My first hawk attack experience

Unfortunately I just had my first experience with a hawk.... or at least this was the first time I observed an attack.

It tried to take one of my large light brahma hens....

I was sitting in my office and thought I saw one of the guineas fly by the window (office is on the 2nd floor)...but something just wasn't right about it's coloring as it flew by so I stood up to look down/out.....and that is when I saw a huge scattering of white feathers flying everywhere with this hawk swooping down trying over and over to pick up that chicken! It was like someone broke open a feather pillow! It was HORRIBLE to watch.

I was screaming and yelling HAWK CHICKEN.....and ran towards the deck while my hubby went and got the gun.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing..... it was almost like watching an animal attack one of my kids.... UGH

Hubby shot in the air to scare the hawk and it flew away while I ran out to check on the hen. There must have been 3 attempts to pick it up because there were 3 large piles of feathers in 3 different areas.... poor thing.

Found her hiding and did a check over.... no blood... lots of feathers falling out and fell out.... but she's ok. Glad they are like giant puff balls to start with....

Put her in the coop and she started to eat right away so I know she's going to be ok.

Now I'm thinking that perhaps the 10 hens that have 'disappeared' in the last summer/fall season....well, that perhaps they didn't just wander off.... now that makes me very very sad to think they met a hawk close up.

This was a horrible thing to go thru and my sympathy to all those who've gone thru this before....

~Tammy

SCARY!!! I love watching hawks hunt because it is so majestic and awesom - but not when the prey is something I have an intimate relationship with.

I have had a hawk take 5 of my hens this year. I had never seen it happen untill the last time. The hawk seemed to land on the hen and tear them apart unitll they died. I hate hawks. The time I saw it will be the last time a hawk kills a hen. Do you free range 100% of the time?

Yep, free range all the time except at night when they come to roost in the coop. Early morning out and late evening in.

We've had a fairly decent winter here in Wisconsin so they've only been locked in 2 days total the whole winter season...

~Tammy

Our stories are quite similar apart from the 'my husband shot in the air to scare the hawk'.

Well, 'shot in the air' is ...well, what he did.... Lord knows he wouldn't shoot towards my chicken who was flapping around on the ground...

Apparently it is not legal to shoot at a hawk .....so all I know is that he 'shot in the air'..... that's my story and I'm stickin to it.



~Tammy

Edit for removing sassy wordage...lol. I'm a law abiding citizen I tell ya.

Glad ya fend of the hawk but shooting up in the air is a bad idea if you have anyone living within a mile or even two as you never know where the bullet come down and could injure or even kill someone, just saying.
I use bottle rockets to keep them away and it works very well, my dogs also keep a close watch on the Sky's and will pursue any incoming intruder be it a duck, goose, crane or hawk.
My peafowl have also been a great deterrent as they will pursue a hawk in a heart beat.

Use a sound maker of any kind as it will have the same effect you want.Dh was just lecturing me on the dangers of shooting a gun in our neighborhood,and the chance that my bullet will hit something or someone nearby. As annoyed as I am I have to agree I would not be happy if my neighbors were shooting in THEIR yards since we are very close together.Being able to shoot in our yard is one of the many reasons we are going to move.

Over the fall there was a story here in Ohio of an amish girl who got shot in the head in her buggy on the way home.Turns out it was a neighbor a mile or so away who was cleaning his gun and shot it in the air.Go figure the chance of that bullet hitting that girl.If only she or he had delayed a few seconds.

Glad to read your hen survived! I have heard about bottle rockets.Might scare better since it will *pop* close enough to scare better.

Use a shotgun. Its not against the law to shoot your gun unless you live in the city. My goodness who in there right mind would tell the authorities they were shooting at a hawk. Common sense & SSS. I guess alot of people on this forum are being watched by the feds.

7L Farm said:

My goodness who in there right mind would tell the authorities they were shooting at a hawk. Common sense & SSS. I guess alot of people on this forum are being watched by the feds.

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