Chickens with PTSD after hawk attack?

[sourland]

The survivors are fully aware of the fact that the hawk is still around. Although they are not rocket scientists chickens are smart enough to know that death awaits them if they venture out.

 

[Brandon97]

i had a silkie killed in this way yesterday, used green fishing wire and foil rapped around the cross overs to reflect light up to discourage the hawks and temporarily blind them(like if we look into a torch)

 

[Brandon97]

also, when the other birds are old enough, get a goose, gander would be better, seeing a big bird in there will scare it off, and a gander would fight for his coop

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Feed your local crow population. We had a MAJOR hawk problem when we first got our chickens, they were nesting all over our property. I tried CDs, fishing line, fake owls, the whole shebang. Nothing worked and I kept coming home to piles of feathers. Then one day I noticed a couple of crows sitting on top of my coop, so I threw a little corn on the ground outside of the run for them. The next day there were a few more there, and a few more the next day. Once I had attracted a gaggle of them, they began going from nest to nest and pitching the baby hawks to the ground (which was actually quite horrible to witness, but I'll be forever grateful to them for it) and chasing the parents away. Now the only time I even hear a hawk is when the crows have them on the run. The crows themselves can come with their own set of problems (stealing eggs, feed or chicks) but they've never given me any trouble. I just make sure to leave them a little snack everyday and they keep my yard safe from the hawks. I also have a pygmy goat that lives with my chickens, and I think he really helps too- but I'm always happy to see those crows get excited when I come to the coop with their red cup full of corn. Good luck, sorry about your loss.

 

[mjuenem]

I have a bantam faverolles who's sister was killed by a coon who pulled it through a chain link fence last Easter. She stopped laying that day and has never re-started.

 

[Fergusonfarm]

Quote:
Oh that's awful! I'm so sorry to hear of everyone else's losses. It is, in an odd way, comforting to know that we facing common challenges. Our girls have come down from their henhouse now but they will NOT come out of the chicken tractor to free range it. They step out, grab a bug and then scurry back. We have discovered that we don't have just one very big hawk - we have two very big hawks (and probably a nest). We are thinking of just covering up with bird netting or just keeping the birds in the tractor and expanding the enclosure.

We have, since our hawk attack, added one more young rooster (who the girls seem quite fond of) and 3 one month old chicks we will work with in a different enclosure.

Good luck to you all and thank you again for all of the helpful comments!