A huge hawk is terrorizing my chickens!!!

[jimmythechicken]

walkingwolf is right i looked up the laws an you canget permits to kill them.an the fines were 100-500$ for most people with out permits.good stuff walkingwolf i always was told it was like 10,000$ fine an 6 months in jail for killing a hawk or eagle..

 

[haTHOR]

don't believe that the permits are easy to get. i advise you to take a look at the what, exactly, the permits require. it's NOT a sure thing, and requires you to have a detailed account of exactly what non-threatening procedures you have used in the past before seeking a permit, as well as what non-threatening techniques you will implement in the future. i read through them carefully the last contentious hawk thread we had here.

 

[red roo]

do what you have to and keep it to yourself "dont tell "

Edited to remove political commentary. ~Lisa~​

 

[haTHOR]

yeah, or actually predator proof your birds. as has been discussed in detail on this thread multiple times.

 

[Iflyonhorses]

Amen, haThor. Preditor-proof your coop and let the wild birds fly free. They're just doing what they were born to do. And if you must have a pet that can be mistaken for a small rodent, walk him on a leash or give him a covered run.

 

[arch_cpj]

One thing with the monofiliment route is that it can sometimes do the job for you there have been more than one hawk who has dove not seing it and come to and untimely end hitting 40 pnd test mono and the feds I believe consider that a preventative measure... I had a hawk get one bird and my solution was CDs in the yard and I have been watching if I see the little son of a gun witin 500 feet of the place I launch a heavy rocket (giant Bottle rocket) at his direction you ought to see em squirm the first time it gets within 100 feet he has shyed away and i threw out scratch in the bird feeders and have black birds and bobolinks in the hay they are like little fighters attackin a bomber if he gets close... I also have an sheet I got from the FD and I hang it on the cloths lines in different spots each day the white waving spooks em if you do not have bottle rockets it is legal to fire a warning shot away from em to spook em... When all else fails call the game warden and in most cases they can help... This discussion reminds me of the folks who feed the deer in their yards and allow no hunting then complain in the winter when their rose bushes are gone I firmly believe contrary to the romantics that wild animals for their safety and ours must have a fear of man if they lose it we are simply a ape to be ate..... They put cougars under protection out west and bikers are eaten and mauled they take the bounty off of coyote and 6 year olds are eaten... Then a bear has no fear because the neighbors feed em and he gets shot... All these real life and recent incidents illistrate that it is not romantic to be friendly with wild animals... The wild world is very simple up til 10 or so thousand years ago we were prey then we began to hunt and we are predator predators usually dont get ate!!!! If we decide to be prey again then wed best get used to toddlers being eaten bikers being eaten and our livestock being eaten.... Im an animal lover I like to look at the wild life but I dont want to be their friend. That cougar or coyote does not care if you live or die if it isnt scared of you your food!!!! folks need to understand that or be willing to pay the price... Many folks are like leash your dog build it a pen OK thats cool and when are you going to pen your 6 year old I mean is it coming to the point where you must pen up your 6 year old so its not eaten while its on the swing anyone think thats OK???????

 

[haTHOR]

oh my god i totally missed that a hawk ate a child!

 

[bigdaddyabc]

Quote:
A hawk is terrorising a cathedral city where it has attacked two joggers and killed a pet.

Experts are trying to catch it before it strikes again. They fear it could seriously injure a young child.


A Harris hawk, which has a 3ft wingspan, is roaming the skies above Lichfield, Staffs.

Diane Jackson-Bond, 44, described yesterday how she was left bloodied after being attacked while running along a country lane. Miss Jackson-Bond, a former policewoman, said: "I had seen the bird and thought that it was following me but put such ideas out of my head and carried on jogging.

"Moments later it flew down on to my head with such a force that it almost knocked me sideways.

"It had its talons embedded in my skull and it was agony. I managed to shoo it away briefly but then it came back at me.

"Luckily a man who was driving past stopped and said 'get in'. So I did and he drove me to safety.

"I was so frightened - its talons got me and I had blood all over my head and face.

"I had some nasty scratches for a couple of days afterwards. The bird was big and hefty. I have three children aged 14, 11 and 10 and I worry that they'll get hurt."

Edited for language. ~Lisa~​

 

[merryberry]

Quote:
Well said.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Threads like this always seem to become contentious here on BYC.

The thing to remember is that, at the end of the day, each person is responsible for the consequences of his or her own choices and actions. BackYardChickens.com does not encourage or condone illegal acts. For that reason, I would encourage the OP, and anyone else facing a similar situation, to investigate the state and national policies regarding birds of prey in their location, and make an informed decision afterward that s/he can live with.

Personally, I think the easiest solution to a problem like this is to keep one's birds contained in a secure run. There is lots of helpful information about building large, secure runs in the Coop and Run Construction section of the forum.