Best breed to attack hawks

[BlueEyes51]

I free range my chickens during the day and have never had a hawk attack in the 11 years I have owned my property. There is a major rodent problem around here so maybe that's the reason... the hawks, thankfully, seem to be very busy going after them instead.
We mainly have Cooper's Hawks tho and they are a bit smaller than my rooster. However, there is always that chance that an attack might happen someday.
It is really hot here in the summer, so I plan to see if someone has an old trampoline they want to get rid of... even if it is just the frame. I plan to cover it with a tarp and use it for shelter from the sun, rain, and hawks.
Currently, my chickens run to a covered pen or next to my fence where there is foliage for cover. At night, they are locked up in a predator proof coop.
My suggestion, think about seeing if someone wants to get rid of an unused or damaged trampoline for free or cheap, and convert it to a cover for your hens.

 

[BPChickenFarmer]

Im so mad i hate hawks so much they keep killing my birds ive lost 3 roosters and a whole flock of ducks. What breed is strong enough to fight predators but not attack the flock, like aggresive but also not

If you live in Washington State I have a rooster you can have.
I'm not suppose to have one but Penny decide not to be a hen.

 

[Chicken Heel]

i googled it and it said shooting hawks in virginia is banned or something stupid like that, but my run covers like a whole 3/4 my backyard so its huge, i dont know what would work for a covered run. This is a very bad screenshpt from a video but from where the red barn starts, and half way down the hill is where the coop ends, also where the pirate ship is so a covered run is practically impossible, or VERY expensiveView attachment 3748257

As a fellow citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia, this is the time of the year I see a great deal more hawks. I feel sure many are just passing through while migrating. If possible, I would recommend confining your poultry for a few weeks. Speaking of hawks and other birds of prey, back in the 1970's seeing one was an extreme rarity due to the after effects of DDT being widely used. Today in southern Virginia, they seem to be as numerous as sparrows and so are Black Buzzards for that matter.

 

[Donna-NC]

Know your enemy!
I noticed wires stretching from the hotel roof down over the pool and patio the last time we vacationed down at the beach. I asked one of the maintenance workers why and what the purpose of it was. It keeps the gulls and pelicans from landing on the patio and around the pool and therefore not much for the groundskeepers to clean up. Gulls, pelicans and birds of prey all have 1 thing in common - they need room to land and take off. Little song birds can just sort of lift off - birds of prey don't. I've done something similar over my entire yard, which is pretty open with trees and bushes around the perimeter.

• Pick up some 50lb fishing line and a few of those silver mylar emergency blankets that you'd keep in the glovebox of the car.
• String the fishing line randomly overhead (use poles if necessary) in a crisscross pattern.
• Cut the emergency blanket into strips an inch or two wide and maybe a foot long and tie those strips on all the fishing line maybe 6 feet or so apart. Yes it'll look like a party but who cares, it's your yard!

What will happen is as those strips are stirred in a breeze it will create a distraction to the hawk's line of sight where they won't know where or how to land or take off, making it choose other places to hunt.

Planting some living cover or providing built cover spots for your birds should be done as well. Not just one big one, but several around the entire yard. Flocks scatter when a predator swoops down so one large shelter won't really work well. So long as the hens can get under and out of sight, they'll be safe.

We also taught our Labrador to chase off all other birds except the hens. I feel sorry for the blue-jays, robins and cardinals but the dog isn't outside 24/7 so they do get some relief.

 

[Cinnabar45]

Your run is too big for netting the entirety. But what about providing some cover with bushes too low for a hawk to perch? When our birds were totally unfenced, they'd stay close to the euonymous (burning bush) growing on the hillside. Alternatively, you could create "islands" of netting that would provide shelter. The idea is to confuse the hawk enough that dive-bombing to snatch a chicken doesn't strike him as a winning bet.

 

[Jane G]

If covering your pen is not feasible then you can add some different covered areas within the pen (like little bus stops for your chickens). From your picture there doesn’t appear to be any easily accessible cover for the chickens to get under when hawks are in the area. Most chickens need a place to escape to. Also you can add streamers or whirly gigs or flags in and around your pen. Any kind of movement may discourage the hawks. Also most hawks have to have a clear pathway to swoop in and grab a chicken. Anything you can put up in their “flight path” will make it more difficult for them. It may not deter them but it might buy the chickens time to take cover. Good luck. BTW all hawks are federally protected and it is illegal to kill them.

 

[myaprilchooks]

i have noticed that my Aseel chicken (see profile picture) was more aggressive and actually chased a rabbit around when it got into their area. Have also had hawk issues(4x last year) even though i live in the city. When the hawk came, my Aseel screeched and it was really loud so i checked up on them (this happened all 4 times).

 

[Steve Sawicki]

i googled it and it said shooting hawks in virginia is banned or something stupid like that, but my run covers like a whole 3/4 my backyard so its huge, i dont know what would work for a covered run. This is a very bad screenshpt from a video but from where the red barn starts, and half way down the hill is where the coop ends, also where the pirate ship is so a covered run is practically impossible, or VERY expensiveView attachment 3748257

You could try just building some covered areas within the run that your chickens could hide under when they see or sense a hawk. I've lost half dozen to a hawk and I created a colorful parachute cord covering for my run but my run is just 25 by 25, much smaller than yours

 

[all4thel8dies]

I don’t know of any breed that can or will fight off a hawk. But, my neighbor allows his hens and rooster to free range along the side of the road and in large farm fields and he doesn’t lose any birds! We live less than 1/8 mile away and hawks have killed off several of our birds over the years. When I asked him what he does he told me to buy several black hens. Hawks think they are crows and stay away. Crows torment hawks! So, this spring I’m investing in 6 black hens. Good luck!

 

[LaurenRitz]

I don’t know of any breed that can or will fight off a hawk. But, my neighbor allows his hens and rooster to free range along the side of the road and in large farm fields and he doesn’t lose any birds! We live less than 1/8 mile away and hawks have killed off several of our birds over the years. When I asked him what he does he told me to buy several black hens. Hawks think they are crows and stay away. Crows torment hawks! So, this spring I’m investing in 6 black hens. Good luck!

4 of my 5 are also black, but they're also large breeds. I've never had a problem with hawks. They fly over, they look, they fly away.