Anyone ever raised a baby hawk W/your poultry?

[outdoorsii]

I was thinking today, what IF you were to raise your chickens up with a hawk somehow & they actually got along? Could that even happen I wonder? I mean, b/c then...you'd have a great protector; you could just call in the fighter jet and here she/he comes!!! lol....

Seriously, I wonder if anyone's done this.

 

[aoxa]

I have never heard of this. I would think it's too great of a risk. Like raising a lion as a kitten. It still has urges you can not domesticate.

 

[7L Farm]

Never heard of it. Seems the hawks instincts would kick in & the hawk would kill the chickens. Great idea though I'll let you try it & report your progress. LOL!! Forgot to mention all the people that love hawks will chime in & tell you that you can't mess with them. There protected bla bla.

 

[Fishbone]

A friend had a red tail hawk as a pet, got it when it was very young and when laws didn't protect them (long time ago)

It was fed stew meat or chicken parts...it never bothered the rabbits he had wondering around.
It was about 6 or 8 moths old when he decided it should be freed.

At first, the hawk had no interest in live food, even when starved for a few days...then the instinct kicked in!
Then it finally pounced on the white mouse!
After that, it even watched the rabbits with more interest!!!

The hawk was eventually released, it hung around until migration time, and came back every year for two or three years,...then it came back with a mate.
Around the fifth year it never came back...we hoped the 'old lady' decided they should nest somewhere else!

Long story short...yes, if gotten when young, (the proper permits are required), but after that first taste of blood as "Winged Defender"...I wouldn't bet on the chickens lasting very long!

 

[thebanthams]

Hawks and chicks DONT belong together !!!

 

[outdoorsii]

Never heard of it. Seems the hawks instincts would kick in & the hawk would kill the chickens. Great idea though I'll let you try it & report your progress. LOL!! Forgot to mention all the people that love hawks will chime in & tell you that you can't mess with them. There protected bla bla.

LOL yea, i knew that part was coming about the protected blah blah lol, it'd just be interesting, I mean, b/c I know alot of animals have that instinct to kill their prey, but you can change and manipulate that, we'd have plenty of squirrels for him LOL

 

[outdoorsii]

A friend had a red tail hawk as a pet, got it when it was very young and when laws didn't protect them (long time ago)

It was fed stew meat or chicken parts...it never bothered the rabbits he had wondering around.
It was about 6 or 8 moths old when he decided it should be freed.

At first, the hawk had no interest in live food, even when starved for a few days...then the instinct kicked in!
Then it finally pounced on the white mouse!
After that, it even watched the rabbits with more interest!!!

The hawk was eventually released, it hung around until migration time, and came back every year for two or three years,...then it came back with a mate.
Around the fifth year it never came back...we hoped the 'old lady' decided they should nest somewhere else!

Long story short...yes, if gotten when young, (the proper permits are required), but after that first taste of blood as "Winged Defender"...I wouldn't bet on the chickens lasting very long!

I guess you got a point darn, was just trying to think of another animal protector lol instead of my lazy old deaf dog LOL

 

[janinepeters]

Even if the hawk did not attack chickens it was raised with, I doubt it would protect them from other predators. Animals that protect are usually social by nature -- they normally live in groups and protect each other. Hawks tend to be solitary, living in family groups only while raising young. I think it would be like raising a kitten with a mouse. They can become friends for life, but the cat doesn't protect the mouse because cats (i.e., its wild ancestors) are usually solitary except when raising young. Dogs, on the other hand, are domesticated from wild canids that live in packs, and pack members protect each other. Interesting idea, though.

 

[aoxa]

Even if the hawk did not attack chickens it was raised with, I doubt it would protect them from other predators.  Animals that protect are usually social by nature -- they normally live in groups and protect each other.  Hawks tend to be solitary, living in family groups only while raising young.  I think it would be like raising a kitten with a mouse.  They can become friends for life, but the cat doesn't protect the mouse because cats (i.e., its wild ancestors) are usually solitary except when raising young.  Dogs, on the other hand, are domesticated from wild canids that live in packs, and pack members protect each other.  Interesting idea, though.

That's very true.

If you want to raise a protecting wild bird - try a murder of crows. They will defend territory against a hawk/eagle. A friend of mine had created nesting spots for crows to settle in around his farm. They took care of the hawk problem.

Or for ground predators, get a Livestock Guardian dog, or a llama. They make great protectors. Depending on your area and the size of the predators, you may need a couple LGDs or llamas.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Yes, that should work.

Falconers who hunt with hawks and ferrets house the ferrets right next to the hawks. The ferret is sent down the rabbit hole to chase out the rabbit, and the hawk will take the rabbit and never take the ferret by mistake.

Hawks don't kill for sport, so a well fed hawk isn't going to kill any chickens, whether he was raised with them or not.

A hawk is a very small bird, so it is not going to do any protecting from anything. Maybe, if it is territorial, it might try to run off another hawk of the same breed and gender as itself. But maybe it would be driven of, itself, because a captive bird would not be as strong as a wild bird.

That murder of crows might drive away hawks, but it will take over the job of killing chicks and they will steal all the eggs they can reach. The best protection for your poultry is an adequate pen.