1 chicken down, daily attempts to attack. How do I keep this out?

[RSFChicks]

I had my chicks out a few years ago in sort of a makeshift run that was about 4ft high and had strung sport netting over the top and I heard a horrible racket from inside the house. I ran out to find 3 hawks bouncing on the netting and of course the scared little silkies inside would jump up in the air which allowed one of the hawks to nail one of the little girls in the head. I rushed out and scared them off and the poor little silkie was in shock and bleeding from her mouth. I rushed her to the Vet and they gave me some antibiotics which I fed her everyday by mouth (not an easy job) and kept her in the house with me for about 3 weeks before she got better. She got the neck think where it flopped to the side and she couldnt hold her head up at all it just tightly curled under, really horrifying to look at but slowly with me hand feeding her everyday she improved and has been healthy ever since. I guess moral of the story is even with netting make sure its high enough so that when the birds get scared and jump off the ground or if the hawks jump on top of the netting they cant reach the chicks underneath. Good luck and I cant believe how bold they are!

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[dufus]

i live in rural mississippi, in the woods, off the road. i had a hawk build a nest about 200' from the front of my house this spring, and raise off some chicks. i left them alone, and will, as long as they leave my chickens alone. i let my girls out every day, and lock them in at night, and so far nothing has bothered them. i have a hen with some 2 week old chicks in the yard also, and i was kinda concerned the hawks might attack one of them. if they do,,,, i'm gonna shotgun the hawk nest at dark. before some says it is a federal offense to kill a hawk,,, you need to understand it is a capital offense to kill chickens in rural mississippi.

 

[TheWaddler]

Quote:
It is not against the law for the hawk to eat whatever it wants, in many states it is even against the law to protect your pets from a hawk attack. Federal law trumps any state capital offense, especially concerning endangered species and protected wildlife. I myself would never kill a hawk for a chicken (billions of chickens, hawk numbers in decline and all) but don't pass judgement on those who do. But the US Fish and Wildlife hold no such reservations and have been known to read these forums. They have even gone so far as contacting members about alleged "hawk incidents". People do what they have to do to protect their livestock, just don't always put it up on the internet is what I guess I am getting at here.

 

[UrbanFarmerGirl]

MY husband is so mad at the chicken harassment he said "I don't mind birds, but I have a strong impulse to kill these hawks". I told him, I don't feel that way. They were here first and trying to feed their babies too- they don't have any way to know that our chickens (fat, easy to catch) are not a good idea- so we have to show them that they are not edible by protecting them better. It's our duty to the chickens, but to the hawk as well. When it comes down to it, I would rather lose a replaceable chicken than have hawks disappear all together. In the big picture, their rodent control is also valuable to me. To the poster with the chicks in the yard- I think it is unusual for hawks to attack large breed chickens, but it carried off my broody buff orpington who was very bony from raising chicks. I think the peeping/running chicks attracted the hawk, and the Mama was trying to protect them which is why she got carried off. I wish I could go back and keep them better protected and contained. I hope you don't have any problems- but if I could do it again I would have tried to protect the little family until the chicks were a bit more independent.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
What you were told is incorrect. It is VERY typical behavior for a Cooper's. A neighbor was HOLDING a small chicken (a dutch) and a Cooper's dove and tried to take it from her arms They will also give chase on the ground and through heavy brush. One report I read said that a research project on Cooper's showed that a large percentage of them had healed broken bone injuries, presumably from giving relentless chase through heavy brush.

 

[krissieT]

Just saw this when researching info on protecting from hawks. Misinformation should be a crime and this poster stating that many hawks are in decline hasn't obviously done his/her research. Hawks are not only increasing, their numbers are increasing drastically. You absolutely can protect your pet from a hawk attack but you cannot just go off and shoot a hawk for no reason. You can harrass a hawk using non-lethal methods (nerf gun, water gun, sound effects, human presence, etc). The only reason you cannot do this is if the hawk is nesting right there on your property or if the animal is federally listed (endangered i.e. bald eagle). There's the true facts for you. Please do your research before posting anything that can mislead readers.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Just saw this when researching info on protecting from hawks. Misinformation should be a crime and this poster stating that many hawks are in decline hasn't obviously done his/her research. Hawks are not only increasing, their numbers are increasing drastically. You absolutely can protect your pet from a hawk attack but you cannot just go off and shoot a hawk for no reason. You can harrass a hawk using non-lethal methods (nerf gun, water gun, sound effects, human presence, etc). The only reason you cannot do this is if the hawk is nesting right there on your property or if the animal is federally listed (endangered i.e. bald eagle). There's the true facts for you. Please do your research before posting anything that can mislead readers.

Hawks are so plentiful and unconcerned now days with the presences of humans that hawks are attacking domestic chickens with the flock owner standing in plain sight and not 5 feet away. That hardly describes a species that is in decline or being persecuted by humans. I fully expect the EPA or some other silly agency will soon declare the Yeti and Sasquatch endangered species in an attempt to fatten their share of the budget.