HOW TO GET RID OF HAWKS/OWLS

If you are near a nest like I am then visits will be frequent enough to make roosting of flock without confinement impractical. This time of year until tree leaf out you may also have great-horned owls hunting during day. If so, then you may finding need for using a cover run. My dogs put stop to owls actually taking birds but that option is not available to all. During day free-ranging can also be done with you present. Number of owls should drop to two until about April or May when owlets fledge and then start flying about.

just wanted to add owls and hawks Are prediators not only of chickens

but also stray cats , weasels , young pup foxes and racoon cubs . these other critters when they come a calling often kill many chickens not just one .. like a owl or hawk would do..

I do not think anyones management efforts here includes killing or otherwise harming the raptors. Additionally, even though the raptors d occasionally take young of other (mammalian) predators, the other predators do take young and occasionally adult raptors as well.

I have had a problem with hawks. I will admit I was so angry I was prepared to shoot every one within a 50 mile radius. I still am still rather unhappy. I have a pen that looks like a disco with all the CDs hanging in it. There is so much fishing line strung up I hope the hawks think twice about diving in. I also stopped feeding the birds near the chickens and I cooped them for four days. I have a humongous RIR roo now who seems to be earning his keep so far. I can only pray my efforts hold good until I can get a covered run built in the spring.

Hello! I've not been on here in quite a while, until today. And what brings me here is a hawk killed one of my hens this afternoon. Looks like a Cooper. Not very big. My dog alerted me early this morning that he was in the tree. I ran him off a couple times today. I've seen hawks round here before. My chicken yard is mostly tree covered, but no leaves this time of year. This go round, Ive had hens for 5 yrs on this property. Lost 6 in one night about 3 yrs ago. Not sure what. My hen house is an old converted boat shed and any critter could get in there if they wanted. This hawk killed my hen IN the chicken yard and ate what he wanted and left. One of my dogs is kenneled next to the chicken yard. Her chain link kennel is part of the fencing for the chickens! I dont know how I missed the kill. I have read it is not a pretty sound or picture.
Before it got dark I hung some CD's in the trees. We have a storm coming and they may not survive til tomr night!
And about the hawks and owls not getting little dogs, NOT SO! Predators will swoop them up in a heart beat. My neighborhood out here has lost about 100 feral cats in the past 2 yrs to owls. Now the owls are starting on the cats in town.
Male dogs pottying on the fence line with keep varmits out. I also have a "NiteGuard" light that I got since the attack in which 6 were pulled off the roost and killed. It works! I need more than one. My hens do go into the hen house at night but I dont usually lock them up. They are NOW and will be inside for several days hoping the hawk will go away. If it was summer time I could not keep them up in the day, way too hot in Texas for that. My dog that alerts to BOP is old and he doesn't want to stay outside all the time. But when he is out there he goes balistic when he sees a BOP.
Hoping the CD's work, but the hens acted afraid of them. I had to lure them into the pen and into the house with grains shaking in a cup.
While the hawk was in the tree this morning, the hens were hidden. I have an two old pens out there with wire tops and they run in them. But I've seen this before and never lost lost til today.

centrarchid said:

I do not think anyones management efforts here includes killing or otherwise harming the raptors. Additionally, even though the raptors d occasionally take young of other (mammalian) predators, the other predators do take young and occasionally adult raptors as well.

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hahahahaha.... good one!! ya had me going for a second. Only way to end the problem is neutralize it.

Get a pair of geese, it's what we did when hawks started dive bombing our ducks, and it works!

I know someone who lost a couple of mature peacocks, from a
great horned owl....
The owl was seen perching in trees regularly & very close by at dusk.
A 12 gauge shotgun was double barreled very nearby (aimed to
deter approaching coyotes a couple of twilights in a row)
but, the owl, became disturbed by the noise
since it was so close. The nearby neighbors,
haven't seen the owl roosting around any more.
Too bad the noise it was so disturbing to him.
Guess he had to go hunting elsewhere.....
Moral: very sudden loud noise in very
close proximity to an owl
may run them off.

I'm late, but for anyone still struggling with hawks or other birds of prey, I suggest making your yard appealing to crows. We have a flock in our neighborhood and although they do get into gardens, they are very territorial and chase any prey birds out of the neighborhood. They keep our chickens safe and I enjoy watching hawks try to move in. Two or three crows gang up on them and the hawks don't know what to do.

I have a few crows that are seen once in a while. Seen chasing away buzzards.