Does anybody have any suggestions for hawk control?

[aart]

I have a run not to disimilar to aarts, but the darn hawk keeps hanging around. It's tried getting in the doors, walking on the roof.... It checks the run out EVERY DAY. My studio is down in the basement with windows facing the chicken run, so I see it.

Is there anything I can do other than illegally remove the bugger? I've put out a moving owl decoy, it just freaked out my chickens even more than they already are, so I had to move it farther away from Chicken Fort Knox.

Thanks for any suggestions,
Deb

Encourage crows, which will run the hawks off.
LGD trained to run hawks off.
Other than that, probably not much you can do.

 

[Folly's place]

I free range my flock most days, but when a hawk shows interest (kills a chicken, usually a young bantam) I lock the birds in their covered run for at least a week. Two years age a young Coopers hawk hung around for a couple weeks; the birds were in their run for about a month. That's the most persistant hawk I've had here, ever. Juvenile bantams are the most vulnerable; the boys get brave and range away from the hen. Young and dumb! I don't have a LGD. Big adult roosters help. I've had many more losses from furry predators than from raptors over 20+ years of chicken keeping. Mary

 

[sandovaljose214]

You should get some guinea fowl

 

[Sherrillk]

We have had a large red tail hanging around lately and have had to keep our dogs in the yard with the girls, who free range. Luckily, when we hear Lots of chatter and then dead silence we know something is up. They are clearly warning each other and then go into hiding amongst the many hidey holes i.e. under the boat or the coops, a dog house, under the wrought iron table...you get the idea. The other day that big boy flew by, got frightened and dropped half a squirrel into the chickens main area! My husband picked it up (yuck) and threw it high onto the garage roof so it could do a quick "drive thru" for his lunch without having to land in the yard. We are guessing, with the cold here in NY, that his hunting is producing slim pickings so we will have to be on high alert for a while until he moves on. Sigh.

 

[lovebutfair74]

I know wild life enclosures have a safety type netting to keep preditors out and your livestock safe, .. im sure the task will be alot, and might be exspensive. In long run worth your while..
Another longshot is what do hawks fear or what preys them. Imatation or dummy shots, .. but we have an endangered bat here and let me tell you if you dont put safe wire or net up and the bats make home, well guess what you now have roommates and lots of them, like flying rodents. Another endangered pest here is kangaroo mouse or rat,, . My suggestion call around , to wild life preservations. They will have ideas and sometimes even set it up no charge just to protect the species.

 

[Joshua G]

My friend is a licensed falconer so he has permission from the state to remove various birds of prey, i just have to call the TN wildlife to get a permit for him to come over.

 

[hennedout]

where did you get the supplies? Love this idea!!

 

[aart]

where did you get the supplies? Love this idea!!

Details on My Coop Page.

 

[gigiok]

I use aviary netting over my very large run and have not lost a chicken to a hawk or owl. I don't free range but if I did I would string fishing line from tree to tree, zig zag and back and forth and all around the areas where the chickens are. Hawks don't like to fly through line for fear of catching a wing. It works wonders unless you get a very old very wise hawk. And remember, they are just doing what hawks do. Looking for a bit of lunch -- which is what I'm going to go do now - LOL. The trick is to make it easier to go somewhere else to get that lunch...

 

[cochinator]

That video was nuts. I had a very similar experience with a hawk on top of one of my chickens. I took a couple of pictures thinking the chicken was already dead. The hawk did not even seem to care that I was there, trying to eat the chicken. So I went into the garage and got a garden rake and whacked the hawk, which was still on top of the chicken. The hawk proceeded to limp away and I chased it a bit and did what needed to be done (the second S). Went back to dispose of the chicken and it was gone. I thought some hawks were working in tandem and must have carried the thing away while I was holding a funeral for his brother. I did a serious double take when I saw that chicken walking around later that day with no apparent injuries.

Just be aware that just because a hawk is on your chicken and the chicken is limp and not moving, it's not necessarily dead. The hawks are so brazen and so focused on the food that it presents a potential opportunity for permanent deterrence, if you are so inclined and are in an area of the world where such behavior is legal.