Hawk killed my duck

[Yetti]

My Pekings are pretty alert. they do have a variety of cover though. I have an old porch up ended and my paddle boat leaning against it on the one side, then I have a couple scraps of plywood made into table with saw horses all screwed together. a third option for them is a huge brush pile that's open under it. I piled it over a stump and the birds tuck in under and sleep all day

 

[mominoz]

I live on the edge of hayfarms and a National Forest in the back. I have Hawks nesting on property and see them occasionally but I think my 2 geese are deterrents for the ducks. I also have a smooth collie and 3 terriers in an adjacent fence so I believe that keeps the raptors away. I do see some circling turkey buzzards get rather low taking a look see, but they circle the whole valley. I read where someone lost chickens ,until they got a large Turkey. So I suspect the larger birds make them think twice....

 

[birdygal]

I had a falcon dive bomb right into open barn door and take out 2 chickens before we could figure what happened. the first one the dog scared the falcon out and my beautiful cluck was half ate.( he was lying there in coop and would not know what got him until next day. This was in mid day) we caught the falcon next day with one he was sitting right in barn door by open coop eating our beautiful Dottie. We drove him away. but he had come into the barn by coop even with them under roof. I am really wear. we lost 7 chickens in last month. those 2 for sure to falcon. 2 drowning and 3 who knows. Just picked off in night. I am afraid to love them and name them anymore because I get really hurt every time and it does not end.

 

[ChooksChick]

Julie, we lost a total of 8 birds in the center of a densely-packed suburban neighborhood here, between me and several neighbors. Out at my farm, not a single loss.

I suggest putting up netting over a larger area, high enough to walk under and not necessarily surrounded by sides. The whole point is to keep the hawks deterred. I have also found that giant stuffed animals work well to scare them off, but you have to move them often. We have a big stuffed dog that I put on a ball so it shifts position.

Our latest visitor is a Great Horned Owl the size of King Kong. Not enjoying this conflict.

I'm sorry about your loss- do you have a dog you can leave out for the ranging periods?

 

[2wheelsdaily]

Something got a small white Silkie of mine this morning, apparently a hawk ( but could have been an owl I guess). I went out it seems just after it happened because all of the chickens were huddled in the corners of the pen. Have seen 2 hawks a couple miles down the road from me last week. My pen is 21' x 21' with 6' chicken wire but apparently no problem for a hawk or owl diving in there. I have ordered some cheap netting and will cover the entire top of the pen with that. Until them I'll keep them closed up in their house. Hate to do that but I feel sure he will be back.

Bobby

 

[Evelle]

Quote:
oh noooo!!!! julie im so sorry

i usally make as much noise as i can (unused bottle rockets from 4th of july) i pick up extras just for this... i hear something that reflects the light like old CDs help blind or makes it hard to see if you hang a few on some trees???
im sorry that happened..

 

[bloom chicks]

I am so sorry for your loss.

I totally understand! On the 29th a Hawk attacked my rooster the day my chicks were born. My rooster is okay, both the hawk and my rooster were just laying on the ground. I think my rooster wounded it.

Unfortunatly today I was in my coop with my babies and their mama and the hawk flew in the coop with me sitting right next to the babies and took one. I have a 12x24 coop too. We were in the back of the coop. I made a black curtain for the door and I am going to start playing the radio again in the coop. I am trying to down load pictures to share but it won't let me.

 

[bloom chicks]

Quote:
oh noooo!!!! julie im so sorry

i usally make as much noise as i can (unused bottle rockets from 4th of july) i pick up extras just for this... i hear something that reflects the light like old CDs help blind or makes it hard to see if you hang a few on some trees???
im sorry that happened..

I tried the cds and I still lost one today. I have them hanging in the trees too.

 

[Vanessabuffsnsilkies]

My hawk figured out how to get under the netting. Our chickens have been locked up for 2 days now. Going to reposition the netting somehow. He was out there again today looking around.

 

[abudka]

Just an FYI, hawks will fly into a kennel. We had a hawk inside our duck kennel this weekend. It killed our remaining female inside the kennel. In fact, it took a great deal of effort on our part to get the hawk out.