Cull by hawk? *Answered* Thank you

[ayamfeather12]

I haven't seen another thread on this topic so decided to post here. I was wondering what people think about intentionally leaving chicks and juvenile birds out to be taken by hawks. As you can guess, I am considering my options for unwanted cockerels, if my chicks turn out to be males. The best option would always be to sell them away, but since that isn't always possible I know a lot of people end up culling. I am wondering about hawks as an alternative to the more commonly used methods.

A couple points I'm interested in are whether this is a efficient method of dispatching unwanted birds, or if hawks tend to leave the job unfinished; another is whether this might actually be bad for the hawks in terms of potential poultry diseases or other issues.

I know this is a potentially sensitive topic, but I am rather looking for information on people's experiences or knowledge of hawk predation to help me decide if this is a reasonable option.

As backstory, I did have one 1 month old chick accidentally taken by a hawk a while ago and there was no trace of it, except for a bit of skittishness from the other chicks. I was fairly sure it was a cockerel at the time, which was somewhat fortunate as I am turning out to have more males than females from this clutch.

Thank you for any input

 

[silkiechicken]

My biggest fear about lulling hawks by offering free food is that you would be putting the ones you want to keep at risk.

 

[Desert Rooster]

I'm sorry but that is a horrible thing to do, would you do that to unwanted puppies or kittens?

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

Kind of a waste IMO. Not sure where you are, but alot of us still butcher birds and feed our families.

 

[BrattishTaz]

Why not? If you see no problem exposing a domesticated animal to a slow excruciating death. How badly could being shredded alive and having you skull ripped open be?

 

[Darklingstorm]

Allowing hawks to grab some, will tell them that there is food to be found there and then will be coming back for more later on. Don't forget that they teach their young were to find food too.
Thought about hiring someone to cull them for you if you can't do it? Sell them real cheap or give away would be safer.

 

[chickenpredatorkiller]

yeah, if it weren't for the hawk getting the thought into its head that your house= food, then I would say that is a great idea... But what you MIGHT be able to do is, just release the chick into the woods if you don't live in a populous area... hey you never know, he could live and become a wild chicken!

and for people that are more experienced than me please feel free to correct me if that wouldn't work

 

[back4roosting]

Yikes! I hear the killing process used by birds of prey is pretty horrific - better to sell them or do it yourself - quick style. The other really bad consequence is to put the sign out to the all the hawks in the area that there's a quick, easy meal to be had at your place.

 

[ayamfeather12]

Quote:
That would be a good option, but the size of my bantams are hardly enough except for a hawk, and I do appreciate local wildlife and wouldn't mind letting them have the meal.

For other posts that mention the possibility of attracting hawks to my other birds, I do keep them in enclosures that I am fairly confident about at this point for keeping them safe.

 

[secuono]

If you have a lot of land, I would take them to the farthest point possible. Also, if you have a known land predator, you can toss them into their dens. If you have dogs or cats, you can feed them the birds.