Close Calls with Hawks

[GCRunner]

I have been watching 4 Seramas for my son's Middle School 4H program since March. They sleep in a 2 level small rabbit hutch at night in our garage. During the day I would try to let them free roam for at least 8 hours. Three times in the last week two hawks have swooped down while I am outside with the ladies and I must say it was pretty close calls. The 4H teacher said to just keep them in the outdoor cage I bought for most of the day. It makes me sad because it isn't a lot of room 7foot by 3 foot. I also had to move it next to our shed so my husband wouldn't complain about the grass dying so now they don't have anything to look at. Are they going to be completely miserable? I work full time from home and my kids are starting virtual learning so for now they need to be in their cage from 8am until 230pm when I'm off the clock. I will try to let them out for at least 4 hours free roam when I can walk the yard with them. Dont want them to go crazy being locked up until they return to the school and Lord knows when they will be able to do that. I've had them since March. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you. I want them to be safe but I also want them to be happy.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
Your Seramas are definitely at risk, and you already have had good advice.
When we have a visiting hawk, our flock is locked in for at least two weeks, or longer, ontil that hawk gives up and moves on.
Let them be annoyed, and alive!
Mary

 

[azygous]

The danger keeping them cooped up in a small space is boredom, but as @Folly's place mentioned, it is probably for the best.

But you can make life a bit more interesting for these chickens in confinement. Buy a cabbage and cut it in half. Get an eye screw and screw it into the core and hang it in the coop.

You can do the same with a large carrot or apple.

I have had good luck entertaining my chickens by drilling quarter inch holes in empty Gatoraid bottles and filling them with scratch grain. They roll them about with their feet, and then they peck up what falls out.

 

[cmom]

Flock blocks work great too to keep the birds occupied.

 

[GCRunner]

Welcome!
Your Seramas are definitely at risk, and you already have had good advice.
When we have a visiting hawk, our flock is locked in for at least two weeks, or longer, ontil that hawk gives up and moves on.
Let them be annoyed, and alive!
Mary

Thank you Mary. The teacher said they keep theirs locked up till April which is such a long time. I will keep them locked up and safe unless I can walk the yard with them.

 

[centrarchid]

For rabbit hutch consider leaning something against open side to block line of sight for chickens to avoid hawks at close range. For larger pen I would block to adjacent sides so the chickens can also break line of sight.

 

[GCRunner]

I keep the hutch in our garage so they are safe at night. There was one night that was too hot in there and I put it outside. I will attach pic of where the outdoor cage is now.

 

[GCRunner]

The danger keeping them cooped up in a small space is boredom, but as @Folly's place mentioned, it is probably for the best.

But you can make life a bit more interesting for these chickens in confinement. Buy a cabbage and cut it in half. Get an eye screw and screw it into the core and hang it in the coop.

You can do the same with a large carrot or apple.

I have had good luck entertaining my chickens by drilling quarter inch holes in empty Gatoraid bottles and filling them with scratch grain. They roll them about with their feet, and then they peck up what falls out.

Thats my fear. Th

The danger keeping them cooped up in a small space is boredom, but as @Folly's place mentioned, it is probably for the best.

But you can make life a bit more interesting for these chickens in confinement. Buy a cabbage and cut it in half. Get an eye screw and screw it into the core and hang it in the coop.

You can do the same with a large carrot or apple.

I have had good luck entertaining my chickens by drilling quarter inch holes in empty Gatoraid bottles and filling them with scratch grain. They roll them about with their feet, and then they peck up what falls out.

That is my fear. I started out with two and then folks who were fostering two had to move and when I picked up those birds one was bald because they were kept in a small hutch for hours and the alpha hen pecked out all of the other ones head feathers. They still haven't grown back 3 months later. Now this particular hen puts dents in the other hens heads as well. She is quite mean even when she was free roaming for 8 hours + a day. I will try hanging veggies. They are strange birds and don't eat things they should. I bought seed balls and they ignore them. Put in whole zucchini, apples and they won't eat it. Scrambled eggs a no go. If I cut peaches, bananas they will eat that. I've mixed their crumbles with plain yogurt and they like that, dried mealworms. For now I will mix seed and mealworms and throw that in with them. I am learning as I go and it is temporary, eventually the flock will be back together at the school at some point. Thanks everyone. I'll also try the Gatorade bottle idea.