Daily hawk visit

[belindaschicks]

Nearly every day I have a hawk that comes and sits and walks/jumps around my coop. It cause great distress to my chickens to the point the chicksns don't want to go in their run. Their run is secure. No way for the hawk to get in. What can i do to deter the hawk?

 

[Ribh]

I'm not sure as it's not a problem I've had to deal with but maybe something bobbing from the run roof like balloons or inflatables... otherwise you could check out this thread...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-deter-hawks.735405/

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Nearly every day I have a hawk that comes and sits and walks/jumps around my coop. It cause great distress to my chickens to the point the chicksns don't want to go in their run. Their run is secure. No way for the hawk to get in. What can i do to deter the hawk?

Do you have a dog?
Some people put out owl decoys. Not sure if that would work, but worth a try.

 

[Abriana]

There are lots of methods to deter hawks.
Shiny CD's taped to the top of the run/coop
A decoy owl or hawk
Streamers that will flap in the wind (to make them get a plastic tablecloth like the ones used at kids' birthday parties and cut it)
Mirrors attached to the top of the run/coop (you don't have to cover the entire thing in mirrors, if you have an old one you can take it out of the frame and use it or break it up into largeish pieces and place them on the run/coop. The reflection when the hawk comes to land will frighten it).

Most likely the hawk will become used to these methods and figure out that they aren't real and can't hurt him. Hawks are quite smart. A dog is a great protector. I have a wonderful collie named Beau who has figured out that I don't like big birds. He keeps away foxes, raccoons, etc as well and alerts me if there is something out there. I trust him fully with the birds which is another nice thing (collies are considered one of the best dogs with chickens, if not the best).

 

[Abriana]

Is your run made of hardware cloth or chicken wire? For complete security use 1/2 inch hardware cloth; I don't think that a hawk would try to get in but other critters could and the hawk just might try.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

You could try bird spikes. They are used by cities to keep pigeons off rooftops and ledges. I would think if it doesn’t have a place to perch it will move on.

 

[Duckworth]

I put a heavy duty tarp on top of the hardware cloth ceiling of my run so hawks don’t see my birds. The other thing that comes to mind are the pigeon spikes people put on the trim of their homes to deter pigeons and squirrels. They aren’t sharp, but would make it hard for anything to land and walk around . To cover a wire roof, I think I would get some welded-wire fencing and clip one end of every other vertical wire and bend it 90 degrees so that when the fencing is laid across the roof, the wires stick up, making the roof unattractive as a landing surface. I would alternate which wires to clip on each horizontal row to get better coverage of the roof with the bent wires. I suspect that would end up being less expensive and easier than mounting a large number of pre-made pigeon spikes.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

I spray them with the hose. No damage to the hawk and they seem to take the hint.

 

[chickenmomma16]

Lately, I’ve noticed some Falconers in my area (people who can legally trap and keep hawks) who are looking for hawks to trap. I’m not sure where you live or the laws in your particular area but it’s worth looking into. I’d check your local Facebook poultry page. It’s a long shot but it’s an option if it’s legal in your area and someone is looking for that particular kind of hawk.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Keep the chickens in.
And “harass” the Hawk with a air rifle. It’s good practice if you ever need to shoot a predator or something. Its not a loud gun either. Sometimes it takes a couple of weeks before they move on. With the right amount of “harassment”you can get rid of them pretty quick.