Chicken Hawk

[QuackerJackFarms]

My dog does deter them. Hawks flat out will not go after my birds with him present. It would suicide. Not all dogs are on their toes, expecially when in pet mode all the time.

My dog is too old. She just sleeps all day.

The young dog I have would deter them, but she would be a bigger threat to my ducks than the hawk. (still in training.) lol.

I'm glad yours deters them. Hawks are beautiful creatures.. but I'd rather them stop circling my poultry.

 

[rachele30]

Well I don't know how in town you live but I purchased a peacock and peahen. The hawks won't even attempt to swoop down to get my chickens now. They will fly the 10 acre perimeter screeching but never come any closer. Also, if you could purchase a dog I highly recommend the great Pyrnese. They are super poultry guard dogs and any other animal that needs guarding. Hope this helps.

 

[rachele30]

oops, Great Pyrenees.

 

[centrarchid]

My dog is too old. She just sleeps all day.

The young dog I have would deter them, but she would be a bigger threat to my ducks than the hawk. (still in training.) lol.

I'm glad yours deters them. Hawks are beautiful creatures.. but I'd rather them stop circling my poultry.

Generally, hawks circling overhead are riding thermals. They ride thermals for easy way to gain altitude for migration and to display to other hawks. Hawks you need to be concerned about will be starting attack run from perch, hence the term "hawking" used for birds and fish hunting using that technique. Occasionally a hawk will hover above target by aiming into wind and flapping but chickens will run for cover when that happens.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Well I don't know how in town you live but I purchased a peacock and peahen. The hawks won't even attempt to swoop down to get my chickens now. They will fly the 10 acre perimeter screeching but never come any closer. Also, if you could purchase a dog I highly recommend the great Pyrnese. They are super poultry guard dogs and any other animal that needs guarding. Hope this helps.

I'm actually getting an Anatolian here shortly. It was just born last week.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Generally, hawks circling overhead are riding thermals. They ride thermals for easy way to gain altitude for migration and to display to other hawks. Hawks you need to be concerned about will be starting attack run from perch, hence the term "hawking" used for birds and fish hunting using that technique. Occasionally a hawk will hover above target by aiming into wind and flapping but chickens will run for cover when that happens.

I'm glad you said that. I've read that before, so now I've heard that twice. The ones I have are circling and then moving on, but the ones last fall were perched EVERY day.

 

[quercus21]

We have coppers and red tails hawks around here. Both of my roosters are larger then the hawks. Next month I'll be "free ranging" the chickens and we haven't had a problem. Come June/July, I'll have my meaties out there in the "free range" area.
I also "have" a nice flock(?) of crows around here that I have seen drive the hawks away. The other day, I saw the group of crows going after a squirrel, first time for me. I'll toss bread out for the crows by the song birds feeder, and scratch around the chickens pens. Granted they aren't around here 24/7, but enough to keep the hawks at bay.
If you have some crows around, start feeding them, so they "visit" you often.

 

[centrarchid]

We have coppers and red tails hawks around here. Both of my roosters are larger then the hawks. Next month I'll be "free ranging" the chickens and we haven't had a problem. Come June/July, I'll have my meaties out there in the "free range" area.
I also "have" a nice flock(?) of crows around here that I have seen drive the hawks away. The other day, I saw the group of crows going after a squirrel, first time for me. I'll toss bread out for the crows by the song birds feeder, and scratch around the chickens pens. Granted they aren't around here 24/7, but enough to keep the hawks at bay.
If you have some crows around, start feeding them, so they "visit" you often.

For me roosters do not protect juveniles that are not of their flock / harem.

 

[destin0709]

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.

 

[HarryBun12]

I'd be less worried about crows than hawks. I'm waiting for my crow decoys to come in the mail. I'm hoping they can lure some crows into our yard. We used to have them, and as noisy as they are, I always liked them. About 6 years ago we found a dead crow in our yard and I suspect the neighbor boy shot it with his pellet gun. Since then, I've not seen one crow in our yard. I'll see them a block away all around, but not IN the yard. They certainly are intelligent animals.
Darn those hawks anyway. There are plenty of rabbits and mice to eat, why my little chickens?