Coopers Hawk Working Barn Area Hard

[centrarchid]

WOW! Would have loved to see a pic of her kicking butt! Love the expression on hawks face. His day took a bad turn!

Adult games can more than hold their own against Cooper's Hawks but GHO's are a very different story.

 

[memphis]

Agreed with GHO being bad news. Still would have loved to see your hen in action.

 

[centrarchid]

Would have been illegal for me.

 

[centrarchid]

Multiple checks throughout night failed to find GHO coming back in. Chickens got startled by rabbits crashing into pens but no baddies. Neighbors flock to north was being assulted by something around 0300. Dogs wanted to go but not allowed. If like typical, then neighbors will check flock near sundown today and the cussing will start, again.

 

[centrarchid]

Three evenings ago GHO did take out a 7 lb American Dominique cock. Cock was one of four plus a couple each of stags, hens and pullets. Lost cock was only one roosting in open on a pen in open field. Others either now penned or will be immediately after dark tonight. Owl is working area hard.

Account for that in linked thread below. Also had a Red-tailed Hawk involved during day on the resulting carcass and hawk works pasture from 0800 to about noon when I have been able to see it. Chickens not bothered by that hawk.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1090039/great-horned-owl-fun-in-2016/10


The real problem is a new Coopers Hawk, this one is adult and appears female but I am having trouble getting a good size reference on it. I did not know this new bird was here until after I let a game hen with almost five week old chicks out this morning so they could dust bath. Cooper's Hawk came into barn at least twice while I was out today. Each had a dust up where chickens in barn produced all sorts of alarm calls. On second visit I could see game hen with chicks was running hawk out and hen flew after it a bit but zipped right back to chicks. Chicks are very close to age of weaning which would likely cause their subsequent loss if I do not intervene. All penned now except one juvenile from another brood that slipped passed me when fixing waterer.

 

[centrarchid]

WOW! Would have loved to see a pic of her kicking butt! Love the expression on hawks face. His day took a bad turn!

Similar to what saw but hawk was actually being knocked around and on to its back and physically held down by hen. What shown in video illegal.

Hen going after a Goshawk which is a much tougher customer than my Coopers.

At least two videos are out showing chickens getting the better of a Coopers (or closely related) but I can not find them. Hens are always broody and roosters are mature and standard size, not immature roosters like the universe fails to properly characterize.

 

[memphis]

Wow....fun to watch!

 

[centrarchid]

Videos I cannot find do not seem to come up using English search terms. Southeast Asian or Spanish might be better.

Lame raptor attacked by hen and dog.

I think raptor is actually a hawk. Bird trashed on a chicken then more chickens and a dog went after hawk.

 

[centrarchid]

This similar to what I did for my kids at end of our encounter.


Video of Coopers getting mobbed by a bunch of laying hens.

 

[memphis]

Thats GREAT!