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

[keesmom]

I've lost adults to Cooper's hawks intermittently through the years. The first many years ago was a 9 lb rooster. While they do usually prefer smaller birds, if they are hungry enough they'll go for anything they can get.

 

[centrarchid]

I've lost adults to Cooper's hawks intermittently through the years. The first many years ago was a 9 lb rooster. While they do usually prefer smaller birds, if they are hungry enough they'll go for anything they can get.

With where you are located, how confident your hawk was a Coopers? Another very similar but much more capable critter is up your way.

 

[keesmom]

With where you are located, how confident your hawk was a Coopers? Another very similar but much more capable critter is up your way.

I am positive. I saw it happen out my window. I went out to see if there was anything I could do and it flew into a tree over my head so I got a good look (roo wasn't going to survive - hawk got it by the head). It returned several times that winter, even chasing a hamburg hen into the coop by way of their pop door. Had to let it out of the coop by my door.

Have had them perching on my deck, on my flag pole after my free rangers, had one bounce off my slider door while after a LF EE hen.

 

[centrarchid]

Do you ever see Goshawks in your area? If not, then I bet that is your big chicken eater.

 

[hen srcatch]

i love and respect all birds and wildlife. the coopers hawk is trying to survive too and i don't blame the hawk for targeting my chickens. i have taken some steps to protect my girls. one is that when they are out in their outdoor run i am feeding them their garden snacks and treats close to the corner of the run which is protected by a large tree. this provides some cover. before the hawk attack i was scattering their treats all over a wide range of their run which is out in the open, which was leaving them more vunerable. i didn't realize the danger in this. the other is i'm now opening up a second door to their outside run so they have a couple of routes back into the coop.

i know hawks are protected and would only hope that my rooster, in protecting his girls, would scare off the hawk and that would be a deterent for any future attacks.

 

[hen srcatch]

a coopers hawk got my 4 month old pullet...my neighbor saw it. and 2 days ago the hawk nailed a morning dove to the ground right in front of me. the dove got aways due to the commotion i caused. it was definitely a coopers hawk.. i got a good look at it.

 

[centrarchid]

a coopers hawk got my 4 month old pullet...my neighbor saw it. and 2 days ago the hawk nailed a morning dove to the ground right in front of me. the dove got aways due to the commotion i caused. it was definitely a coopers hawk.. i got a good look at it.

A pullet is not full grown at 4 months and doves are pretty much standard fare for a Coopers Hawk. After all the hawk related threads I have read, it is apparent that we do not know our hawks as well as we should when comes to correct species ID.

 

[Vamvakas]

Speaking of hawks when I feed my chickens/roosters again around 4:30pm today I was sitting down and watching them eat. Then I hear the scream from the roosters and all chickens went hiding inside the coop (I have them closed in a cage but some manage to escape) the ones do escape are young around 4 months old). While I was sitting watching them eat the old roosters around 2-3 years scream and all ran into there coops but the ones outside ran into bushes.

Then I see this hawk gliding down to take the ones outside the cage about 10-15 feet from me from the woods then I stood up and he (the hawk) seen me then the hawk made a sharp U turn and booked it I think it was a young red tail though not a cooper?.. It had a tail like a black and white like a checkerboard the body was a brownish red it seems like a younger hawk or was this a cooper hawk?

 

[Darkwings]

Speaking of hawks when I feed my chickens/roosters again around 4:30pm today I was sitting down and watching them eat. Then I hear the scream from the roosters and all chickens went hiding inside the coop (I have them closed in a cage but some manage to escape) the ones do escape are young around 4 months old). While I was sitting watching them eat the old roosters around 2-3 years scream and all ran into there coops but the ones outside ran into bushes.

Then I see this hawk gliding down to take the ones outside the cage about 10-15 feet from me from the woods then I stood up and he (the hawk) seen me then the hawk made a sharp U turn and booked it I think it was a young red tail though not a cooper?.. It had a tail like a black and white like a checkerboard the body was a brownish red it seems like a younger hawk or was this a cooper hawk?

That sounds like a Cooper's Hawk. They aren't huge birds. If you happen to see it again take a look at its wings and tail. Wings will be short and tail will be longer and narrower than a Red Tailed Hawk. Of course, the obvious difference is the color of the tail.

Here's a cool little link to identifying raptors. http://hmana.org/silhouette_guide/H...df?PHPSESSID=96530828d7c16b630059eee28cf36268

 

[Untilwehaveland]

Had a Cooper's hawk take out a full grown RIR here in central NJ. Suburban area, houses close to each other. We are adjacent to a brook and woods. Came home to find the body, not much eaten though. Suspicions were confirmed when, while out on Sunday morning the bird swooped at my surviving RIR- also 7 mos old( I was 50 feet away by the back door). She did her wing flapping karate chop and the hawk didn't try again. I was amazed at how small the hawk was and that's what led me to do my research and realize it was a coopers. ( most hawks I HAVE seen in our area are much bigger) I have set up a series of burlap tents/teepees throughout the open areas of the yard to act as sanctuary. Every day it's on my mind though : / ....