A hawk!

[Leahmig44]

The one that came after mine was a juvenile Cooper's hawk as well, still very, very large. Also I was standing 3 feet away from it while it was trying to carry my bird away and it wasn't afraid of me. Watch out for these guys!

 

[twigcrafter]

I almost lost a chicken yesterday to a large hawk.

I'm so happy I put a chicken apron on her a few days ago. It definitely saved her life. It has claw marks in it but not my chicks back

The crows also came to her rescue. I'm so happy I feed the crows

After the attack was over and the hawk chased away I went to the store and bought bottle rockets, the ones that go bang not the whistling kind. I also bought some roman candles. These are perfectly legal where I'm from.
When I saw the hawk again I fired the bottle rocket towards the hawk, NOT at the hawk, and it left in a hurry!!!
I fired off a few more just in case.
It's only been a day but I'm pretty sure it got the message that my chickens are not an easy free meal.

Hope my experience helps another chicken lover

 

[gmfwlbrdr]

Problem is predators dont scare away ,they just come back when your not watching, the bottle rockets make you feel good but dont work for long ,Hawk will be back only way to avoid the attack is no free range ,i have to keep mine in movable tractors because if i freeranged all my chickens would be picked off one at a time while i was away at work,netting over a very large run area is the only real way to protect from hawks and owls, the other options are illegal.

 

[bantamrooster]

Problem is predators dont scare away ,they just come back when your not watching, the bottle rockets make you feel good but dont work for long ,Hawk will be back only way to avoid the attack is no free range ,i have to keep mine in movable tractors because if i freeranged all my chickens would be picked off one at a time while i was away at work,netting over a very large run area is the only real way to protect from hawks and owls, the other options are illegal.

Its actually illegal to shoot bottle rockets and roman candles at them to.

 

[QuoVadis]

Once hawks learn they can get food they are very stubborn. I have pigeons and chickens and hawks are even worse for pigeons than chooks. Last fall-early spring I had a coopers hawk who ate my flying pigeons, and then when I shut them up to keep them safe would grab my pigeons through the netting. Eventually he actually broke in at a weak place, and ate one, and then once he had done it once, he broke in a second time, even though I thought I'd secured it, and would sit right on the roof and dive bomb the stronger netting a replaced it with. I came within feet of him numerous times - he was brazen. But eventually that brazenness did him in - he actually went into my garage to try to get at some pigeons in pairing boxes. When I went in (he scared the crap out of me!), and I chased him away from the cages he slammed through a window and hasn't been back since, so I am assuming he was mortally injured.

So all this to say they are difficult predators to deal with unless you keep your birds completely enclosed. So I think as suggested first move is close them up for awhile. He didn't get your roo, so it hasn't become entrenched in his mind that your birds are easy targets. The cooper wasn't really bad until he'd eaten a few birds - then he just figured my yard was a buffet for the taking and so in a way it became one because he was so determined. You don't want the hawk thinking that.

If you can make a big run for during the day and cover it with either strong netting like they use on game bird enclosures, or else that green nylon garden mesh (I think is is supposed to keep rabbits out). Whatever kind of netting you get try tear tear it with your hands - if you can it isn't strong enough, if you can't it should keep hawks out (IME with the Coopers hawk and a couple kinds of netting). The run doesn't have to be super secure against other predators if they get closed in a secure house at night.

If you are free ranging there are things you can do to help, but they aren't as certain as just shutting them up. First make sure you have some low shrubs the chickens can get under. Most chickens are smart enough they will dive for cover if they see a hawk, so give them cover to dive for! Sounds like you have roos already, but they are often good at warning the hens to take cover if they see anythings. The only other thing you can do is make your yard welcoming for wild birds who will help deter the hawks. It won't be 100%, especially if the hawk is hungry or figures out you have an endless supply of food, but it can help. Crows will sometimes drive away hawks, and also make a warning ruckus if hawks are around. You can feed them peanuts, dogfood, old bread, etc, as long as you do it in such a way so as not to attract other pests and predators. I always through my bad eggs up on my roof for the crows, and my neighbor feeds cats, but I think the crows eat more than the cats, which is fine by me.

You can also make bird houses for certain species of hawks who won't bother your chickens, but who will drive other hawks from their territory. I have heard Kestrels are great for this, because they are too small to eat anything but mice and grasshoppers, but supposedly they are fierce defending their turf from even much larger hawks. You can find plans for Kestrel houses online. Also I have heard Read Tail hawks primary diet is rabbits and that it is unusual for them to go after birds. So while it may make some uncomfortable having hawks around big enough to take a chicken I have heard they can actually help keep the hawks like Coopers that feed on birds away. That may be more true for pigeons than chickens, but I know lots of pigeon people like having them around because they never bother the flying pigeons and their presence actually helps keep them safe from other hawks.

Lastly, be aware if you are in America, especially the midwest, that hawks migrate, and you will have way more of them fall-early spring that come down form Canada. I never knew this until I got pigeons and lost a ton flying in the fall. Food is also more scarce at those times, so hawks or more likely to be desperate then. Many pigeons flyers in the Midwest just basically lock their birds up late fall-early spring because they will lose so many if they fly during those times.

Good luck!