Eagle or Hawk killed and ate 1/2 my 10 lb Plymouth Rock Rooster!

[cajungal]

Yes,I'd bet you anything it was a hawk.

I had one go into our coop and get a chicken and eat it right there in the chicken yard...When I walked out the door it flew off!

Get you some corn and throw it out,so it will bring the crows in...They will keep the hawks run off...

I've seen crows chase hawks in two..I love having them around..They keep my chickens safe!!!
Blessing

 

[hb]

We, too, experienced a large hawk that seemed to slip through a small gap on my "under construction" chicken run this last summer. It was dusk, and I just told my boys that we needed to bring the chicks in for the night, and right then my small, polish bantam chick, who we called "Peeps" sounded the alarm with loud peeping, like, "Peeeep! Peeeep! Peeeep!Peeeeep!" and saw her hopping up and down when we all frantically ran outside to see what was wrong. There was this huge, magestic hawk (not a Red Tail, but maybe a Red Shouldered?) clutching onto the chicken wire on the opposite side of the run. My son went in and cornered the hawk until I got the girls out safely, and then it flew out. BUT... since this experience, I don't let the girls out unless they are with someone who is serious about watching out for potential overhead air attacks. I also get teased for being "paranoid" or "over protective", but I know how stealth hawks can be. Also, some of the smaller hawks, like Swainson's, Cooper's, Sharp Shinned, may do ground attacks, ambush style, if necessary. These past few evenings, a smaller hawk with stubby wings does this swooping reconnaissance mission over our yard. Also, I've noticed that our California Turkey Vultures will circle around when I have my girls out, and then a couple of Red Tail Hawks seem to join in with them circling overhead. I keep seeing this more and more, and wonder if it is some type of symbiotic relationship that exists with these species, "Hey, I'll find some food, you kill it, and we'll take the leftovers."

 

[kbarrett]

The red tailed hawks around here are huge. The coop & run we're putting up in spring will defenitely need to be covered. There's also some type of smaller hawk or maybe falcon I see swoop through my yard quite often, I never manage to get a good enough look at them to identify what they are. Last summer I witnessed one chase down and capture a black bird in mid-air.

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

A mature female red-tailed hawk can have a wingspan of nearly 5 feet. I see dozens of 4 footers every day.

I have NEVER seen a vulture "hunt" living prey. I have watched them for weeks at a time (literally, as they spend the winter on the top of my dad's lake house!). I have seen them swoop in very close to a rabbit which had not moved in several minutes, but they didn't even land, and the rabbit didn't twitch a whisker when they got close.

 

[roosters97]

im sorry of your loss, allmost lost my rooster today

 

[Moselle]

Ugh! I haven't gotten my chicks yet, but a neighbor kindly warned me of a red-tailed hawk that has been hanging around her property for the past few months. I didn't realize a hawk would attack a full grown chicken!

 

[JordanFamily]

Do you think my Peafowl would be safe from the three hawks that live around my place? I want them to be able to walk the property but do not want them eaten....What do you think...They are full grown?

 

[NoelTate]

I know there are several different kinds of hawks, and some get very large. A pair of red tail hawks have nested in the woods behind my house every year the past three years. I have been paranoid about my chickens and chihuahuas. They sit on the coop and watch the birds, salivating, I'm sure. Luckily, I covered the coop when I built it. So far, they have not show up this year, so I am hoping they won't come back. I love wild birds, but I don't want any around that are a threat to my pets! Now my concern is some kind of huge pair of birds that has been coming around since they cleared woods a few blocks away to put in townhouses. They are a good 4'-5' across, and they look black from as close as I have been able to get to them. They circle the yard, but so far they have not landed or gotten close enough for me to really identify them. They usually show up when the chihuahuas are outside, so you can well imagine they have me paranoid! I might be building a covered dog run next!

 

[mandomama]

we have red tails, harriers, vultures (I am betting that they spy prey out and attract the hawks for clean up duties) golden eagles, bald eagles, and great horned owls. We will defiantely be covering our run!

 

[conny63malies]

I've seen killings by a hawk a few times. Back in te coop we had in germany, they would mostly attack in the fall and spring time , when the trees werent covering the run. The would swopp around the run(it was huge)and chase the chicken/rooster into a fence. Chicken gets stuck there and thats were they would stay and eat them too.