Cooper's Hawk taken residence on my fence - How concerned should I be?

[sourland]

I have had them hang around as long as a week, hanging on the outside of my pigeon aviaries. In the winter when I am feeding the wild birds, they take up permanent residence and my pigeons go on lockdown. If you start free ranging again, stay with your chickens as some Cooper's are really brazen and will attack even though you are there.

 

[centrarchid]

Your Coopers hawk may be targeting songbirds on your property or using your fence row as a start point for attack runs on a location nearby that is relatively consistently catches songbirds. I have a Coopers buzzing my flock routinely while pursuing songbirds (cardinals and tow-hees mostly) and the chickens show the hawk no mind unless chicks / juveniles are on ground. The hawk seems to use the chickens as cover when trying to get close to its prey. When young chickens are involved, the hens and rooster are quite willing to take hawk on. Dynamics for me enabled owing to group defense put up by adult females and male in defense of their young. Yes, chickens will under certain circumstances take on a hawk and prevail.

Your frizzle bantam are likely to be considered a menu option and in all likelihood not benefit from group defense like put up by my free ranging games. Hens only flocks and when no cover is present also puts your birds at greater risk. Even my Coopers hawk fighting games does not do much against this foe during molt.