COOPER'S HAWK GOT MY EVELYN! How do I protect the rest of the flock?

The only sure fire way to protect your flock is to keep them in a covered run. In some areas, you can let the birds out to range if you stand guard. Hawks usually aren't afraid of people, though.

It is not a crime for a hawk to eat a chicken. That is Mother Nature's law and the hawk is doing exactly what he is meant to do.

 

The hawk will be hanging around for the next several days because it was somewhat successful in hunting. You will need to keep the flock in lock down until the hawk moves on. In the meantime, a covered run is your best defense against hawks. Cheap plastic deer netting is worth its weight in gold. I have a serious hawk problem...or I should say I had a serious hawk problem until I invested in the netting. I haven't lost a bird in a couple years to hawks, but prior to that hawks were my most successful predators. Don't bother investing in CDs, foil pie lates, decoy owls...They don't work for longer than a week or two.

Cover your run. Leave the birds in for at least a week after any attacks. Watch for certain times of year when hawk activity is at its peak (migration) and let birds out accordingly. Provide hidey holes for birds to duck into should something scary be overhead. Sumac is great cover, but I also built a few little teepees out of pallets/small saplings/broken umbrella parts to add to their cover.

I hope this helps. Sorry for the loss of Evelyn.

Good luck.

 

I am so sorry for your loss.

Even bird netting, doubled,will help. Slowing a hawk down will give your birds more time to head for the coop or other, "harder" cover.

 

I use the netting that they cover trees with, to keep birds from eating the fruit. I have to have 8-10 of them all sewn together. It was a ton of work, but the hawks can't get in.
The hawks around here, just sit and will wait all day in the tree to attack, then it is too late.
The run is completely covered.

so sorry, your little girl must be so sad.

 

I just finished putting netting over a pen. A hawk got one of mine too.

 

I've had the same problem just before Thanksgiving. We had one laying hen injured and one of our pullets killed. They're free-rangers mass majority of the time. Hubby thought it was all the crazy black birds swooping around and cawing up a storm (he was outside at the time). He came in and mentioned to me... thought it didn't sound like them tho' and asked if he was sure it was them and not a hawk.... Said he didn't see a hawk, but I went out to see what he was talking about regarding the ruckus and noticed a hawk in the middle of our field, just sitting there. Thought that was odd and was sure s/he had something on the ground. S/he did! One of my pullets. Hawk didn't actually get to eat lunch tho' - managed to chase it off before it could start. Pullet was still alive when I got to it, but died in my arms shortly thereafter. After that, we kept the gals in their covered run for a few days. Hawk went away. Have paid attention to the black birds activity ever since.

 

string fishing line between trees, your house, fences, etc. When a hawk hits it they don't come back