2 hawks circling today : Can they fly off with a full size chicken?

[BlossomSilkies]

I am just building my flock, have 22 hens and 2 roosters freeranging. Saw a couple of hawks, I think, circling today. Are they able to take full size chickens?

 

[Blooie]

I am just building my flock, have 22 hens and 2 roosters freeranging. Saw a couple of hawks, I think, circling today. Are they able to take full size chickens?

Hawks don't always fly off with their catch, so they will take prey almost as heavy as they are. I got right up to this one in my backyard - and I live right in town - and took several pictures of him while he dined on the bird he caught.

 

[jetdog]

A friend of mine picked up a road kill turkey and put it in front of his game camera for the coyotes and got a picture of a red tail hawk flying away with the whole turkey, never could find it so it definitely flew away with it.If they can pick up a wild turkey a chicken is nothing, don't know if they would but definitely can.

 

[thomasboyle]

Two hawks can be a real problem. Even if they don't carry a chicken away, they can kill and eat them on the ground. I would keep your chickens in for a few days until the hawks move on to easier hunting grounds.

 

[centrarchid]

If the chicken weighs four lbs or more then hawks/owls we have in the USA will not be able to fly off ground with it. Once carcass has been lightened by partial consumption hawks can loft it. Weight at point hawk can carry carcass is a function of hawk species and sex. Females bigger. Great-horned owls cheat by pulling carcass up tree and launch from their.

 

[garp94]

If you have this unasked question: will they attack and kill any of your full sized birds? , the answer is yes. I've [occasionally] found hawks dining on several hens over the years.

 

[dutchbunny83]

Hawks are the worst!

They probably can't fly off with a full size chicken, but they can easily wrip her to shreds in your yard.
I've lost quite a few animals to hawks.
Recently attacks are down since I have a full grown tom turkey out with my hens. He's obnoxiously loud & I believe intimidates the hawks. None of my reflectors or decoy statues ever helped.

 

[Cheyen]

I've never had a hawk fly off with a full sized one, but just recently I discovered one of my buff orpington hens (big, big girls) that went missing a few weeks ago. She's doing well now, thankfully. Poor thing was hiding under my porch, missing tail feathers, gnarly slash on her neck and back. Definitely hawk attack. Even if it can't fly away with it, it's very possible for them to attack and kill any sized chicken on the ground.

 

[Sadie57]

My husband wanted to get a goose to help protect our chickens, especially from the neighbors dogs. Is this a good idea? But, my thought is, don't geese mate for life, so would have to get a pair?

 

[Cheyen]

I don't know about geese. Never thought of that before. I have outdoor cats and one dog that spends most of his time outside. I chain him up next to my chicken coop so he can do his business around the coop. I have a herbs and flowers the cats love for them to spray on. The smell has been effective in keeping most mammalian predators away, such as raccoons, other cats and dogs, and even foxes and stoats. The coop has been covered since the incident with my oprington, so I don't have to worry about avian predators.