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

[NateinFL]

Quote:
So do you still have that d'uccle roo or do you need to change your signature

I do still have one d'uccle roo!

Good!

I had over a dozen young d'uccles freerange and one evening a Cooper's was sitting on the fence right next to them, not even looking at them, I was like, "oh how nice they can live in harmony"...NOT. Next day huge commotion when I got out there, a Cooper's was flying off to the woods with a baby.

 

[inohio]

pride&joy :

Thank you all for your reply’s, I was hoping for something lg enough to in a sense cover an area already fenced in by 6ft wooden privacy fence probably about 60ft x 100ft. I thought we could put up some tall post in the center and attach the ends to the fence? Does such a thing exist?

Get those led christmas lights and string them @ 8' high across at 3 foot intervals... that way people will think they're to provide a lighted canopy, but the hawks might not want to bother navigating them. Of course, I'd look for a bulk supplier for the number of light sets that you'd need ​

 

[RHRanch]

Quote:
Get those led christmas lights and string them @ 8' high across at 3 foot intervals... that way people will think they're to provide a lighted canopy, but the hawks might not want to bother navigating them. Of course, I'd look for a bulk supplier for the number of light sets that you'd need

Or, hit up wal mart after xmas when thier light sets go to 75% off. Iv'e gotten light sets for a fraction of the cost - One year I even got net lights! WOW! This is a good idea.

 

[Arookar]

DH & I were sitting watching the chickens in their yard- happened to look up and saw what we both thought was a hummingbird- Due to the cloud cover it was very difficult to tell how far away it was. But since it was hovering and wings moving very fast we both assumed it was the only bird we knew that hovered like that- hummingbird...and it seemed small. A few seconds later all my chickens scattered in a panic- some going under the tree, some under the coop, some into the berry bushes. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something zoom the length of the chicken yard (the part that's uncovered) and then swoop up into one of the alder trees that border the yard. Hawk. All chickens are safe, hawk got nothing, but WOW they are fast critters! I never thought a hawk could fly from being so small up in the sky that it looked like a hummingbird to swooping 3 feet above the ground after my chickens! They are incredible creatures! Needless to say my chickens are all hanging out under the tree, and wouldn't even come out into the open part of the yard when I left the gate open!
I have about a 10X30 section that has fruit tree netting strung across the top, and before I let the chickens out of that yard the hawks didn't bother to come around. It's only since I let them out into the unprotected section that we had an incident. I live on a river floodplain- lots of pastureland all around me and lots of wildlife. If your chickens don't have a place to run and hide within a few feet they are vulnerable. I think the only reason this hawk didn't get one is that they were all mostly under the trees and the ones that weren't were very close to the coop- they can get under it.

 

[slatemnt_farmer]

Hawks are Awful!!!!!

How to you have free range poultry when you got 3 hawks that take turns.

They are so brave they chased the dog the other day. A rat terrier.

 

[AnnieAlbright]

I wanted to let our girls free range during the day, but we have a pair of cooper's hawks that live in our trees year-round. There is also a population of owls and vultures we see regularly. When the girls were chicks we'd sit outside with them in a dog pen and let them play in the grass. One morning a hawk was sitting on the pen, looking inside for the chicks. We have pix I can post as soon as the DH uploads them from the camera. The girls are now in a coop w/ a covered run and I'm terrified to let them out, even for a little. I don't think the hawks could pick up the girls, but they could still kill them on the ground. The entire run is covered grass (which will be dirt soon enough), but I'd like to add a section of run without roofing so they can sunbathe

Oh boy, I can already see the hubs shaking his head...

 

[hen srcatch]

i had a coopers hawk grab one of my 3 month old pullets and take off with her. i didn't see this happen, but my neighbor did. then yesterday i was out in my yard and a coopers hawk chased a morning dove right down to the ground close to where i was standing. they struggled, i screamed and yelled, and probably because of the comontion i caused the dove got away leaving a scattered bunch of feathers on the ground. the hawk flew away.

these are the first attacks we've had in the 3 years i've been raising chickens here. do any of you know if the hawk is migratory, and maybe just hanging around for awhile, or here to stay. i'm really worried about my flock. i think my big hens will probably be less at risk the my 4 month old pullets. i will keep them locked up for awhile if that will help, but don't want to keep them on lock down forever.

 

[hen srcatch]

i'm hoping my rooster would go after a hawk if the hawk had one of my girls on the ground.

 

[chickortreat]

i'm hoping my rooster would go after a hawk if the hawk had one of my girls on the ground.

Remember, hawks are federally protected, and to hope your rooster goes after the hawk makes you an accessory to the crime. It would be a shame for you AND your rooster to be prosecuted. Now if a hawk winds up dead on your property, we're gonna think YOU did it, and blamed it on the rooster.

I wouldn't blame you a bit myself, however. (I'm rooting for your rooster to get him as well.)

I thought about buying my rooster a Remington 870 to help protect the flock.....

 

[centrarchid]

I have a good number of Coopers Hawks around and they chase song birds like mocking, blue jays, and mourning doves in addition to starlings and grackles. They are a threat to juveniles and smaller when adult chickens not present which I no longer allow to be realized. They also have little trouble going after hen-only flocks which I quite doing as well but still see examples of such being targeted by Coopers Hawks in youtube videos. For some reason the Coopers have a very strong preference for going after smaller members of flock and larger members will often go after hawk once it is on ground, especially if largest are full adult roosters. I have lots of experience with Coopers Hawks and so not consider them a threat owing a variety of management tricks that keep them out of trouble. My game roosters will very aggressively go after a Coopers Hawk, especially to protect harem / offspring and I think could kill hawk within a minute or two if rooster could get him down but have never had a rooster kill a Coopers despite seeing many encounters where rooster won everytime. If rooster by some odd chance killed hawk, I doubt anyone, including rooster would face legal action since it is so improbable. Now if you baited hawk in and made so hawk could not escape attacking rooster in purpose, then you are not doing right.

If you have small poultry or hens only, then keep them properly penned or get a dog that worth someting in respect to predator management. Coopers are easy to deal with without loss of anybodies life.