A Hawk Is Killing Our Chickens. What should I do?

[tocool4uvk]

Some of the comments made to people who are tired of hawks killing their chickens are awful. I have 50 hens and 3 roosters. I also have 3 cats that roam around to keep the mice out of my coop and under control. I have invested a lot of time and money on my birds. They have a very large coop and run but I still let them free range as often as possible. A hawk has been stalking my chickens for several weeks now. I have seen this hawk fly into my coop and hen house. I've seen it chase my birds under tables and chairs. There are plenty of places for the chickens to hide but the hawk goes wherever they go. It is relentless and I AM going to kill it. It is not illegal when it is stalking my pets and livestock. I am not hanging garbage and debris around my yard to deter it. That's ridiculous and looks awful. If you can't see both sides of the issue then don't comment. Especially awful is the person that said "then shoot yourself". They're are some seriously stupid and hateful people out there.

I totally agree. The protective measures have gone too far. They are everywhere around here. They have impacted the rabbit population as well.

 

[Chickenluv22]

Keep your chickens in a fenced in run area or put some rope fence over their ranging area. We also use holographic birds scare tape that helps keep Hawks away as well as other birds of prey.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I would be more than interested in a link to any web sight that said that Red Tailed hawks are "endangered".

Sounds like fake news to my old ears.

 

[tigger19687]

Seriously you all should get off the internet if you can't even do a simple search
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migratory_Bird_Treaty_Act_of_1918
Here is a list of birds.
https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/managed-species/migratory-bird-treaty-act-protected-species.php

STOP complaining about loosing chickens or anything else, if you can't be bothered with securing them properly.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Seriously you all should get off the internet if you can't even do a simple search
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migratory_Bird_Treaty_Act_of_1918
Here is a list of birds.
https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/managed-species/migratory-bird-treaty-act-protected-species.php

STOP complaining about loosing chickens or anything else, if you can't be bothered with securing them properly.

You should go through all the managed species or supposedly endangered species listed in you post. Managed species are those species that are usually and normally hunted for food or killed whole sell to protect the environment and/or human health.

Ring necked ducks, canvas backed ducks, Bufflehead ducks, scalp ducks, trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, and snow geese all appear in your supposed inclusive list of endangered or "managed" species as do the American game bird the Mourning dove, and white wing dove. Then the lowly crow is completely unprotected on the Federal level. There are special late season snow geese hunts that are especially designed to significantly reduce the white or blue geese populations through what is in effect wide open seasons on the superabundant geese populations. During these special late season white geese season one may hunt with electronic calls, unplugged shotguns and there is NO daily bag limit or possession limit.

You are certainly entitled to your own opinions however you are not entitled to your own FACTS.

Yes indeed, there are some astonishing facts that can be learned from the Internet, I would like to suggest that you start surfing the internet in earnest.

Once you transpose your opinions and start calling them facts IMHO you have then entered the kingdom of Fake News.

 

[tigger19687]

@chickengeorgeto WHERE did I state the word FACT ?? So you can get off your box now...

This is why I posted the links, where they search from that link is their business .

From Wikipedia and from there you can do your own search to see if they all are protected ......

"The Red-Tailed Hawk is legally protected in Canada, Mexico and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act."

The 14 recognized subspecies vary in appearance and range, varying most often in color, and in the west of North America, red-tails are particularly often strongly polymorphic, with individuals ranging from almost white to nearly all black.[5] The subspecies Harlan's hawk (B. j. harlani) is sometimes considered a separate species (B. harlani).[6] The red-tailed hawk is one of the largest members of the genus Buteo, typically weighing from 690 to 1,600 g (1.5 to 3.5 lb) and measuring 45–65 cm (18–26 in) in length, with a wingspan from 110–141 cm (3 ft 7 in–4 ft 8 in). This species displays sexual dimorphism in size, with females averaging about 25% heavier than males.[2][7]"

I am so tired of hearing about people crying over their lost birds because they failed to secure them. Don't complain about loosing your birds if you won't contain them and keep them (relatively) safe from predators. They have to eat too.

Know your predators before you get animals

 

[centrarchid]

The way I was schooled, all raptors which includes vultures, are protected by the international, therefore federal agreement @tigger19687 linked. Even today, I am pretty sure there are more people (voters) in the US that hold the opinion that I have where raptors are not to be harmed. It is very clear that poultry keepers on the whole may be an exception to that pattern, but what we poultry people do must be done in the greater context of what the US population at large most recently agreed to.

 

[Aceoky]

There are several legal ways to scare them away and pretty much place the fear of man back into BOP, don't give me "they have to eat too" domestic chickens are NOT their main diet nor were they ever intended to be ; until they became Fed protected it was a death sentence for one to try to have a free chicken dinner. They DO have natural prey which ironically many if not most target, the lazy ones will clean out your flock given even a 1/10 chance. While I don't advocate illegal methods I most certainly will (and DO use) every legal method to protect my larger flock (about 60 chickens including some more rare/expensive breeds)

I've used, CD's , holographic pinwheels , tape etc. etc. etc. they don't do the job (especially when it's overcast) and plenty of hawks will attack right next to a > 6" human; (does that sound "natural" to anyone??????)

While some on here may very well feel it's OK for YOU(but not them it seems) to lose your flock, many if not most of us do not agree, look into "screamer sirens & bird bangers" and a good launcher (I recommend the two shot model for when they're really persistent) It won't work "overnight" you'll have to work at it but they will learn to hunt elsewhere and leave your flock alone

 

[centrarchid]

There are several legal ways to scare them away and pretty much place the fear of man back into BOP, don't give me "they have to eat too" domestic chickens are NOT their main diet nor were they ever intended to be ; until they became Fed protected it was a death sentence for one to try to have a free chicken dinner. They DO have natural prey which ironically many if not most target, the lazy ones will clean out your flock given even a 1/10 chance. While I don't advocate illegal methods I most certainly will (and DO use) every legal method to protect my larger flock (about 60 chickens including some more rare/expensive breeds)

I've used, CD's , holographic pinwheels , tape etc. etc. etc. they don't do the job (especially when it's overcast) and plenty of hawks will attack right next to a > 6" human; (does that sound "natural" to anyone??????)

While some on here may very well feel it's OK for YOU(but not them it seems) to lose your flock, many if not most of us do not agree, look into "screamer sirens & bird bangers" and a good launcher (I recommend the two shot model for when they're really persistent) It won't work "overnight" you'll have to work at it but they will learn to hunt elsewhere and leave your flock alone

No one besides you has suggested allowing BOP's to take entire flocks. That is called disinformation.

I loose very few to raptors. Cover provided by vegetation, roosters mixed in (no hen only or juvenile only flocks), fencing blocking some horizontal approaches and dogs. Like raptors, and have a good number. My flock is closed and self-sustaining as in I do not have to buy birds to replace losses. My land use does take away from much of the natural habitat that some hawk species prefer, others benefit from how i manage.

 

[Aceoky]

LOL, read just above where a poster not only did that but inferred it was "our fault" for raising chickens in hawk territory. I've only lost two prize pullets this year to them before doing everything in my power to make it never happen again (and I "thought" I had them pretty safe already) btw one hawk killed them both right in front of me. Frankly having read the above & having you state "misinformation" is insulting & not at all called for.
HOW exactly do YOU read this quote????????

I am so tired of hearing about people crying over their lost birds because they failed to secure them. Don't complain about loosing your birds if you won't contain them and keep them (relatively) safe from predators. They have to eat too.

As you know as well as I do, once they start on your flock (and MANY if not most keep far fewer than we do) they WILL kill them all before moving on- period. To infer it is "our fault" for daring to raise chickens where hawks may show up is insulting at best and antagonizing at worst. (IMO at least) Hawks are not natural chicken predators , they see an easy meal and get spoiled, their natural prey is abundant in most of the USA and as I stated most hawks are content to hunt what they're supposed to hunt. I take offense at the "it's your fault" (for raising livestock) as IF the hawks would not exist if not for us, of course they would (and do) survive without taking out entire flocks (which is easy with smaller flocks e.g. 5-6 birds)


Merry Christmas nevertheless!