how to get rid of a hawk killing my chickens

[Feath3rDust3r]

ok so call me crazy but I have heard and seen videos of people saying that hawks don't like to attack all black australorps because the number one enemy of a hawk is a crow. So the hawk sees the all black bird and thinks its a crow and leaves the flock alone. Any truth to that or just BS

I didn't find that... the only hawk attack I have had was to my big fat australorp. He just killed her and couldn't carry her off so I went an shooed it away. Fortunately I haven't had any issues since

 

[roosterhavoc]

You obviously have a lot of stereotypes in your head about chickens that don’t free range all day and how and where they are kept. I have a huge secured run with a drainage system under it to keep it dry and it’s clean and I do also let my hens out each day because they enjoy it and like to forage but I don’t leave them out when I’m not around because I live in an area next to a river with a ton of predators (not just raptors) and a lot of hawks - two resident hawks in fact that have lived around my acreage for years. It’s funny you mention health because dead chickens aren’t very healthy, but I guess that’s just my opinion though, right?
My point is - if you make the choice to leave them out all day unguarded even though you know there are predators whose instinct it is to hunt them it is senseless and cruel to shoot those predators. You have the option of securing the chickens (prey) - even if it’s just when you aren’t home outside and nearby. You are basically luring them only to kill them.

I don’t kill hawks but rarely have an issue with them anyway. The rest of the predators around my yard are killed during the open hunting and trapping seasons when the fur is the best.
You’re aware trapping is legal and there’s hunting seasons for all these predators? I kill 99% of the foxes, raccoon and mink during those legal open seasons when the fur is the best. This limits the amount of issues I have year round and works very well.

 

[OliveGrace]

Wholly Carp! Some states won't even let you put up netting? They don't have some kind of farm/livestock protection laws. My mind is boggled
I live in Texas. From 2010 until 2018, I lived in a suburb of Houston and I had 15-50 chickens and we would lose probably 5+ a year to hawks (more to raccoons, foxes & dogs). The dogs were rare, the coons and hawks we combated by reinforcing any issues in the coop construction and penning the chickens in a covered run for a week or three. That seemed to be enough for the hawk/coon to move on to better territory, and I could let my girls out again.
Since 2018, I've moved out to the country - with a National Forest out the back gate. I have had one predator death since then (a fox), but nothing else, even though I know they are around. I think my neighbor's GP's help with the larger predators - they have an operation with 800 hens and two GP's that patrol 24/7. Seems to keep the bigger predators away from me. As for hawks - my neighbor's operation does have losses from them, but I've had none. I can only attribute that to my roosters (they don't have any and their hens stay outside all the time). My boys are vigilant and even when the buzzards catch a thermal nearby, they will call everyone in. Plus, we have a group of crows that hang out. I've seen them ganging up on a hawk before. It's awesome. My friend thinks he's setting out corn to entice deer to come into my back acreage, but it really just brings in the crows, which protect my chicken flock from the hawks.

I have started to feed the crows that help to protect my chickens from hawks. I leave a buffet out for them each day.

 

[Onyxflock]

You obviously have a lot of stereotypes in your head about chickens that don’t free range all day and how and where they are kept. I have a huge secured run with a drainage system under it to keep it dry and it’s clean and I do also let my hens out each day because they enjoy it and like to forage but I don’t leave them out when I’m not around because I live in an area next to a river with a ton of predators (not just raptors) and a lot of hawks - two resident hawks in fact that have lived around my acreage for years. It’s funny you mention health because dead chickens aren’t very healthy, but I guess that’s just my opinion though, right?
My point is - if you make the choice to leave them out all day unguarded even though you know there are predators whose instinct it is to hunt them it is senseless and cruel to shoot those predators. You have the option of securing the chickens (prey) - even if it’s just when you aren’t home outside and nearby. You are basically luring them only to kill them.

That's exactly why I didn't get Guineas. Sooo cute! Even tho you want them, doesn't mean you can keep your birds safe. The you have to ask - Is that cruel to keep a flock that's like bait predators? And watch them die one by one. One of our big problems are feral cats. Lucky my Brahmas are so big. I heard a commotion and there was the local feral on her back, trying to take her down. While our trusty dogs keep them at bay, they're ingenious hunters.

 

[Lovely_jdw]

Ive made friends with the crows... They warn my birds pretty quickly and even go at the hawk and owls in my backyard. That wouldn't be an immediate fix but... I also have an owl hanging inside the chicken pen and also only let them free range while I'm here.

 

[B-Goock]

PS, just wanted to add that when a hawk killed our hen, she had run under a fairly dense and large shrub - I found a ton of feathers there, and am fairly sure that's where the hawk "got" her. I mention this just because while I do think shrubs and other hiding spots are a good idea and do offer some protection, in our experience they're not foolproof (sadly).

Yep hawks are highly maneuverable and kind fly right around a tree like it wasn't there.
Had a friend build a nice bird sanctuary in his city lot. Dense fir trees in a corner. Feeders, bird bath, flower bed, perches. Oh the song birds loved it. Every day feathers. He finally found out hawks loved it too. An accumulation of prey naturally boxed in from 3 sides. The ground & two sides of thick branches. The hawk covers the air side of the box.
Our chicken coops are the same thing an accumulation of prey.

 

[spaceylocust]

ok so call me crazy but I have heard and seen videos of people saying that hawks don't like to attack all black australorps because the number one enemy of a hawk is a crow. So the hawk sees the all black bird and thinks its a crow and leaves the flock alone. Any truth to that or just BS

That's BS!!!! I've lost 5 BAs in the past 3 months to a hawk/falcon. I heard my rooster sounding the alarm and went outside to investigate. The hawk/falcon was ON THE GROUND heading into the underbrush (wild blackberries, wild grapes, etc.) to get to the chickens. So, having a rooster who doesn't go after the invader doesn't necessarily help.

I'm looking into getting a goose to protect the flock. Also, next spring I'll be getting Brahmas (full size) so, hopefully, their size will help.

 

[Maureen in Chesterton]

ok so call me crazy but I have heard and seen videos of people saying that hawks don't like to attack all black australorps because the number one enemy of a hawk is a crow. So the hawk sees the all black bird and thinks its a crow and leaves the flock alone. Any truth to that or just BS

Our black australorps are the ONLY chickens attacked by a hawk! Don't know if the breed has anything to do with it, or they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. First attack happened the 1st day my husband let the chickens into the veg. garden at the end of harvest, we didn't have any sort of covers set up. A few hours later he came out to find 2 piles of black feathers, & 2 black australorps with bare patches huddled in the far corner of our secure 'little yard' (which has a pop door opening to the veg. garden). We put up some canopies, partially covered a section of the veg. garden with overhead wire, created some other small covered areas. A month or so later, we had the canopies down because recent high winds, but still let the chickens into the veg. garden. I was inside when I realized I was hearing crows making a racket like I've never heard before, and the roosters were noising as well. Go out to find at least a dozen crows in a tree over the garden cawing, the roosters and hens clustered in the secure little yard....2 hens huddled in a far corner of the veg. garden...and a red tailed hawk over a dead black australorp. When I shooed away the hawk the crows chased after it - I assumed crows identified a bit with the poor chicken. The other breeds we have are silver-laced wyandotte, gold-laced wyandotte, plymouth barred rock, and amber links.

 

[leslielbk]

I have heavy breeds for that very reason. Hawks can't carry anything past their own weight so that's a good guide. The hawks in my area are smaller than the red tail hawks in Wisconsin where I also raised chickens. When I'm choosing breeds how hard they are to carry off is one of my criteria. Other predators are a completely different subject. Lastly, I've always taught my dogs to see Hawks overhead and run after them and bark to chase them away. They learn that quickly and it's fun to watch.
The other predators subject is all about fencing. Keeping the birds in and the predators out. Foxes will carry off a 10-lb chicken. Roosters will fight to the death and always lose the battle. The way I see it If my chickens get carried off that's on me. Keeping them safe is 90% of the battle.

 

[Oldallamerican]

I don't think free-ranging is a viable choice where we live in SE Alabama - too many predators between possums, racoons, coyotes, and even snakes - not to mention the occasional stray dog(s). There's a red fox that claims his turf about a mile down the road, but so far he seems more interested in the large commercial chicken barns down the road than our little hen house. Then there are the airborne predators like hawks and owls. We had a sick hen in a cage on our back porch we were nursing and looked out just in time one night to see a huge owl fly into the cage trying to get her.

Then there is the family of hawks that claim our area. I don't understand why they're on the endangered or threatened list here because around our house there doesn't seem to be an area that isn't claimed by a hawk and/or its family.

Our neighbor used to let her girls free range; she liked the exotic breeds - costly - not only did she have problems hunting down their eggs, but her flock got annihilated by the predators in the area. She now encloses them, too.

Having said that, law or no, I don't think I'd trust myself if I saw one swoop down and grab my hens. To prevent that I decided closed in my yard to protect my girls. We lined the bottom of our fences with concrete to deter burrowing (doesn't completely stop it, but does make it harder and easier to spot the areas where it's going on). We use live traps and haul anything we catch out to some secluded spots along one of our rivers (getting harder to find) and drop them off where they won't bother anyone else. I have shot a possum or two that I caught inside the perimeter, and a large rat snake that I caught in our egg box with three extra large eggs in its gut. I hope it enjoyed its last meal.

I don't go outside without a pistol. You never know what you're going to find. I always say it's the price of living in paradise, right?

Anyway, for protection from the air I found nets to be impractical because I centered my yards around a huge pecan tree that is constantly shedding. The tree is great because it not only provides some aerial protecting, but also shade in our very hot summers. But pecan trees shed horribly and I got tired of constantly having to pull tree limbs and leaves out of the nets - or worse, replacing the nets because they were too tangled.

My solution: I strung clothesline back and forth at intervals across my yard. Strong enough to survive most tree shedding and easier to clear. At the same time, I've found hawks circle my yard (under my malevolent watchful eye), but they don't attack because they can see the wires and as I learned coming up and found to be true by my experience - the wires interfere with their swoop - or threaten to.

I also use strings of pennants which are more visible to deter them - they also decorate the run.

Hope this wasn't too long of an answer and helps.