I put my girls in their coop/run yesterday when I got home and then left again. My adult kids were home but didn't realize that a chicken hawk landed in the back and had ripped the head off my Bantam.
I pulled in the driveway when I got back and looked at the coop and saw the chicken hawk standing on the top of the run (It's an A-Frame run, sides & top with welded wire, like rabbit wire 1 x 2 - not hex chicken wire). I would have never guessed that a chicken hawk could even hurt one of my chickens in their run! My only guess is that Jill (poor girl) stuck her head out of the run and she was grabbed. I don't know what to do. I moved them to their other coop on my enclosed back porch to keep them safe for now. I can't believe that hawk just stood there on the top even while I entered the back yard. It wasn't going to budge! It flew into the neighbors property into a pine tree where it sat there and waited for me to leave the chickens alone again - which didn't happen!!! I do have a roo but he's still a young'un.
As far as I gather, you can shoot a nuisance animal that attacks - unless it's on the migratory bird treaty act. Of course it seems ALL hawks are on there. I'm at a loss. How do I protect my girls? They are in a well-suited coop and run. This should not have happened. My 7 remaining are quiet, huddled and traumatized! Usually they are "talkative" and happy. Today they are quiet and huddled in the back left corner of their coop.
As for the chicken hawk, it's a ways down in the front of my property waiting for its next meal. Ugh! It swooped down in my front yard earlier.
In the state of Florida you can shoot a human being with the "Stand Your Ground" law. But - you can't shoot a freaking bird that's attacking on your own property that you have paid your hard earned money to own and pay taxes on? Something's quite wrong with that!
As far as I gather, you can shoot a nuisance animal that attacks - unless it's on the migratory bird treaty act. Of course it seems ALL hawks are on there. I'm at a loss. How do I protect my girls? They are in a well-suited coop and run. This should not have happened. My 7 remaining are quiet, huddled and traumatized! Usually they are "talkative" and happy. Today they are quiet and huddled in the back left corner of their coop.
As for the chicken hawk, it's a ways down in the front of my property waiting for its next meal. Ugh! It swooped down in my front yard earlier.
In the state of Florida you can shoot a human being with the "Stand Your Ground" law. But - you can't shoot a freaking bird that's attacking on your own property that you have paid your hard earned money to own and pay taxes on? Something's quite wrong with that!
