Hawk, but with a twist.

[KyCoop]

So this happened. I have hawk string over my entire huge chicken yard. The other day my husband looked out and saw a hawk on the ground in the chicken yard. The girls were just standing together in a group looking at it. Like, what ya gonna do now hawk? You gonna try and eat us all hawk? Bring it on hawk.
My husband went out and ran it off. My theory is it tried to make a dive bomb but the string messed that plan up and he found himself on the ground not knowing what to do next. My girls are full size hens and I think the hawk may have been in inexperienced juvenile. But I still believe whole hearted in my hawk string.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I would put actual netting over your run. If you have owls in your area and a hawk is still getting in, an owl will just sit there and munch on your birds. Even if that hawk was older, it still could have gone after your birds and killed them.

 

[KyCoop]

I've seen hawks have a go at them and pull up at the last second. My area is to big for netting. It would be a LOT of money to net the whole thing. I've not seen any owles during the day but I have heard them at night.