Chicken Hawk

[centrarchid]

I let my chickens free range in the day time and they get caged up at night. I was out on Monday with my chickens and wasn't in the house 20 minutes and looked outside and saw one of my girls laying on ground in back yard dead and the hawk sitting in the tree waiting to come down and finish eating her. My chickens want to range so bad, but I'm afraid to let them out.

My sister-in-law watched a crow come down and stab her chicken in the neck, I didn't think crows killed chickens.

Are you using the term chicken when you should be saying chick? Chicks have a lot more predator issues, especially when they would otherwise be under protection of a hen.

 

[destin0709]

Nope it was a cochin chicken I hatched last August. I only have 3 right now, I have more in the incubator. The hawk actually looked like a juvenile hawk smaller than I've seen them, so I was surprised it killed the chicken. So now I have them caged until I'm outside then I put them back in when I go in.

 

[centrarchid]

Nope it was a cochin chicken I hatched last August. I only have 3 right now, I have more in the incubator. The hawk actually looked like a juvenile hawk smaller than I've seen them, so I was surprised it killed the chicken. So now I have them caged until I'm outside then I put them back in when I go in.

By the time the hawk fledges / leaves nest, is full sized. Size difference you observed is do to species and / or sex. Small and going after a 6-month old chicken is most likely to be a Coopers hawk. Buggers can take a bird larger than they are. For me, game rooster is more than enough to keep Coopers off hens and young birds so long as rooster is close.

 

[7L Farm]

Funny, but before I had chickens I would love to have seen a hawk so close up. I know it could happen that a hawk could get one, but I'm not so worried when I have my chickens out in the yard because I'm right there with them, but my biggest concern is that they're always frightened and in their house instead of enjoying their nice big COVERED run. I ordered some crow decoys (really, people hunt crows?) to put in the nearby tree to try to keep the hawk away. The decoys will probably freak the chickens out then..... What to do?

I've got fake grows,fake owls & scare crow. I have a gourd on the head of my scare crow . I used the gourd at one time for a bird house. The birds nest in my scare crows head. LOL.The fake stuff doesn't work here at 7L.

 

[centrarchid]

I've got fake grows,fake owls & scare crow. I have a gourd on the head of my scare crow . I used the gourd at one time for a bird house. The birds nest in my scare crows head. LOL.The fake stuff doesn't work here at 7L.

We used to use something like these to keep herons, bald eagles and ospreys out of fish ponds. Herons were real problem and they would come in at night when they could not see "scargecrow".

http://www.rchuntingstore.com/catalog/BirdX_scare_eyes_3pack_stock_2230_1.jpg

 

[blkwdw]

tell me what you think? I had 8- 8 mos old chickens, 4 roosters, 4 hens ( just started laying

) I had raised them and not had the heart to separate yet, but they all got along.
They were all together at 3 in the afternoon ( free ranging nice sunny Jan day) and by 4:00 all the hens were gone- no feathers, nothing, one of the roosters ( our beloved banty) was dead in the pen and the other 3 roosters were hiding under our porch. we live ~ 10 miles from a big lake where bald eagles winter, and we have lots of hawks, but to take all the hens and not the rooster,,, i just don't know what got them. I got more, but its not the same as raising them... getting ready to incubate some more eggs..

any thoughts? I keep these chickens locked up now.

 

[destin0709]

Ahh.

I know the hawk left feathers all around where my chicken was it didn't try to carrry it off but our backyard goes into the woods so maybe it thought it was safe leaving it there to finish it off. And I have seen a fox at my cage really wanting my guineas, hasn't gotten in yet and I hope it doesn't. I have ducks on otherside with fence between them, seems like everything would rather have the chickens/guineas than the ducks. I bet a fox or larger bird could and would carry the chickens off without a trace.

 

[centrarchid]

tell me what you think? I had 8- 8 mos old chickens, 4 roosters, 4 hens ( just started laying

) I had raised them and not had the heart to separate yet, but they all got along.
They were all together at 3 in the afternoon ( free ranging nice sunny Jan day) and by 4:00 all the hens were gone- no feathers, nothing, one of the roosters ( our beloved banty) was dead in the pen and the other 3 roosters were hiding under our porch. we live ~ 10 miles from a big lake where bald eagles winter, and we have lots of hawks, but to take all the hens and not the rooster,,, i just don't know what got them. I got more, but its not the same as raising them... getting ready to incubate some more eggs..

any thoughts? I keep these chickens locked up now.

I have not seen how a bald eagle does it thing with an adult standard sized fowl but would assume at least some feathers woult be in loose pile where chicken is dispatched. Fox or coyote will routinely catch a chicken while usually leaving very few feathers and pack catch away. Multiple losses at once is strong indicator of fox or coyote. They will kill as many as they can easily, then pack off booty. Either you interupted the pack off part of predator forgot where it left one.

Pen birds or get dog big and active enough to keep coyotes away.

 

[ChickChick0811]

Do hawks fly off with the chickens or would there be evidence left. One of my chickens went missing today and I'm not sure if it was my neighbor's dog or a hawk. Wish my other chicken's could talk because if it was my neighbor's dog at my house again he will be sent home with CHICKEN KILLER shaved into his fur!!!!