Electric netting and hawks

[puddleglumWI]

Hello all,

Are any of you in the midwest and using electric poultry netting and a mobile coop? How much trouble do you have with hawks?

I want to get a flock of 6-8 laying hens and a roo, and really like the idea of them having a large area to roam in spring summer and autumn while being pretty safe from dogs, yotes, foxes, coons, etc. Obviously the netting doesn't provide any hawk protection, though. How much hawk predation are people that are using the netting suffering?

Thanks
-pg

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm not in your area, but I intermittently lose birds to hawks -- often ones that have gotten out of the netting, but not always.

I have a number of shelters available -- pallets on blocks, overturned plastic chairs, etc. for chickens to go under. The breeding red-tailed hawks on my property don't like to fly into tight spaces and usually leave my birds alone.

I tend to lose birds during migration -- possibly because the local residents keep other hawks out of their territory during breeding season?

Hawks are the downside of the extra space and flexibility that you get from poultry netting.

 

[puddleglumWI]

Good to know it can be seasonal. I will need to build a permanent coop and run for wintering the birds, so I could move them to that if I determine certain times of the year are bad.

 

[3KillerBs]

Good to know it can be seasonal. I will need to build a permanent coop and run for wintering the birds, so I could move them to that if I determine certain times of the year are bad.

And species.

Some kinds of hawks will fly into tight spaces, others won't.

 

[Isadora]

Most of my birds free range but I do have my ducks and geese contained in a electrified netting that I occasionally move around. So far I have had no known losses due to hawks. I did see a hawk try to nab my mallard one time but the geese happened to be close by and charged it and frightened it away.
So far I think I've just been lucky because I see hawks on a very regular basis. My chickens are all running around free and while there is some cover and places for them to hide, they often hang out in the open. I don't think using electrified netting would deter a hawk of any kind or species. It's not like you would use it to make the pen small and awkward shaped enough for it to not be navigable for the hawk.

 

[Nodakj]

I have just ordered another 100 ft roll of electric netting today (my 1st roll arrived earlier this week) and had went out this last weekend and got an energizer. I really have been debating now on whether i want to endanger my flock just so they can have more freedom to range. If nothing else i can use it to train my dogs to stay away from the coop. Or maybe place it around my coop and run to prevent bears from attempting to get a chicken dinner. Or use it as a garden fence. Idk but primarily i got it to let my chickens roam and now i am having second thoughts. I typically see hawks and eagles around at all times of the year. One of the kids claims they seen a hawk trying to get at my chickens the other day and after it becoming frustrated it was perched on the coop for a bit before flying off. So yes this topic is of great interest to me.