Cooper's or Harrier...

[Mahonri]

Decided to let one pen out for the day this morning.

I was in the main coop and all of a sudden hens came running into the coop from the run like crazy.

Went outside and the 7 chickens outside were going berserk... two had already made it back to their pen two had gone into the oleanders and two were hunkering down behind the GC Maran roo who was screaming the alarm.... I looked up just to see it swoop over me and the rest of the chickens in the run were fighting to get through the pop door.

I screamed at it and the 2 remaining hens and roo outside head the 30 feet to their pen and went in.

Has anyone in Phoenix seen hawks lately?

I searched for images and the ones that looked closest were the coopers and the northern harrier.

Any hawk experts out there?

DS#4 got his gun out and set it by the back gate.

DW wondered why the hawk would be flying over our house when the neighborhood to the south has 100s of ferral chickens.

DS told her it's cuz our chickens are fat, slow and well fed!!

Just when you think, "I don't have to worry about predators"

 

[chickerdoodle]

So scary! Glad they are all OK though. Be sure to not actually shoot the hawk as it is a federal offense but you could scare it off with the noise I imagine. I don't know anything about hawks in Phoenix so hope someone else fills that in for you! In a way it was a merry holiday for the chickens as they didn't wind up on the hawks plate

!

 

[wing it]

pic of coopers and harrier hawks http://www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com/v/birds_of_prey/coopers_hawk/coopers_hawk_F5R6444.jpg.html http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/28/_/Northern_Harrier.aspx both are in your area it can be hard to tell one from the other but if your just starting to see them it could be a harrier as they winter by you