Cooper's Hawk - will it eat a full grown chicken?

[Judy P-E]

I live in northern virginia and I think a merlin killed my rr yesterday right in the coop. I had to chase it out. all the other hens ran to the other side of the pen and watched. This is a small brid , no sign of any redigh feathering only whitish chest with a few short dark stripes on top of the brest. Since I scared it away, it will probably be back. we need a smaller opening for the hens. what does anyone think?

 

[mendocinobirds]

I just saw a Coopers kill a full grown hen, albeit a banty. He wasnt much bigger than her. Cooper's will enter a henhouse and can kill all the chickens in there. Makes them worse than others. They eat only the neck and leave the rest.
Did you have luck making the opening smaller? Im thinking of a screen of sometype over the openings that the hens can push out on....

This one wouldnt lave, just sat looking at chickens. I know I cant shoot at it... what can I do legally to make it go away?

 

[Jajika]

More hawk stories.

I lost three chickens in four days once I found my first daytime kill.

Chopped off the tops of several fruit trees in the yard and covered it all over in poultry netting.

Works well for me.

 

[Judy P-E]

yes, we made a smaller opening and haven't had any problems since but did hear them around still.

 

[Jajika]

A new hawk story.

Just yesterday when I came home from work and went out to the the chickens I heard a "flapping" sound inside the yard.

)May I remind you this "yard" is covered on all sides and top with poultry netting. Photos above.)

I thought it was a dove trapped, but couldn't figure out how in the world it got inside. I was shocked and horrified to find it was a hawk!!! Fortunately it was the smaller variety, a Sharp Shin Hawk. My first reaction was to check on all the chickens to see if they were safe and they were.

Since it was dusk, most were in the grapefruit tree and three were in the large coop, all safe.

This poor hawk was flying into the chicken wire and netting desparatly trying to get out.

I really still can't figure out how it got in???? The tiny gaps in the cover are full of branches and leaves. My understanding is that hawks like a clear path to swoop down and go after their prey. This guy or gal had to sit on the netting and wiggle in? I haven't had a hawk attack since I covered the yard.

Anyway, I didn't want to kill it. I just wanted it out...as badly as it wanted out.

My husband joined me in the capture process. I opened the yard door wide, got a broom and kept trying to direct to the open door. All I succeeded in doing was frightening it even more. Finally the poor thing was exhausted. I managed to "pin" it down with a broom. You can't believe how it literally looked right at me. If hawks have expression, this one was thinking, "what are you going to do to me? Are you going to kill me?"

As I pined it down with my broom, my husband ran into the house and got some leather gloves and protective goggles. He came out, grabbed the hawk and took it outside of the yard. when he put it down, it sat for a moment then flew away. We were afraid it had injured a wing in it frantic attempt to get out and then dodge the broom .

I have examined the netting the thoroughly and still can't find a "hole" My fear is that since this hawk got in, there is a gap somewhere.

What a shock. But I have to say, I'm glad we were able to free it safely. It was only doing what come's naturally.

 

[mendocinobirds]

Some things I have found out battling the Cooper's

Stop chasing away the ravens. The ravens are a menace around here, hundreds of them, fed by people and such. They killed a baby chick at one point and will eat eggs. But compared to the Coopers we felt..the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Ravens harrass the Coopers, albiet not as courageously as they do a Red Tail or Vulture (not sure why they bother with the vultures)
#2- The person here that pointed out the Value of unproductive hunting trips was great. When we are in the yard, the Coopers will still sit in tree at distance and watch but doesnt swoop in. Cooopers seems more worried about the dog who protects the poultry tnan people. Anyway, when he goes home hungry, he is likely NOT to come back- we HOPE.
#3 Rooster- he gets his hens under and wont let them out. We have three flocks and only one rooster really watches the sky all the time and knows how to make his hens do what he wants. He is a Japanese Bantam and the girls are mostly way bigger than him but they do what he says! Silkie and Polish seem goofy and more interested in themselves than the hens. BBQ?

 

[centrarchid]

Sometimes the Coopers Hawk is not there for chicken. During summer I have hawks making forays through my patch multiple times each day but have not lost a single chicken to them this year, chick or otherwise. The hawks are not leaving empty handed every time, occasionally they catch a songbird which is the primary reason the hawks come through. During summer I have a good number of cardinals, mockingbirds and some sort of sparrow the hawks catch occasionally. The same birds will often get down among chickens and more than once I have seen the hawk chase those smaller birds among a chicken flock without the chickens even responding. When no response, the chickens do not have young. Coopers flying directly over head do stir flocks up. The chickens seem to know when they are targets. They still make sounds indicating hawk regardless of perceived threat level.

 

[mendocinobirds]

I think you are right, the songbids attract him to so the strategy of getting him to go home empty taloned is flawed. They get the doves here. But the doves do evasive manuevers in the air that the Red Barron would have been jealous of. The Cooper's has killed our chickens so we want him gone. Im trying music. Im wondering is there any other bird the Cooper's is afraid of? Red Tail? We have those here and even a Golden Eagle now and then. If we played sounds from those birds would it scare the Cooper's away? Does anybody here have advice on that on CDs and string? I cant cover the whole top, the chickens live under giant redwood trees. Coopers hops down the branches to go for the chickens so we have been putting up strings and cds on the branches . Red Tail only attacks from the air. Does he have any natural enemies whose voice might work?

 

[lebra]

YES! A Coopers Hawk will kill and eat a RIR with no problem. I have lost two this way. With the first bird, we thought an owl may have killed it because the head was severed from the body and in a different place in the run. My run is not covered on the top but is under two large holly trees. The second bird was killed just yesterday lying dead in the run. Neck broken and partially severed. I moved the bird outside the run so as not to upset my other girls. When I looked out the window, guess who came to claim their kill. He could not carry the hen off but he plucked feathers and put them in a neat pile on one side out of the way and denuded the body and wing and feasted himself. I got pics but they are so blurry you cannot tell what it is, but it was definately a coopers hawk. They are notorious for killing chickens. Beware!

 

[mendocinobirds]

We have found that Cooper's attack and kil under the trees much more than in the open.
We have lost birds in the open to the Bald Eagle and the Red tail Hawk.
For the cooper's we hung netting up in the trees and hung lots of CDs. Also our rooster became more aggressive and runs about looking for the Cooper's when it perches. It sometimes perches and watches, other times just dives down into the trees. It fears the Osprey, which does not seem to kill chickens. (we live next to a park so its like a Raptor zoo)
Rooster's help. If you can put a net over everything do it. We cant. Cds in tree, cant say what they do but they are worth a try. Dog also seems to scare the raptors more than people. He killed one that was after the chickens a year ago while the Ravens screamed. Its almost like they remember and tell each other