11 raptors attacking my chickens this morning!

[WKYChick]

just the pattern reminded me of the juveniles we watched off of a lake one summer, they were grouped up in a mix of young and old, the young ones would circle and swoop while the older hawks just kinda watched, I am no expert by no means just remember some observations, we live near lakes but the only hawks we deal with personally are red-tail, red-shoulder, kestrel and once I saw a coopers

I am sorry you have to deal with this, I read somewhere that people will set up small windmills and hawks stay away from your place or hang small cow bells around, I have never done this but wanted to try it and see if it works

 

[burtojm]

I just watched a youtube video of an Osprey flying and it did kind of look like what I saw this morning. There were so many I'm just scared that when I get home I won't have any chickens left. The only thing that keeps me a little positive is our Husky/Aust Shep mix. He will attack anything that attacks our farm animals. And he is so fast that anything grabbing a chicken has literally about 3 seconds to get back off the ground or that dog WILL catch him. He listens for any sound of ANY animal screaming on the farm. We don't have problems with any ground predators because he attacks any and everything. But flying predators are another story. I'm worried.

 

[blazensasha]

I had a young hawk go through the small door of the coop and couldn't get back out.Scared the heck out of him and me trying to get him out of there,I don't think a mature one would try that.The chickens where bigger than him.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Turkey vultures rarely will attack living animals, but black vultures WILL very definitely go after small birds and rodents. This is a time of year when many raptors are raising their young and teaching them to hunt. whatbird.com has a search feature where you can list your location and various features of the bird (such as the orange legs you mentioned) and narrow down the likely choices.

I'd suggest that if you have any birds left when you get home, that you lock them up tights for at least a couple of weeks, until the raptors find another diner.

 

[tnchickenut]

Scarecrows and string with ribbons will help too... I wouldn't let them free range so I hope you have runs for them.

I wouldn't shoot them either. Besides my personal beliefs that you can't blame wild things for being hungery... they probrably are protected as most birds of prey are. Keep the chickens up for awhile, force them to learn other prey like rodents and other birds and snakes, ect and mark the calander so you can remember to be prepared for next years season. It's nature doing what comes natural. I'm sorry for your loss of birds... best thing to do is keep them protected better.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I just watched a youtube video of an Osprey flying and it did kind of look like what I saw this morning. There were so many I'm just scared that when I get home I won't have any chickens left

Ospreys eat fish, and don't hunt in groups​

 

[WKYChick]

Bear Foot Farm: you are right, after I sat down and started reading up on the osprey that I erred in the fact they only catch fish for their talons are adapted to catching fish, so no it couldn't have been osprey

Sonoran Silkies: I looked into black vultures, I am in W KY and all we have are turkey buzzards, so black vultures are new to me, I looked them up and they sound like what attacked OP's chickens, black vultures are more aggressive and will attack small, sick, weak and young birds and they travel in groups

Black Vulture

http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/Birds/herons/bv.cfm

 

[bertman]

Quote:
Our neighbor had a full-grown red tail hawk fly into what he called "a hole in the wire" in his run and kill four hens. I had never heard of such a thing until he told us about that.

Lots of farmers I know who raise chickens say the hawks kill hens and usually just take the head since they can't lift the bird.

 

[burtojm]

Quote:
Ospreys eat fish, and don't hunt in groups

Man, I'm stumped on this one. What birds of prey native to Alabama DO hunt in groups though? I've tried to figure this one out but I'm still coming up short.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

What birds of prey native to Alabama DO hunt in groups though?

I don't think they are raptors.

I suspect you're seeing seagulls​