Big birds as a hawk deterrent?

[cmom]

Also open to other suggestions!

Any chance of getting that recipe? Up here in Michigan that would be good for winter.

I don't free range anymore and my pens are covered. Many people like to free range and do loose birds now and then to aerial predators among others, so I use the flock blocks to keep the birds occupied in their pens. I have had Red Tail hawks, Sharp Shinned, Cooper's and Red Shouldered. Also Bald Eagles here.
Flock Blocks
Ingredients

• Scratch (amounts used of the ingredients depends on how large you want to make
• your flock blocks)
• Sunflower seeds (depending on the amount being made)
• Grower feed (any feed on hand, Layer, Grower, pellets or crumples, whatever is on hand)
• Oats (rolled)
• Worms (optional)
• Eggs (usually 3 to 6 eggs depending on the amount being made)
• Molasses (1/4 to 1/2 cup, depending on the amount being made)
• Flour (1 cup to around 4+ cups, depending on the amount being made)
• Coconut shortening (melted) (1/4 to 1 cup, depending on the amount being made)
• Mix ingredients thoroughly (I use a 5 gallon bucket). Hands work well for mixing.
• I mix the eggs and egg shells in a food processor.
• Pack into greased pans and put into a 225ºF oven for 2 hours.
• Remove from pans and put inverted flock blocks on cookie sheet(s) and put back into a 225ºF oven for an additional 2 hours.

My oven turns off automatically at whatever time I set it for. I leave the blocks in the oven over night when the oven turns off

I substituted what I have on hand
Corn syrup for Molasses
Any flour I have on hand
Any oil or shortening

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I male flock blocks too when I go on vacation and habe to keep everyone penned up. I use eggs, and whatever feed they get normally, but freeslze it instead of baking. Then my bird sitter just takes one out every day and puts it in a bowl.

 

[Folly's place]

Here almost all our losses to hawks have been either immature, smaller birds, or bantams. Most often it's been a Cooper's hawk, although red tailed hawks have been involved a couple of times. Once we had an adult large breed hen injured, who died as a result.
When we do have a hawk visiting, our flock is locked in for two weeks, at least, until that bird gives up and moves on. We do have trees and shrubs as cover, and adult birds who give alarm when one flies overhead.
I have not seen any of our roosters, or hens, actually go after a nearby hawk, so can't address that. They do give alarm calls though.
Mary

 

[Malkaris]

Another thread talked about using large plastic owls, hanging cds and other deterrents.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I put reflective Hen saddles on my hens that are in my flocks, plus I have guineas that'll scream in the sight of danger.

 

[centrarchid]

Another thread talked about using large plastic owls, hanging cds and other deterrents.

The owls are not effective. CD's have not been demonstrated to be effective, but might work.

 

[cmom]

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

We had an immature Harrier swoop down on our flock once but he realized the Brahma hen he was trying for was a little bit bigger than he was and he flew off. Now we have a big rooster so I don’t worry about hawks. The rooster will alert the flock and they hide until the danger has passed. (The most common predator here is stray dogs, anyway ☹)

 

[kcan2]

Here almost all our losses to hawks have been either immature, smaller birds, or bantams. Most often it's been a Cooper's hawk, although red tailed hawks have been involved a couple of times. Once we had an adult large breed hen injured, who died as a result.
When we do have a hawk visiting, our flock is locked in for two weeks, at least, until that bird gives up and moves on. We do have trees and shrubs as cover, and adult birds who give alarm when one flies overhead.
I have not seen any of our roosters, or hens, actually go after a nearby hawk, so can't address that. They do give alarm calls though.
Mary

Will the hawks generally give up after a couple of weeks of unrewarded watching?

I saw more hawks than usual this fall and tried placing a full-length mirror near my chicken coop for a reflective deterrent. Came back later and it looked like a yard bird had run into it with a powdery palm-sized smear near the top. Since I'm not out to give concussions to friendly backyard birds, I put it back inside!

 

[Folly's place]

I don't have experience with large numbers of migrating raptors at one time, so here what we've done has worked for us. Our bantams, especially our immature bantams, have been lost most often.
One year the neighbors had a nest of Coopers hawks about 100 ft. from their house, so the birds acclimated to nearby humans. At least one of those birds came into our yard and took a young red ranger, and was eating it on our truck tailgate! That same year one of them sat on the fence next to the coop, waiting for our chickens to come out, and tried to walk into the meat bird's hoop house. All very close to us watching!
Bless them, they moved on, and haven't been back.
Mary