Cooper's Hawk - will it eat a full grown chicken?

[Rusty's Ranch]

We seem to have a cooper's hawk in the neighborhood. It swooped down over the backyard (right over our 2 RIR's), then flew up over the fence and into the yard behind us. I've read that's how they hunt - flying low then swooping up over something to catch their prey by surprise.

I'm not sure if the hawk was after my girls and changed it's mind because hubby and I were in the yard, or if it was after something in the yard behind us. Do I need to be concerned? Will a cooper's hawk go after a grown chicken? Do hawks hunt any particular time of day - or is it an all day kinda thing.

I don't want to have to coop the girls up in their run, but will do what's necessary to keep them safe (protests and all).

 

[Hazelnut]

At a local farm I buy veggies from, the farmer said they lose a few full grown hens from Cooper hawks on a regular basis. Apparently they are very bold and can swoop in and grab a hen right in front of you. I don't think they can carry it off, but they can certainly kill a large breed chicken. I would be very cautious!!

 

[Willie647]

I will be spending today putting net up after losing a 1 yr old rir hen yesterday. I don't know what kind of hawk but he took her away and just left a pile of feathers. Had one taken in the spring but nothing else till now. #@$$%#@& hawk. Lets repeal that stupid law and kill all the hawks in the sky! I am tired of working so hard to have chickens when all I am really doing is raising hawk food. My wife and I love our chickens so this really hurts.
Willie

 

[deerman]

Cooper have taken my pheasant full grown, They stay away from my grown peafowl.

Know they will taken the lighter breeds chickens, so would think your RIR maybe at risk.

Cooper feed anytime during the day, their main prey are birds.

 

[wildorchid053]

i just went and looked up your hawk and it eats small rabbits.. lizards. squirrles.. i don't know if it would do a whole grown chicken. but they are known to be strong flyers who can chase prey through vegetation... gl..

 

[Brindlebtch]

I have seen a Cooper's hawk take a large full grown pigeon, so I expect they might take smaller chickens, but it would seem to me that a 6 lb chicken would be beyond it's capabilities.

 

[Mrs. Glassman]

I've had a Cooper's Hawk take a full grown OEG roo right out of my back yard while I was watching from the window.

The roo started freaking out & that's what made me look, then it swooped down & it was like they were locked up in a ball for a moment, then it flew away with my roo. I was too stunned to move & it all happned so fast.

 

[geosheets]

I have lots of Coopers hawks... no chickens though. Last year I lost two juvenile mallards to the hawks but the ducks were too big for them to fly away with. They killed them and ate them in the yard. Once the rest of the mallards were full grown, the hawks no longer bothered them... I think they were just too big for the hawks. This year I have hung some reflective balls and CD's around the yard and haven't had one land in the yard this year. They land in my trees but don't come down to the ground like they did last year so I'm hoping the reflective things are working.

 

[crazyhen]

Lets not over-react. I don't like them either. They serve a very usefull purpose though. They eat snakes, rodents, and other nasties as well. I cover long runs and that seems to do the job. I would like to let the chicks roam, but realistically I would have dog trouble if I did along with the other preditors. Also disease would be a problem in the mtns where i live. There were some roos that a neighbor let run free and they all got disease and he had to kill them all. He has his hens in a fence and they stayed well. The hawks are a nuisance though. Gloria jean

 

[CMV]

pride&joy :

Does any one know how effective the poultry netting is at keeping the hawks out and chickens in. I live in Hurricane Country and we could have intense wind and rain on a reg basis. I was thinking in close a lg fenced in are? Any suggestions I am afraid I could be rearing hawk food?

Netting over the top of your run is effective at keeping hawks out. In fact, a covered run is really the only way of keeping hawks out. Fake owls, CDs and fishing line don't work that well. Good luck.​