Bird of prey attack

[CurlyChickenGirly]

You might not want to read this is you get sad easily. Also, I’m not sure I posted in the correct location. It can be moved. Just need to cry and vent.

We have been raising chickens for just over four years. We started with four sweet RIRs. We lost one to an illness and the other three to old age. Those were hard losses.

In January we got two Ameraucanas, a Blue Copper Marans, and a Crested Cream Legbar. So we’ve had them for nearly a year now.

The girls have been acting odd but we thought it was because three of them were in a hard molt and the other one was broody. Then today, I heard the most awful shriek I’ve ever heard. I rushed outside and saw a bird of prey (I cannot identify the exact species). These aren’t really known to be in the area we live, especially since we’re in a quickly growing suburb. Raccoons certainly are. And we have protected our girls from raccoons as much as we possibly can. Of course many of you probably do it better. We just do as best as we know/can and follow as much advice from here as we can.

I do live with my folks even though I’m a full-grown adult as I have multiple physical disabilities, medical issues, and mental health issues (including PTSD… what fun!)

I just happened to be the only one home at the time. So I was the one that rushed outside and shooed the bird of prey away. Consequently, I cracked a brace I wear on my leg in the process. A little comic relief, I guess!

When my dad got home, he and I found two of the girls alive yet shaken up a lot. The other two are missing.

I understand this is part of the life of chicken tender. I just feel sick to my stomach. We do have the chickens free range (though we will put that on hold for now!), yet we followed the advice, especially from this forum, as closely as we possibly could. I understand things still happen. It’s just hard. Just had to vent.

Any advice from anyone? Especially if you’ve had an attack or have some really good ways of preventing them? Any advice on how to help the traumatized girls?

 

[AshVau22]

I struggle with hawks and eagles. It's always really bad in the fall for me. I've lost chickens to them. It's breaks my heart. Some things I did was fake owls. Lots of random silver hanging shinny things. And I built a couple scarecrows I move them around every few weeks. I also got 3 dwarf goats. They are loose with the chickens. I think the birds of prey see them as dogs or a threat and I
(knock on wood) haven't had any attacks since fall. I see and hear them everyday. My Roos are also very alert and keep an eye on the sky at all times. I also keep lots of things they can hide under lawn chairs, plastic tubs, wood leaned up against trees anything they can run and hid under. I hope you find the other 2 that are missing.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm so sorry for your losses! And also for the damage to your brace. I hope your insurance will cover the repair. Sometimes chickens that are terrified by a predator will scatter and hide, then return home after a day or two. I hope that proves to be the case for you.

You might treat your two girls that are shaken up for shock. Mix them up a sugar water cocktail of 1 tsp sugar to a cup of water and add a pinch of baking soda and a pinch of salt. Shake or stir to dissolve. Hold up to their beak for them to drink. It's the equivalent of a strong cup of tea for the English, and very effective.

If you keep your girls confined for a week or two, often the hawks move on, looking for easier targets. You got good advice above, make sure the area where your chickens free range has plenty of cover: tables, shrubs, pallets set up on blocks or leaning on each other to form an A-frame shelter, etc. Here's a picture of what we call the "bus stop," it's showing its age now, but it's just a panel of corrugated metal roofing material nailed to two sawhorses. The chickens huddle under it for shelter from the weather, but it did save them from a hawk once. In the summer weeds grow up all around it to make a grand shelter.

 

[McChooky]

You might not want to read this is you get sad easily. Also, I’m not sure I posted in the correct location. It can be moved. Just need to cry and vent.

We have been raising chickens for just over four years. We started with four sweet RIRs. We lost one to an illness and the other three to old age. Those were hard losses.

In January we got two Ameraucanas, a Blue Copper Marans, and a Crested Cream Legbar. So we’ve had them for nearly a year now.

The girls have been acting odd but we thought it was because three of them were in a hard molt and the other one was broody. Then today, I heard the most awful shriek I’ve ever heard. I rushed outside and saw a bird of prey (I cannot identify the exact species). These aren’t really known to be in the area we live, especially since we’re in a quickly growing suburb. Raccoons certainly are. And we have protected our girls from raccoons as much as we possibly can. Of course many of you probably do it better. We just do as best as we know/can and follow as much advice from here as we can.

I do live with my folks even though I’m a full-grown adult as I have multiple physical disabilities, medical issues, and mental health issues (including PTSD… what fun!)

I just happened to be the only one home at the time. So I was the one that rushed outside and shooed the bird of prey away. Consequently, I cracked a brace I wear on my leg in the process. A little comic relief, I guess!

When my dad got home, he and I found two of the girls alive yet shaken up a lot. The other two are missing.

I understand this is part of the life of chicken tender. I just feel sick to my stomach. We do have the chickens free range (though we will put that on hold for now!), yet we followed the advice, especially from this forum, as closely as we possibly could. I understand things still happen. It’s just hard. Just had to vent.

Any advice from anyone? Especially if you’ve had an attack or have some really good ways of preventing them? Any advice on how to help the traumatized girls?

Birds of prey only take one at a time (unless you live in an area where they are known to hunt in pairs) Hopefully they will show up tomorrow.

 

[CurlyChickenGirly]

Thank you, everyone, for your support and advice! We will plan on keeping our girls in their run for a while. The run is “technically” just barely big enough for them. There’s just an issue with the top hens (two of them take turns) picking on the other ones. So we like them to have more space.

Thank you all for the suggestions re: hiding spots and clutter, etc. We do have some… I guess we could use more. Two of our girls were indeed hiding in the clutter.

We will use the solution suggested for shock, too.

You all are a great community!

Here’s the sweet update: Our other two girls that were still missing were hiding amongst the trees on our property line! All four babies are tucked in bed!

The photo is of the two who went into hiding all afternoon. We had looked in that very spot multiple times. Just glad they were found.