Video: Cooper's Hawk get my white bantam; not graphic, but not for the faint-of-heart

[cosmoguidry]

Last week my little white bantam named Salt was dispatched by a Cooper's Hawk. I have more than one video of the attack, but I am only posting this one which is not THE EVENT but right before it. The reason why I'm sharing this video is to demonstrate how good a hunter the hawk is. At one point you can see the wing of the hawk almost touching the ground, all while moving twice the speed of the chickens.

My current coop/run configuration offered little defense to my flock when they were out free-ranging for the day. I have them all locked up in the run until I can devise a better solution to this problem, as I'm sure the hawk will be back for more. Two weeks earlier I lost my large white Bramham hen, but she was too large to carry off. My darker and brown girls seem to be OK, for now. They are not happy that I have them locked up as they always get full access to the property.


Cooper's Hawk attack flight

 

[Debbie292d]

I am so shocked it flew into that pen/run! Wow, daring! Sorry about your hen!

 

[TexasBlues]

Those coopers CAN fly through all kinds of obstacles. Did it carry the bantam away?
Do you think it is targeting the light colored birds?

 

[RoyalChick]

Last week my little white bantam named Salt was dispatched by a Cooper's Hawk. I have more than one video of the attack, but I am only posting this one which is not THE EVENT but right before it. The reason why I'm sharing this video is to demonstrate how good a hunter the hawk is. At one point you can see the wing of the hawk almost touching the ground, all while moving twice the speed of the chickens.

My current coop/run configuration offered little defense to my flock when they were out free-ranging for the day. I have them all locked up in the run until I can devise a better solution to this problem, as I'm sure the hawk will be back for more. Two weeks earlier I lost my large white Bramham hen, but she was too large to carry off. My darker and brown girls seem to be OK, for now. They are not happy that I have them locked up as they always get full access to the property.


Cooper's Hawk attack flight

So sorry you lost her.
A Cooper’s hawk attacked my little Pooh a few weeks ago.
I was not more than 20 feet away.
Amazingly she got away without a scratch. The lead hen ran over and laid into the hawk (it looked like they were the same size).
We are all very shaken and I have been trying to improve air cover for my lovely Princesses. But seeing your video has me very disturbed.
Looks like my efforts won’t be worth much.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

Get them some more coverage around. You should have bushes and greenery for them to duck under everywhere. I've watched a hawk swoop in at a week old chick before, the baby jumped under a 2' bush and the hawk had a disgraceful crash

The ancestors of chickens were junglefowl, not lawnfowl

 

[cosmoguidry]

Those coopers CAN fly through all kinds of obstacles. Did it carry the bantam away?
Do you think it is targeting the light colored birds?

It didn't carry the bantam too far. The Cooper was about the same size from other videos I have, so he didn't have the lift needed for that much weight.
I think the white birds are easier to see from whatever height he surveys from.

 

[cosmoguidry]

Get them some more coverage around. You should have bushes and greenery for them to duck under everywhere. I've watched a hawk swoop in at a week old chick before, the baby jumped under a 2' bush and the hawk had a disgraceful crash

The ancestors of chickens were junglefowl, not lawnfowl

This is a great idea. The problem is they like to scratch at everything I plant back there, so I end up having to protect the plants from the chickens.

 

[RoyalChick]

This is a great idea. The problem is they like to scratch at everything I plant back there, so I end up having to protect the plants from the chickens.

I place pavers or bricks around the shrubs I plant so the chickens can’t dig them up.

 

[puddle_drinker]

This is a great idea. The problem is they like to scratch at everything I plant back there, so I end up having to protect the plants from the chickens.

Cover could be as simple as a pallet setting on top of four concrete blocks. Anything that chickens can dodge under and break a hawks direct flight path to the chicken gives the chicken a chance.

A rooster that is bigger than your local hawks would be adding defense in depth.

 

[pvaldes]

Definitely that coop would benefit of some dense bushes and a smaller door entry.