Hawk - bought to lose my patience

[Flufnstuffs~FluffySilkies]

Once a hawk finds a good meal it will be back until every last serving is gone.

I live in the country, We have tons of trees. I took a large roll of the heaviest fishing line I could find and strung it from tree to tree to all sides of the house. I went up the ladder with screws and the screw gun.
It was not as easy as it sounds but it has worked, Twice I had a hawk swan dive the property only to hit that fishing line. STOPPED them dead in thier tracks - so to speek. they were stuned, shocked and couldn't fly off fast enough. It did break the string both times.
I also hung 2 CD's with fishing line from trees in the back yard, Don't hang them near roads its surprising how well they reflect strong sunlite while spinning in the breeze and it could startel trafic

Oh ya when it snows it looks like the house and property is covered in a huge spider web. LOVLEY

 

[LittleChickenRacingTeam]

SSS...

But then again, I'm just a BAD egg.

 

[eichenluft]

raptors/birds of prey are protected. Don't shoot him, it is illegal and you can get in big trouble, not to mention they are protected for a reason - they don't reproduce well enough to sustain the species if they were hunted/exterminated as pest animals.. Instead, prevent problems by keeping your smaller chicks inside, in crates or cages inside a barn or shed, until they are bigger. I have hawks all around me too - see them ALL the time, and NEVER have I lost even one chicken to them. My chicks are kept in wire dog crates until they are big enough to be outside, at which point they are penned inside a larger enclosure next to the barn, with dog houses they can go in - never seen a hawk even look at them. Older chickens peck around free around the farm and never found one dead to a hawk. So I'm sure you can prevent the problem. Chickens are not a wild hawks' natural prey, in fact rats, mice, small snakes and smaller "pest" birds such as pigeons and doves are their preferred prey - all of which you probably don't want hanging around your place either in big numbers.

molly

 

[JudyMcKinn]

I have to agree on the SSS method. (Shoot, shovel & shut up!) We have hawks all over the place here--not much chance of them becoming extinct in this area, that's for sure. And I also have to agree that they will keep getting chickens once they start.
I have deer netting over my pen, which works till an ice storm comes, then down it comes, as the ice forms on it. And I have also used the fishing line strung back and forth across the pen, and it also works. Good Luck.

 

[cadman68]

Well i kept a close eye on the chicks this weekend and never once saw the hawk. I'm sure he will be back, my wife said she thinks the hawk knows my truck and doesn't come around when it's there...lol. I have already tried the fishing line trick but somehow it didn't work, maybe i didn't have the string close enough. I already have half the pen covered with plastic netting. Anyway i'm way past trying to hawk proof the pen, i think it is a matter of wanting some revenge for the little chicks he has killed, and my favorite bantam cochin roo who was the first to be killed. I know it's not legal to kill one of these predators but at this point i don't really care. I guess that's terrible...................

 

[McGoo]

I agree with eichenloff. The hawk is protected by law for a reason. All you have to do is take a few steps to protect your chicks.

The hawk has to fend for his/her food...your little chicks don't.

They are both birds. If you were a lover of hawks and a roo came and ate your baby hawk, would you kill the roo?

I happen to think both are wonderful.

 

[robbobbin]

I just wanted to add that I was talking to a conservation officer/agent whom we had in my Purdue master gardener class as a speaker, and she told me that if I try and try and still have hawk problems to contact her and she would get me a permit to shoot the hawks...just sayin'
Hawks are protected-but here we have the right to protect our livestock too.
Strange-but she was very willing to issue the permit when I asked suggestions to deter the hawks!
I did not pursue the permit however!

 

[herechickchick]

I am sorry I would not have made my suggestion if I had known that it is illegal to shoot them, I did not realize they were endangered (or protected for another reason), besides I do not have a gun. I just throw bricks at them and they fly away, it seems to work pretty good.

 

[cadman68]

It got another one this morning! i walked right up on it while it was eating one of my polish chicks. Very sad it was one that would fly up on my shoulder when i would go into feed.

 

[eichenluft]

the hawk is only doing what it does to survive. If you have hawks or other predators in your area, you must keep your chicks protected - put them in crates with food, water and bedding and keep them there until they are large enough to run for cover, or too large to be of interest to the hawks. In my opinion it is not fair to the hawk to "bait" them with little easy-prey chicks running around in their hunting territory, and then being angry and ready to kill the hawk because he does what comes naturally to him. Hawks are not vindictive, he's not seeking out your animals to kill - he's hunting so he can survive. Prevent these problems by protecting your chicks. Leave the hawk alone, take away the chicks and he'll go back to hunting mice and rats again.

molly