Cooper's Hawks Hunt Openings to Coops During Migration!

[Fishkeeper]

Even if you kill a hawk, it's not going to do any good. They're an avian predator, they fly long distances to look for food. You'd have to kill all the hawks in the area (which you should not do, for multiple reasons) to make sure that a hawk never got near your chickens again. It's not like other predators with smaller ranges.
One thing you can try doing is befriending any local corvids, or more belligerent smaller birds. Crows, ravens, blue jays, grackles, etc will drive away hawks for you.

 

[Al Capon]

Even if you kill a hawk, it's not going to do any good.

Well,..mathematically, it will do a little good..

You'd have to kill all the hawks in the area (which you should not do, for multiple reasons) to make sure that a hawk never got near your chickens again.

Not true, you just have to remove the ones genetically predisposed to eatin Chicken..

 

[Fishkeeper]

Chickens are prey animals. All hawks are genetically predisposed to eating prey animals.

 

[Molpet]

Used to be predators were afraid of people and stayed away unless they were desperate.. ... Just saying

 

[Al Capon]

Chickens are prey animals. All hawks are genetically predisposed to eating prey animals.

See post #32..

 

[Fishkeeper]

Right. So killing all the hawks genetically predisposed to eating chickens is killing all of them, which is what I said.

 

[sourland]

Right. So killing all the hawks genetically predisposed to eating chickens is killing all of them, which is what I said.

Some species feed primarily on mammals. Of those that feed on avian species some become specialists. Those are the birds that stop feeding on wild species and go for our 'easier' domesticated birds. Some are easily dissuaded, and others are as brazen as mustellids. I have had Cooper's strike birds at my feet, hit aviaries right next to me, and one even made a pass at me when I was holding a pigeon.

 

[Below frigid]

Is there anyway we can reduce those average ages,, without risking involuntary confinement or hefty fines?

Depends on where you live and who you tell.

 

[Trish1974]

one even made a pass at me when I was holding a pigeon.

Did it buy you a drink first?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Don't blame a predator for doing what it's programmed to. The hawk doesn't understand the pain it causes, it's a hawk. Just because it's a predator does not give you the right to condemn it to a painful death.
Poisoning anything is bad for the local ecosystem, and, again, illegal in this case. Very illegal.
If you live where there are hawks, keep your chickens inaccessible to said hawks. If you don't keep them inaccessible, resign yourself to losing some.

Do as you please but remember that hanging always comes after the catching. Dead hawks always were a prerequisite to live free range chickens. To pretend otherwise is to ignore the facts. In many ways a chemical control of those hawks killing your poultry is in effect a good practice for the environment. The reason being that you are only controlling the hawks that are actively feeding on domestic poultry. This is much better on the hawk population than the kill them all knee jerk reaction.

So we are saying that it is bad if a hawk experiences a painful demise while it is well and good if a chicken is basically eaten to death while your hen is in the clutches of a hawk? I think that this calluses regard for the lives and well being of the chickens that we keep is shocking.