20 chicks gone, could it be a hawk?

[Lollipop]

Goodness, there aren't endangered in this area, they are EVERYWHERE!!

@aschenfire- but if it wasn't a hawk, then what would it be? Do hawks leave feathers behind? There were no traces of anything being there except for them all being gone and my dad seeing one fly off with a chick. What other predator would fly off with only the little guys that are 6 weeks old? Some others are 10 weeks, and the others are 1-2 years old.. but no big ones were taken..

Not unusual for the government to see things differently than regular folks. Guess they don't have to worry about us while they hide in that big white building. Just don't let the persons that subscribe to their evil ways catch you shooting a hawk and if you talk about it on a public forum, shame on you. Uncle Sugar is watching........Pop

 

[chloezoebob101]

Not unusual for the government to see things differently than regular folks. Guess they don't have to worry about us while they hide in that big white building. Just don't let the persons that subscribe to their evil ways catch you shooting a hawk and if you talk about it on a public forum, shame on you. Uncle Sugar is watching........Pop

Yeah, they do read everything we post. So if i were to say that i shot it, somebody would probably show up at my doorstep in 30 minutes

 

[Nicole01]

I would suspect a fox, coyote or dog. Hawk attacks usually leave feathers from the chickens fighting for their life. My neighbors hen was attacked by a hawk when free ranging while she was a few feet away. She was able to shoo the hawk away. We can not shoot them due to being protected. That's why we both supervise free ranging.

My husband did build a very nice secure run. I do free range everyday, but only for a few hours a day. I see and hear the hawks daily, we live in a wooded area. Once the hawks spot my girls, back in their pen they go. In the winter we cover the run with plastic and heat the coop, so they have plenty space all winter. I was surprised the ground stayed unfrozen all winter long.

We have quite a bit of free running dogs. Luckily, I've been able to shoo them as well without injury to my flock.

I'm sorry about your loss. There are so many predators day and night.

 

[chloezoebob101]

I would suspect a fox, coyote or dog. Hawk attacks usually leave feathers from the chickens fighting for their life. My neighbors hen was attacked by a hawk when free ranging while she was a few feet away. She was able to shoo the hawk away. We can not shoot them due to being protected. That's why we both supervise free ranging.
My husband did build a very nice secure run. I do free range everyday, but only for a few hours a day. I see and hear the hawks daily, we live in a wooded area. Once the hawks spot my girls, back in their pen they go. In the winter we cover the run with plastic and heat the coop, so they have plenty space all winter. I was surprised the ground stayed unfrozen all winter long.
We have quite a bit of free running dogs. Luckily, I've been able to shoo them as well without injury to my flock.
I'm sorry about your loss. There are so many predators day and night.

Thank you.
so were thinking about going after the big guys instead. Are they illegal to kill? But still something just does not make sense, why wouldn't they kill the big girls too?

 

[johnderosa1]

Not sure what killed your chicks.... hawks do usually leave a ring of feathers where they feed since they pluck the bird before eating it. However, a hawk could have easily carried them off to another location since they are so small. In this case there would be no feathers. In any event they are completely protected by federal law as stated in some of the other posts and I would stay away from harming them in any way. I agree with the other posters... protecting your flock is the best bet. Any chicken left alone in an unprotected area is at risk day or night. If you are intent on free ranging them, I would only let them out when someone is around and would NEVER let any chicks roam unattented. They are far to easy for predators to catch. Good luck

 

[hearts34]

Thank you.
so were thinking about going after the big guys instead. Are they illegal to kill? But still something just does not make sense, why wouldn't they kill the big girls too?

Not sure where "right here" is, but in Alabama many species considered "varmits or pests" have no closed season. Check with your DNCR for a hunting guide.

There is a much larger predator universe for chicks than chickens. I have witnessed squirrels chasing chicks a few days old, til the mother game realized what was going on.
Snakes are another possibility. Crows and ravens will also take chicks as well as jay birds and starlings. Basically any omnivore is suspect on chicks.

 

[Oregon Blues]

It's entirely up to you.

If you leave your birds out, and especially if you leave them out and then everybody leaves home so the chickens are unattended, then you take the risk that something will eat your chickens.

Personally, losing 20 birds in a few hours time doesn't sound like a safe area to free range to me. However, if you find the losses acceptable, go ahead and free range and take your losses.

Congratulations on being wealthy enough that you can afford tens of thousands of dollars in fines and find that preferable to penning up your birds. It must be awfully nice to have that much disposable income. Be aware that if you shoot every hawk in your area (and risk going to jail for it) something else will come along to eat your happy free range birds. Dogs, crows, owls, cats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, mink are almost everywhere and hunt night and day. It's unusual for an area to be completely free from predators.

 

[duckinnut]

"Endangered or threatened species" are protected by the Federal government. A conviction can result in a fine, imprisonment and if a felony the forever lost of legal gun ownership.

While I agree with your assessment, it's the governments picking and choosing of which laws they enforce. But that's a different thread.

 

[peepmommy]

A hawk easily carries chicklets off... I've seen mine carried away with no trace of feathers... You may shoot a hawk legally if the hawk is posing a threat/danger to livestock... It is easier to protect the chicks and not go after the hawk. When your chicks are full grown the hawks do not tempt attacking them (unless they are small breeds). Also, it does not sound like one, two, or three hawks would take the number that you lost... They may be hiding if something tried to attack. Make sure they aren't hunkered down anywhere!! Mine did that, disappeared for 2 days under brush!!!

 

[Nambroth]

To the Original Poster: It is extremely unlikely a hawk or even a pair of hawks took that many chicks in such a short time. Maybe a few, but not 20. At least one other predator is at play, here.
I am sincerely sorry you lost so many! But, the truth is that chicks are extremely easy prey for many predators. If you can, you might consider keeping them safely penned until they are grown, at least.
Leaving chicks unprotected in an area prone to predation is like leaving piles of candy and desserts in a room of unsupervised children for hours. It'd be silly to expect the treats to go untouched.

"Endangered or threatened species" are protected by the Federal government. A conviction can result in a fine, imprisonment and if a felony the forever lost of legal gun ownership.

This is slightly incorrect. Raptors are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which also protects nearly all migratory birds in the USA.
(this actually includes many more species than most people realize: http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/RegulationsPolicies/mbta/mbtandx.html)
These laws were initially created back when people were wiping out birds for their feathers. Initially, it was designed to genuinely protect birds from extinction, in the era of the Carolina Parakeet (now extinct) and the famous Passenger Pigeon...

There are some raptors that further are on the endangered or threatened species list and carry additional fines. Most of our common hawk species are not classified as endangered or threatened, but are covered by the MBTA.