Hawks

[D3invertebrates]

I know here in Texas its illegal to shoot a buzzard but never heard anything about it being illegal to shoot a hawk. I had a male redtail in my yard yesterday, he was there when I got up in the morning and it seemed everytime I looked out back he was there, he swooped on my chickens once and flew on top of my quail cages and was sitting there trying to figure out how to get in. I bought a little bb gun to scare off predators and I tried to scare the thing off without directly shooting it but when it was that close yesterday I just felt like I had to hit it a few times to try to get my point across, though it didnt seem to work. I know because of the drought here all the animal are starving, its been a crazy year for predators, I lost more animals this year than all others in my life combined. Im sitting my shotgun by the backdoor today and I was planning on blasting that hawk the first time it comes anywhere near my backyard, I cant imagine theres anything illegal about shooting a hawk thats attacking my animals, and at this point I really dont care.

 

[stormylady]

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.

What does SSS stand for exactly??

 

[groundpecker]

Shoot Shovel Shut-up. works great for those preds that constantly attack your livestock and ones that get so brave they cannot be scared off.
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.

What does SSS stand for exactly??

 

[corgiscatsandchickens]

Quote:
Hawks are protected by federal law, so it's illegal to kill them no matter what state you live in. They're apex predators, plus they do the service of keeping down the rodent population. Rodents are great carriers of disease, and hawks take more mice and rats than they do anythng else. Please don't shoot the hawk--even with the bb gun. We have to deal with hawks here in middle TN, too. No free ranging for our chickens-they're in a run that looks like Fort Knox with wire on the sides and the top. I've come out of the chicken house to find a hawk perched on top of the run trying to figure out a way in! I just thumb my nose at them.

The hawks can be annoying, but we're smarter than they are. Let's use our brains to keep our chicks safe without adding to the mouse and rat population.

 

[Kevin565]

Quote:
Hawks are protected by federal law, so it's illegal to kill them no matter what state you live in. They're apex predators, plus they do the service of keeping down the rodent population. Rodents are great carriers of disease, and hawks take more mice and rats than they do anythng else. Please don't shoot the hawk--even with the bb gun. We have to deal with hawks here in middle TN, too. No free ranging for our chickens-they're in a run that looks like Fort Knox with wire on the sides and the top. I've come out of the chicken house to find a hawk perched on top of the run trying to figure out a way in! I just thumb my nose at them.

The hawks can be annoying, but we're smarter than they are. Let's use our brains to keep our chicks safe without adding to the mouse and rat population.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Hawks are protected Nationally by the Migratory Bird Act. To harm one is a Federal Offense.

Sorry if someone already said that.. I've been reading alot of threads this morning...

I had a major problem with hawks this summer/fall. I ended up setting corn out to attract blue jays to warn the ducks. So far so good, but there have been some close calls. Including a hawk that swooped down in front of my FACE to go for a duck. OMG! I didn't even hear it! Those things are big, but they're even bigger when they're inches from your face.

 

[efinley]

Hawks are the reason I won't let myself get more chickens. They took every one of my last ones. I never saw them do it because they waited until I left for school. They won't touch our ducks or geese but LOVE when I have chickens. I bet they have a map of where to get an easy meal and my house is probably on the top of the list.

And I REALLY want to have chickens again. I love to watch them and collect eggs. But I love watching hawks too. I wish they wouldn't eat my chickens...

 

[RHRanch]

Quote:
Sorry you have had such a bad time with hawks. If I were you, I would try making a netted covered run of some sort. Range shelters also can help because it gives the chickens cover to hide under.

 

[corgiscatsandchickens]

We have so many hawks here, we quit putting out a feeder for our songbirds. They were just too easy of a meal.for the hawks. Gotta share a funny story, though.
A few years ago, my husband was digging a flowerbed for me around my birdbath. He heard what sounded like a bluebird fussing insanely and when he looked up, he saw a hawk making ninety straight for him being chased by...our resident male BLUEBIRD!

The hawk flew a couple feet off the ground between my husband and the birdbath, with the little bluebird chittering like crazy hot on the hawk's tail! Apparently the little blue did ok, because he was back at the nestbox with his mate the same day.
I guess if you don't like hawks, try to attract bluebirds!

 

[yomama]

We have a family of hawks that have been reeking havoc on mine and my neighbors chickens. I alone have lost 4 chickens and interrupted 2 attacks just this summer alone. One of the attacks happened when I was in the yard with my chickens, just 30 feet away! I had to yell at it to make it leave!! My chickens have a run that is fully enclosed, but they do freerange too, which is when the attacks have happened. I put up netting in the yard they free range in. It was very tiring and tedious, but worked great at keeping the hawks out. Then, I realized I didn't plan that so well, as the leaves were starting to pile up on it. Now, I have strands of wire, about 6-10 inches apart that run back and forth across the yard. This way, leaves, snow, and whatever else can fall through, but a bit of a tight squeeze for a hawk. It's not the prettiest thing to look, but I can't see it much from the house (it blends in) so it doesn't bother me much. My yard for my chickens is about 100' x 80' x 80', it's a triangle, so it is taking some time to complete, but seems to be working just fine. I have no desire to shoot the hawks, this is there home too. They were definitely here before my chickens and I were. I've accepted that they are going to constantly look for an easy meal, so it is my job to make sure that doesn't include my chickens