Peregrine Falcon Problem - Page 3

I had always thought that Peregrine Falcons hunted in the air as well but we positively identified one that took out our large SPR rooster yesterday and 2 hours later took out my favorite SPR hen. The rest of my flock is freaked out. They are so happy free ranging that I hate to take that away from them. I am going to try the owl decoys but my question is, the chickens have almost 2 acres they have access to when free ranging, should I put out more than one owl or will one suffice?

Thanks in advance for any additional information anyone might provide. This is our first flock and we are very attached to them. One last pic of our beloved rooster, Murray.

I doubt that your goose would fair any better than this one did against a peregrine falcon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=UkW7r-rgeBQ

Crows hold up better against falcons and hawks than the goose did, but the racket that a flock of crows or ravens causes should cause a chicken person to take immediate action to protect their flock. I have never seen a peregrine falcon strike or take an animal on the ground but I guess it can happen.

However, to be fair to crows and ravens they are almost a hawks or owls equal in the air. Nothing covered in feathers is equal to a peregrine or to any other falcon in the air, as this vid shows. I think that the falcon was just playing with the crows like a cat toys with a mouse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mufshHZoG9g

A Gyrfalcon is significantly larger than a Peregrine and can take much larger targets.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nambroth 

A Gyrfalcon is significantly larger than a Peregrine...

 

Not only is it larger, but I doubt that a Gyrfalcon would winter as far South as Pennsylvania.  A peregrine would usually only nest on a cliff face.  I think your dealing with a member of the cooper hawk family.  There are three hawks in this family.  Below is three hawks in this family listed from the smallest to the largest.

1. The sharp shinned or blue darter hawk.

2.  The Coopers hawk

3.  And the goshawk.

Taken together they make up a group of hawks collectively known as "chicken" hawks.  How cute is that? 

One way to tell a peregrine falcon from a Coopers hawk is wing shape.  A Coopers hawk has wide, broad, and blunt (straight) wings because it often hunts by zig zagging through thick cover.  Think of a Coopers hawk like it was a crop duster plane.

A peregrine falcon on the other hand has a more slender body with swept, and sharp pointed wings like those seen on a F16 fighter plane and they can fly @ 33% the speed of sound.

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/peregrine-falcon-speed1.htm

A perigurine beats its wings so fast that they have almost a strobe light effect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mother Bird 

I know guineas would sound the alarm for a land bound predator, but not sure about one from above.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XybLPlH5zx8

Warning: Adult language and images disturbing to a chicken lover.  

But it will definitely answer all your questions about how well guineas protect chickens from chicken hawks.