the rescue.
Xu Errui tried to help but couldn't get close enough. In desperation, he waved his arms and shouted to scare the hawk away, but the hawk and the chick were entangled and wouldn't let go.
Just then, the little wild boar, who was always bored and only responsible for playing with the children, suddenly came running over from nowhere like the wind, moving with lightning speed.
After a long day of work, the two families had managed to tear a large hole in the sturdy fence, which was now as fragile as paper.
The low shed with its branches lying haphazardly over everything couldn't stop the little wild boar from moving forward.
At this moment, the pork belly became a heavily armored tank, easily smashing aside the wooden sticks blocking its way.
Hawks are not afraid of people, but their sense of danger is ingrained in their bones. Before the wild boar could even break through the fence, the hawk abandoned the poor chick and began to flee.
No matter how fast the hawk moves, it can't outrun the speedy young man, Pork Belly.
Just as it was about to leap out of the low shed and fly back into the sky, it was bitten by the little wild boar.
The little wild boar seemed to go mad, shaking its head violently, and after a few shakes, the hawk stopped moving.
Everything happened so fast...
Jiang Zhi ran over and witnessed this scene.
Looking at the collapsed fence and the chicken and kite feathers flying all over the ground, I couldn't help but facepalm: This is too brutal!
I just don't know how to handle this case, where a former Class II protected animal kills another Class II protected animal, or a tank fights an air force.
Xu Errui was also stunned by the little wild boar's series of actions. Only after the little wild boar carried the hawk out did he grab the bristles on its back and exclaim, "Peppa, you can actually catch a hawk?"
The little wild boar rolled its eyes!
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