I have dogs that actively chase and might actually kill hawk if they catch it. Even with dogs present hawks like Coopers will occasionally stoop at members of free-ranging flocks but I have not had any losses since dogs in place and when chicks are involved an adult rooster close by. Chickens...
I study hawks. Weight at fledging can be greater than adult weight. Two possibilities come to mind with respect to apparent size variation. Different species like Coopers Hawk (large) and Sharp-SHinned HAwk (small). Second is gender where females are much larger than males of some species...