Danger of Hawks

[d.k]

* Where do you get big plastic crows?? (

:- sounds like the name of a band!!)

 

[Bamaman]

I bought mine from a hunting store by my house. You need more than one, for it to work. Crows hate hawks and owls and if there are several crows and only one hawk the crows will gang up on it and start flogging it. So hawks try to stay way from groups of crows.
Here are a couple links to some decoys.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=crow+decoy&noImage=0

Here are the kind I have, They are better for sticking into wood fence posts.
http://cgi.ebay.com/FLAMBEAU-5900CR...ryZ22697QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[LynneP]

Hawks need very little diving space to attack. Chickens don't seem to realize they're coming. One of our neighbours has lost most of her free-rangers to them. Some are so cunning they'll hide in the nranches of trees until the chickens are calm and nail them swiftly. Very sorry...I'm not against free-ranging as a concept, but if you live among predators, it puts your birds on the wild food chain.

 

[JustChicky]

We have about 6 or 7 (or more) hawks that live on our property. I think they live in this these tall evergreens that are on the edge of our property. We preserve the natural timber and terrain on 9 acres and live on the other 1.5 acres.

Anyway, they hang out in the cow pasture right next to us and I always see them circling. Just the other day, my little dog was in the bushes and 3 hawks landed under a tree, about 15 feet from her, they just kept staring and another one was up in the air circling around her. It really scared me, I was about 30 feet away. I just kept calling her and finally when she ran out of the bushes they got scared and took off.

I plan on using chicken tractors and only letting them out to free-range while I am outside. I am also going to lock them in the coop & run at night because we have coyotes and wild boars that roam at night.

Thank you, Bamaman, I am interested in the plastic crows and would like to know how they work out for the rest of you. I don't want the hawks or any other wild animals to leave my property, but I don't want to lose any chickens either.

 

[alabama girl]

We have a hawk nest in the tall pines behind our house too. Lynnep is 100% correct, they do watch the chickens, our literally studied all the moves, hiding places and finally got Fuzzy (partridge silkie, our very first chicken) from under the azalea bush.
Thankyou for the link to the decoy site Bamaman.

 

[augiedranch]

here is a video of hawks and crows.

i too have had a lot of trouble with hawks getting my chickens.. its awful!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw158QBNLQE

 

[augiedranch]

i would like to say about the hawk vrs. crows...
it is true. i have had chickens for years, they are ALL FREE RANGE! so i guess me saying ive had trouble with hawks.. in years ive only lost two chickens. after reading everyone eles problems they have lost quite a few more than i have.. and my chickens are on ten acres of pasture. i live in texas, way in the country where red tails are very very common..

i am weird, but i love crows! they actually can talk just as good as any parrot. they are highly intelligent. i started feeding a couple of years to attract crows and ravens. because i felt sorry for them cuz everyone eles hates them, and only wants the mocking birds and "pretty" birds around..

anywase, i have live crows everywhere.
i dont have a bad hawk problem

my nieghbor who lives about 100 yards away looses at least on chick or chicken every week. so she keeps eggs in the incubator always to make up for the lost ones... kinda sad

but she doesnt have crows!