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

[HippieChickens]

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[felix4580]

*It is the responsibility of the person with the predator to determine the legalities of what they do and that person will take ultimate responsibility. BYC does not condone illegal acts.

 

[hermiesbirdies]

just a thought. get fresh road kill and put it away from your chickens. the hawks will like them and you will clean up your neighborhood of carcasses

 

[fancbrd4me02]

I don't know if anyone else suggested this, but hawk will come to your yard as long as "food" is available. Try penning your birds for a week to 10 days, then let them out when you can supervise them only at first. (To make sure hawk isn't stopping by your place regularly) I have 2 kestrals and some red tails, and 2 barn owls that visit my property. By making sure appealing chickens (babies and the weak) are not easy for them to get, they usually move on after a while. They do stop back in to see what's going on, but I just try to be vigilant. Shooting the hawk will only leave a vacant space for the next predator bird, so I don't think it solves anything as well as "training" the hawk that food is not easy to get at your place. Good Luck!

 

[momdrinkstea]

I have a hawk that keeps coming at dusk, and sits on the coop at NIGHT!
He knocked my A-frame sideways, and a chick got out, I found it later with gashes
on its back, trying to nurse it back to health now. I shoo the hawk away, but when I look
out at night, it's back sitting on the coop/A-frames an hour later! I just know he's
trying to puzzle out a way to get in!
Neighbors had chickens and 2 kittens killed by a hawk, I'm sure it's this one.
Worried about the chicks, chickens, and my daughter's 6 mo. old kitten!
Any tips on scaring them away at NIGHT? I have lights on all the coops/frames.
My big chickens (all are about 4 months, and pretty big - the chicks & little chickens
are in A-frames) don't seem to interest the hawk so far.
He only gets close in the evening.
Thanks all!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Sounds like he has decided that your coop is his roost

Keep the birds and kitten thoroughly locked up, and consider putting pigeon spikes where he roosts (and all similar nearby surfaces).

 

[Hawkhater]

I too have a hawk stalking my chickens - I've lost 3 in less than a month. You can get a permit to kill a hawk - yes, they are federally protected but the permits do exist - never tried to get one- they also have traps to trap and relocate them. I've tried netting but a hawk just came in through a small opening - my son got off a shot but it flew right out of the hole with no problem. One of my chickens was killed under my deck - only a 16" high opening to get in through about a 4 foot long space -the rest is latticed- I watched the hawk all day because I caught him trying to carry one off and when I went to pick up my son from the bus stop - I wasn't gone 5 minutes - that hawk crawled under that deck and attacked -caught him red handed. So if you think a hawk won't walk under a small space - you are WRONG! I criss-crossed fishing line across a group of bushes - didn't work - this hawk walks on the ground until he corners and kills a chicken. We are no longer able to have free ranging chickens - which I hate but I also hate finding partially eaten chickens - we raise them as pets - all have names and we can tell who is who - we pet them and give them treats. Meanwhile, there are wild squirrels and rabbits everywhere. The NC agriculture page suggested the fireworks too. Problem is you have to be on hawk patrol all the time but I have to work and can't sit in the yard sun up to sun down! Before I confined them, I would run out of the house like a crazy person every time one of the chickens squawked.

 

[GeoFake]

I say an eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. These predators have been protected for way too long. They certainly aren't endangered anymore They are one of the big reasons for declining small game including rabbits turkey pullets pheasants and grouse pullets It is my responsibility to protect my family and my property !!!!!

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: It's a long drawn out process to get a depredation permit, and one of the requirements is having to prove you have done EVERYTHING possbile to stop the problem WITHOUT harming the raptors, which means totally confining your birds.
The perrmits cost around $100

 

[chickyfuzz]

You could net your run.