EEK! A hawk tried to steal my Hazel right in front of me!

[debid]

Less than 10' from the house and with the dog right there. WTH?! I was outside painting so I let the chickens out to play and they were hanging around their favorite shrub when a hawk swooped down and grabbed Hazel. The hawk got nothing but feathers and a screaming human throwing sticks. Hazel was frightened and stayed glued to a different (fuller) shrub for at least 5 minutes but aside from the missing feathers is unharmed. I took the group back to their coop (they follow me like chicks with their mama when I have a yogurt cup in my hand) and they'll have to settle for me picking greens for them for the rest of the day.

I'm perplexed because there are so many food options available this time of year and while I know they are around, I have never seen a hawk hunt right by the house before.

 

[sourland]

The majority of hawks are migrating right now. There is a possibility that the hawk that attacked is a hungry juvenile born somewhere in Canada and uneducated about humans. My pigeons have been on lockdown since mid Sept. I won't be able to fly them unscathed until early June.

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
WHATEVER there are a ton around us and I see them all year long.

 

[Evelle]

LOL!!!!!
sorry that story just reminded me of a story of last year i had a hawk that kept swooping down to get mine and me and my white boxer chacing it from tree to tree me trowing rocks (but it was to high up so it was just me being a spaz) and my dog running around (he was only a pup at the time) chacing his own tail. my chickens hidding and i was just tring everything i could to get it to leave so i grab left over bottle rockets (now i buy just for this occation) and set off a few flew off and never came back. so i saw me trowing rocks at a "tree" cuz the hawk was to high yelling "go away lets go whitey lets get that hawk"

 

[debid]

So, you're saying that if I have a couple hundred bottle rockets sitting in the shed because the kids were bored with them after 10 minutes that shooting a few off before I let the chickens out might just do the trick?

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

That happened to me yesterday! Came within 5 feet of me and didn't even care I was standing right there! I gotta tell ya, that scared the crap out of me!

And yes they are migrating, I asked the Missouri Department of Conservation about that. Certain ones do migrate. This one apparently doesn't want to though. I see it ALL the time.

 

[sourland]

If one just happened to get set off as the hawk appeared, it might help. I have had hawks strike the front of my aviaries as I am standing there. I have had hawks pursue my pigeons right to the landing boards and attempt to enter my lofts. I once had a hawk pursue a pigeon into my open cellar way stopping only at the entrance because I happened to be there broom in hand. I have had hawks force a pigeon to the ground mantling it and screeching at me as I approached. I am no stranger to hawk attacks. I choose to try to fly around them which includes locking down during the migration and winter. I also have given up on any hopes of developing a competitive kit of rollers. Just a fact of life.

 

[SilkieBantams]

The best way to scare hawks away is to put some sort of high frequency that will hurt the ears of birds of prey such as hawks which can ward them off from chickens.

 

[ChickiKat]

Quote:
You mean like when I scream??

 

[SilkieBantams]

Quote:
You mean like when I scream??

I mean a high frequency sound that we cannot hear and only animals can hear it.