Deterring Gosh Hawks...

[HereChickChickChick88]

My birds are free-range and we like it that way. I understand the reasoning for a run, believe me. However, we began our journey for chickens and guineas (have yet to tame them, but that's another subject and I'm trying again this spring) because my 2 year old (at the time) was diagnosed with multiple and potent strains of Lyme disease. We live in PA, the WORST state for Lyme, and also a state that doesn't "spray" or do anything to try and control the population. We take a ton of other measures to protect her, but the bug eating chickens and guineas combined with the Omega's and protein/healthiness of back yard free-range fresh eggs for our daughter every morning is one of the best natural ways I sleep at night. Our daughter loves to play outside and I can't keep her in a bubble so ANYTHING I can do to help her I will - so free-range chickens it is. That being settled, my husband will not go for a net over our entire yard and I'm sick of losing chickens to Gosh Hawks. I've read reflective surfaces help deter these predators - has anyone had any luck with this or anything else? I have no issues hanging reflective items around our yard... this thread I'm sure is repetitive as I've found many previous posts on this subject matter, some old, some newer.... any personal experience? They repeatedly kill our chickens in a bush about 10 feet from our house... I love my chickens and want to protect them but I hear of other people free-ranging with a decent amount of success....

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

I have never tried reflective surfaces to protect my chickens but I have seen ospreys shy away from them so I'd say it is worth a shot.

Do you have a large rooster? A big, well-mannered rooster is great for flock protection. My Welsummer rooster would watch for the hens, rounding them up and cackling when hawks where about. He also would crow at the hawks and ruffle out his feathers... just waiting for them to come closer so he could take a piece out of one. However, he was extremely gentle towards people.

Large breeds that are generally good flock-keepers include: Plymouth Rocks, Welsummers, Rhode Island Reds and Australorps. However, there is no guarantee that any rooster will turn out people-friendly and protective of his flock (some rooster are gentle but have no flock-keeping instincts while others are overly-protective/aggressive).

 

[HereChickChickChick88]

I have never tried reflective surfaces to protect my chickens but I have seen ospreys shy away from them so I'd say it is worth a shot.

Do you have a large rooster? A big, well-mannered rooster is great for flock protection. My Welsummer rooster would watch for the hens, rounding them up and cackling when hawks where about. He also would crow at the hawks and ruffle out his feathers... just waiting for them to come closer so he could take a piece out of one. However, he was extremely gentle towards people.

Large breeds that are generally good flock-keepers include: Plymouth Rocks, Welsummers, Rhode Island Reds and Australorps. However, there is no guarantee that any rooster will turn out people-friendly and protective of his flock (some rooster are gentle but have no flock-keeping instincts while others are overly-protective/aggressive).

I had a silkie bantam roo and he was so mean to me - not my husband, daughter, or anyone else... just me. I had to place re-home him. I've read that RIR roos are mean, but I have a male RIR chick in the brooder now I may try keeping. Thank you for the reply. I'm getting guineas this spring, I read they may help as well.... not so much with the attack but with the loudness and fuss they make. Thanks again.

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

Rhode Island Red Temperament
"Since the RIR’s ancestry includes both non-aggressive breeds (Shanghai, Leghorn and Java) and aggressive breeds (Malay), their turnout (temperament-wise) is about as predictable as a coin toss. Some Rhode Island Reds are mellow and gentle while others are highly aggressive. It depends largely on the parent stock. (You can read more about Rhode Island Reds here)

 

[centrarchid]

Northern Goshawk are tougher than most here deal with. I would try a dog as you did not rule that option out yet. Other methods I think are questionable.

 

[lazy gardener]

Northern Goshawk is my main predatory bird. And they are tough, persistent. I agree with Centrarchid. In your case, you might benefit from a nice sized dog, one with a rep of being gentle. I might try a Black Lab in your case. I'm sure others will chime in with their recommendations.

You might also try putting up some obstacles and barriers around your yard. Hawks do not like to fly into areas that make it difficult for them to swoop down on their prey. It may make your yard look trashy, but you could put lots of lawn furniture around, string some fish line in multiple directions from tall posts, hang CD's from the fish line, put up an A frame of fencing, a tarp tent. Even place fiberglass fence posts every 10 - 20' across the yard in a grid pattern. My birds know the hawk risk, and spend very little time in the open yard. They RUN from the coop/run, across the yard, to hide under my deck and hang out against the foundation of my house. Some days I can let my birds out all day long. Then, there will be weeks at a time when the hawks will show up within 10 minutes of the time that I let my flock out. Those days, the flock spends the entire day in their covered run.

I think you are going to have to use a combination of run and free range. Otherwise, those Goshawks can and will take a chicken every day until you have none left.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

If they seem to get them around one bush in particular that's a good place to string, well, string to interrupt the flight path there.

Can you add more cover for them? Bushes, fast growing small trees, little shelters? The less distance they have to run the better they will be able to get away.

Maybe put up some clothesline runs with home made play tents for your daughter tossed over and staked down. Fun for her, awkward for the raptor, good to hide in.

Bean tunnels wirh string, pvc pipe, green bean or pea seeds. Sunflower mazes! Classic country child fun that just looks cool but is really cluttering the heck out of the airspace. Just have to protect seeds from the chickens.

 

[lazy gardener]

I like to place an obstacle about every 10' in the areas that the flock likes to visit.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

My yard has something within maybe 20 feet max, maybe that's why winged predators weren't ever my big problem. Fox on the other hand...

 

[HereChickChickChick88]

Northern Goshawk is my main predatory bird. And they are tough, persistent. I agree with Centrarchid. In your case, you might benefit from a nice sized dog, one with a rep of being gentle. I might try a Black Lab in your case. I'm sure others will chime in with their recommendations.

You might also try putting up some obstacles and barriers around your yard. Hawks do not like to fly into areas that make it difficult for them to swoop down on their prey. It may make your yard look trashy, but you could put lots of lawn furniture around, string some fish line in multiple directions from tall posts, hang CD's from the fish line, put up an A frame of fencing, a tarp tent. Even place fiberglass fence posts every 10 - 20' across the yard in a grid pattern. My birds know the hawk risk, and spend very little time in the open yard. They RUN from the coop/run, across the yard, to hide under my deck and hang out against the foundation of my house. Some days I can let my birds out all day long. Then, there will be weeks at a time when the hawks will show up within 10 minutes of the time that I let my flock out. Those days, the flock spends the entire day in their covered run.

I think you are going to have to use a combination of run and free range. Otherwise, those Goshawks can and will take a chicken every day until you have none left.

I've noticed that they never swoop down after my birds but rather hunt from a distance and find where my birds are taking cover and corner/kill them. Our birds have plenty of places to hide, and obstacles... these Gosh Hawks are serious and are quite forward. Our front porch is SMALL, like, just the basic covering in front of our door and we found a Gosh ON OUR PORCH about 3 feet from our front door, cornering our birds under the jogging stroller - had to open the front door and yell at it. Could have easily spit on the bird or even jumped on it for that matter. They are very aggressive. Will land and then move by land wherever our birds go. I have stopped them from doing so a couple times but all dead birds we find have been in a cornered "shelter" location. I'm going to have to run some fishing line strategically, I believe, and extend their run. We have a dog, but he's an inside dog, and I'm not a huge "let the dog live outside" kind of person... and the dogs do their fair share of attracting ticks and bringing them into the house themselves - So I'm going to have to get creative outside. Thank you for your time and advice!