Can Eagles And Hawks Get My Chickens?

[emsdial911]

Birds of prey usually will no attack anything that they can't carry away. I say usually because it does happen and it doesn't mean that they won't attack and kill them. I have Hawks living in my tree line and several in the fields down the road and I have not had any problems yet. Lets hope it stays that way.

Good luck.

 

[wolfandfinch]

we have eagles living in the neighbourhood (in the middle of the city!) and because of that I'm not going to let the chickens free range. Well that and having a vegetable garden - that I want to keep. We're building them a nice big run (when we have them!) to make up for it.

 

[Ahab]

An eagle can, and will, take pretty much everything. Some years ago, a journalist friend accompanied a wildlife survey crew to an eagle's nest on Montauk Point; they were looking for fish bones and squirrel bones and the like. They found some of those, and they also found eleven flea collars.

 

[booker81]

I had a Cooper's hawk take out a full grown hen. The hawk killed her and was eating her in the yard (I had let them out to range, and ran to the store).

Another Cooper's almost hit DH and I yesterday when we were on the porch talking. It took out a morning dove and swooped in to bank around through the porch, but saw us and switched directions. Majorly fast and agile - smaller than a chicken, but they will definately kill one.

 

[blefky]

Two days ago my 16 and 17 year old sons were having a catch in the backyard. My American Bulldog was also out with them. I decided that since the guys and dog were outside, making noise, running around, etc., that it was a good time to let the girls free range for a while. They hadn't been out of the run for 10 minutes when I heard my sons yelling. I went outside and they told me that a big red tail swooped down right in between them, angling for one of the chickens - they said it was literally waist high off the ground. It banked and took off at the last minute, guess it had second thoughts. Since Friday it's been back with a friend- I see them up there circling, waiting. Ticks me off, but I guess they have to eat too, can't really blame them for doing what hawks do. The old farmer who sold me my two original chickens told me that spring into early summer, when they're raising young, is the time of highest predation by hawks. He says that he rarely loses a bird to a hawk at other times of the year. Of course, he has roos to send up the alarm.

 

[RunnerWhisperer]

We have hawks and eagles here all over. Lot's of crows too which actually help defened off the hawks if they get too close to the tree line. I watched a group of crows follow and harrass a hawk until it turned on one of the crows and injured it. Today while we were out in the yard I saw an eagle circling over head very high. They usually are up there pretty far. I noticed it because I saw my male runner Jade tilt his head to look up at the sky. He spotted the eagle before I did. He walked over and sat next to Cocoa under the bluberry bush. They spent a lot of time under the tree's today and I bet that is why!!? We saw that eagle twice today that I noticed and both times the ducks were camped out under the trees. i wonder if that is a natural instinct for them to do that?

 

[KDK1]

Quote:
Ospreys feed exclusively on fish, never on land animals.

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

I was in the chicken coop and I heard my two Shih Tzus barking ferociously. ( They never bark like this) I thought maybe the neighbor we haven't met was looking over the fence as the girls were singing their egg song very loudly. I went to hush up the dogs and did a double take. The hawk is 2 feet from me on our fence. I think it took a bath in our pool. It stayed for an hour and then flew off. It hasn't been back since. Not sure if it saw my girls as they were hiding under cover. Has been a couple months since it was here.

The owl was hanging out about 20 feet above the girls when I saw it. I had the girls foraging in the grass with my supervision always. I heard a hoot and saw the owl. I called DH to watch the girls while I grabbed the camera. DH has a bb gun and shot at the tree limb. It got the message and I have not seen any owls back again.

 

[KDK1]

Great pictures!

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

Quote:
TY