Protection Against Hawks

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Awestruck

Awestruck

Songster
11 Years
May 15, 2012
175
88
211
We have our coop and run ready for the chicks and we have a 1 and 1/2 foot deep barrier around the bottom of the run/coop. My concern though is about a hawk that hangs around. Our neighbors have many different types of animals and some of them protect their chickens from predators, but I don't have that kind of protection at my house. I did find a type of netting that can be used to protect from hawks. It looked promising but I don't know how to put it up yet (have to ask a handyman if he can do it). Does anyone have a successful way of protecting against hawks? Thanks!
 
The roos will signel the hens if they are free ranging and rhey will go hide onder a tree or something and sometimmes they just know and they go onder a tree when they hear a hawk mine do that and if you have a dog like german shepherd they will go after the hawf and scare it away
 
Netting should work quite well for just hawks or eagles. Also, a good rooster could also deter away the hawks. (But it you have my Light Brahma rooster, he clogs up the coop door and just screams his head off in terror. Leaving his poor hens barred outside until our Golden Cuckoo Marans rooster chases him off!). Also, geese are also great at deterring hawks and such.
 
Some years the hawks are persistant and get through any little gaps at edges of nets. We used to have 50 ft by 50 ft nets attached to 5 ft fencing. Some years we have hardly any though, so we make sure our runs completedly in hardware cloth on top too, and only free range during times of less hawks. If we have a hawk attack, we keep them in the secure run for at least a month after that. Otherwise they'll start coming to the buffet every day and tell all the hawks in the area about it.
 
Will your chickens be free ranging, or in a run? If they will be in a run (which I'm assuming they will be at first) a cover on that run will be your best protection from hawks. My runs are covered with 2x4" welded wire to keep out not only hawks but climbing critters as well (raccoons and opossums). If you want to let them free range as they get older, good cover is essential. We have hawks, owls and a nesting pair of bald eagles here. I think I lost a hen to a hawk last year - it was out in the open, breast meat torn open and eaten. That would be the first loss to a hawk in a LONG time for me. We have plenty of cover where my chickens range. (This one was out in an open area, away from the trees) A rooster can help sound the alarm, but a dominant hen will often do the same thing. There are roosters that will take on a hawk. I don't have one of those. Mine just alarm and lead the way to cover.
 
I have Hawks patrolling my area too. They are a breeding pair of Red Tailed Hawks which are notorious chicken hunters. They circle everyday. When desperate they even attempted to take one of my large ducks but couldn't carry her so I was able to run and save her. I have large breeds of hens that free range and run against the wire fence as close as they can til they reach cover, so they are smart. But my silkies are not so smart and have to be kept in a secure coop with short supervised field trips in the field. Even with our many, many bushes and trees to provide cover, I don't think there is any fool proof way to protect against hawks besides secure netting. Decoys do not work. Sorry you are having to deal with that. I am building a small chicken tractor for my silkies that I can move around the yard throughout the day. Which might work for you too, it will give your girls a fun day out without having to worry about death from above. Good Luck!
 
Yes, they will be in a fully protected run.The run and coop are inside a part of the yard that is also fenced in, but, if I let the chickens roam that area, they are in danger. Unless I am outside, I cannot let them out of the run.
 

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