Hawks

[ladyride]

hawks

I had just put baby silkies out in their playpen for the morning when from out of nowhere here he came collided with the side of the playpen I was walking to pick up top covering when he hit

bold little sucker. It was a crazy woman alert I was yelling / screaming throwing my house shoes it was on the ground when I threw the 2nd one. Finally took off no looking back .

If he does come I will be loaded with my house shoes. Yes I know I just comitted a federal offense but he was not going to get my silkie babies.

 

[Kevin565]

Wow that was a close call. Glad you caught it in time

 

[ChickiKat]

I hope it doesn't hit you, wicked bad talons they have....

 

[groundpecker]

You could always try the SSS method the livestock killer.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I'm glad you were there to run him off.

Make sure the sides of whatever you have them in doesn't have large gaps. A couple of people have had chicks killed through the sides of cages when they had chicks outside for a little while. I used 1/2" hardware cloth for my little day pen for chicks.

 

[stilldeb]

Seems hawks are the bane of everyone's existance right now, including mine. Houseshoes, eh? Never considered them weapons before, but will keep mine loaded by the back door.

 

[RHRanch]

Quote:
No way. Bad idea, very illegal and totally unnecessary. First, you kill one predator, and another will just take its place, you have solved nothing. Second, raptors are federally protected by the migratory bird act. It is illegal to harm them, probably because too many people took it personally, overreacted and shot every hawk or eagle they saw, and lots of people doing that over time adds up to big population losses. If I were you, I would move the playpen, stake it down and cover the top with either wire, netting or a tarp. Do that, and your problem should be solved.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

I keep a broom by the backdoor.

I have this thing I like to call "Preydar" I always look outside at just the right time, grab my broom and come out the door screaming like a banchee. Those hawks are brave little things too. Not scared of people like I think they should be.

 

[kari_dawn]

Quote:
No way. Bad idea, very illegal and totally unnecessary. First, you kill one predator, and another will just take its place, you have solved nothing.

EXACTLY! More people should get this concept. Predators have established territories. When one moves out, it's territory becomes fair game for every other predator in town. Lots more show up when one leave.

By the way, I LOVE the house shoe idea...I too have never thought of my house shoes as weapons! Way to go protecting your silkie babies!

 

[stormylady]

Boy thats scarry!!! I'm so glad you were able to save you babies!!

Before I got my chickens I never noticed the hawks over our town, And their are alot of people in this town that had/have chickens long before I got some too so they must have been here, and I never noticed them. Now I see them nearly every day and my chickens see them way before I do. When I hear Zues call to his hens they all run for cover, I look up and see nothing but a few mins later here comes these tiny little dots in the sky that get bigger and sure enough hawks sometimes 3 or 4 at a time. (I thought that they were solitary hunters, goes to show what I know, huh)
The silkies don't seem to notice them until Zues calls out then the silkie Roos call to their girls and they scramble inside. I have yet to lose a bird to them thankfully , my boyfriend said that even though we just have a thin netting over the coop run that the hawks can see it from way up above and thats why they don't try and swoop down for them ? But I still worry about the silkies out there. And my 3 SS girls that let themselves out through a small hole in the netting everyday! I keep patching it and some how it keeps getting ripped back open, same spot, (thinking thats the girls because I have seen them pecking on the same spot that I keep patching, there is a tall wouldn't cage just under that spot that they hop up on to get out and its two heavy for me to move it out by myself )I don't know what kind of hawks they are but the are huge! One day something came really close (assuming it was a hawk) scared the girls that were outside free-ranging because my girls don't run from me but when I went to go get Marta ( Cuckoo Maran) back in the coop she ran and I mean ran so fast that it litererly looked like she hiked up her skirt tail and took off, I didn't even know her legs were that long she looked like those long legged birds (shamo's ) or something and her feet never even seemed to hit the ground , so the comment about a chicken and a hawk in a foot race and the chicken winning I believe it!!! I chased that girl I know a good half mile before giving up catching her and when I finially got back to the coop she was standing there at the door waiting for me to open it for her she didn't come back out the rest of the day.
I was kinda comforted by the fact that they wouldn't try for them through the netting but now that the hawk tryed to attack your babies though a playpen I'm not so sure at all the netting will stop them! I think that I will put out extra hide out spots for mine too. I have plenty of 4ft x 8ft plywood sheets to set around for them to go under and hide, What would be a good height to put them at??? 6 or 8 inches or higher? I don't know how low a hawk can go?? Sandy