FOGHORN LEGHORN~ "Lookit here son, I say, I say son, did ya see that hawk after those hens? ....

[CaCO3]

Sorry.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

I have crows for a week now!! YAY!!! just hope they don't get my chickens sick

We have a lot of Ravens here. Never made any of mine sick. They will though pull all my beans out of the garden!!

Actually talked with to older guys this weekend, they said kill one or two of them and hang them up. You won't see another crow or raven around!!

Just saying what they said.

 

[Shokokuphoenix]

Hi y'all, I'm a long-time lurker but only a recent 'joiner', but since this topic is one that I'm very familiar with and decently knowledgeable about, I just wanted to throw my two cents in on what will and will not prevent hawk and raptor predation on domestic fowls.

For some reason, there's always a lot of hocus-pocus and snake oil methods being thrown around in the bird/predator abatement fields. I laugh inside whenever I see one of those plastic bobble-headed owls or 'eye-balloons' being sold somewhere to scare off predators or starlings (I have a picture of a crow standing on one of those plastic owls, as a scathing testament to their usefulness). The truth is that not spinning pinwheels, tied up AOL CDs, fluttery strips of Mylar, fishing line, flashlights, hen jackets, funny chicken paint jobs, noisemakers, nor an entire sequined rah-rah kick line of Las Vegas can-can-dancers will prevent a determined Cooper's hawk (or Great-horned owl, or goshawk, for those who live in the deep northern woods and western mountain valleys) from dining on a loose chicken.

I am a master falconer with over 12 years of experience and I am also someone who's been raising chickens and other fowl (pheasants, peacocks, quail, parrots, ducks, chukar, geese, turkeys... ) in Florida and in Washington State since I was all of three years old, and you can take it to the bank from me that only a good, wire mesh or wood/brick/steel/concrete/etc. solid material constructed enclosure, with no external opening greater than 1 1/2 inches wide, will prevent 100% of hawk, eagle and owl attacks. Anything else is simply tying a silver ribbon to a canary's tail and letting it wander around a cat convention while hoping for the best.

A highly aggressive rooster, good dog, or other aggressive guard-type of domestic animal (llama, donkey/burro, goat, mini-horse, etc.) *might* (if it is around and is able/willing to get to and stop the attack before it is too late, and it actually fights and/or charges at the hawk to startle it) be able to fend off the attacking hawk or owl, but any chicken or fowl involved with the hawk will still run a decent chance of being severely injured, disfigured or killed in the attack. PS: Fortunately, hawk and owl talons/beaks are not overly septic and tend not to cause terrible infections like how cat and mammal bites tend to be.

A hungry Cooper's hawk (or Great-horned owls at night) will absolutely not give two rips if human beings or dogs are standing a few feet from a loose chicken or pigeon. They will come right on in and try to take it if they feel motivated enough by hunger. I myself have trapped wild Cooper's hawks before in a tree-lined field at a distance of only 8 feet away - with myself making absolutely no effort to hide - within mere seconds of me producing a baited trap. When released, many of the trapped Cooper's hawks have made no effort to leave the area in a hurry either, and simply hid in a tree above me.

Anyways, feel free to ask me any hawk or raptor related question, and I'll sure try to answer them for you (or point you to the right resource to get your answer). Happy fowl-and-chicken keeping y'all, and keep your feathery friends locked up for safety!

PS: As was stated earlier in this thread, harassing, shooting, killing, trapping-and-relocating (even if alive and unharmed, the law doesn't take that into consideration), etc. of any raptors (or any other US migratory bird for that matter, without a species appropriate permit allowing 'take') is incredibly illegal and subject to heavy duty thousand-plus dollar fines and or jail time. These fines and jail time go up exponentially if the bird in question is an eagle of either US species (the bald or the golden), and as an added a note to that, the feds love to make a big public example out of eagle crimes.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Hi y'all, I'm a long-time lurker but only a recent 'joiner', but since this topic is one that I'm very familiar with and decently knowledgeable about, I just wanted to throw my two cents in on what will and will not prevent hawk and raptor predation on domestic fowls.

For some reason, there's always a lot of hocus-pocus and snake oil methods being thrown around in the bird/predator abatement fields. I laugh inside whenever I see one of those plastic bobble-headed owls or 'eye-balloons' being sold somewhere to scare off predators or starlings (I have a picture of a crow standing on one of those plastic owls, as a scathing testament to their usefulness). The truth is that not spinning pinwheels, tied up AOL CDs, fluttery strips of Mylar, fishing line, flashlights, hen jackets, funny chicken paint jobs, noisemakers, nor an entire sequined rah-rah kick line of Las Vegas can-can-dancers will prevent a determined Cooper's hawk (or Great-horned owl, or goshawk, for those who live in the deep northern woods and western mountain valleys) from dining on a loose chicken.

I am a master falconer with over 12 years of experience and I am also someone who's been raising chickens and other fowl (pheasants, peacocks, quail, parrots, ducks, chukar, geese, turkeys... ) in Florida and in Washington State since I was all of three years old, and you can take it to the bank from me that only a good, wire mesh or wood/brick/steel/concrete/etc. solid material constructed enclosure, with no external opening greater than 1 1/2 inches wide, will prevent 100% of hawk, eagle and owl attacks. Anything else is simply tying a silver ribbon to a canary's tail and letting it wander around a cat convention while hoping for the best.

A highly aggressive rooster, good dog, or other aggressive guard-type of domestic animal (llama, donkey/burro, goat, mini-horse, etc.) *might* (if it is around and is able/willing to get to and stop the attack before it is too late, and it actually fights and/or charges at the hawk to startle it) be able to fend off the attacking hawk or owl, but any chicken or fowl involved with the hawk will still run a decent chance of being severely injured, disfigured or killed in the attack. PS: Fortunately, hawk and owl talons/beaks are not overly septic and tend not to cause terrible infections like how cat and mammal bites tend to be.

A hungry Cooper's hawk (or Great-horned owls at night) will absolutely not give two rips if human beings or dogs are standing a few feet from a loose chicken or pigeon. They will come right on in and try to take it if they feel motivated enough by hunger. I myself have trapped wild Cooper's hawks before in a tree-lined field at a distance of only 8 feet away - with myself making absolutely no effort to hide - within mere seconds of me producing a baited trap. When released, many of the trapped Cooper's hawks have made no effort to leave the area in a hurry either, and simply hid in a tree above me.

Anyways, feel free to ask me any hawk or raptor related question, and I'll sure try to answer them for you (or point you to the right resource to get your answer). Happy fowl-and-chicken keeping y'all, and keep your feathery friends locked up for safety!

PS: As was stated earlier in this thread, harassing, shooting, killing, trapping-and-relocating (even if alive and unharmed, the law doesn't take that into consideration), etc. of any raptors (or any other US migratory bird for that matter, without a species appropriate permit allowing 'take') is incredibly illegal and subject to heavy duty thousand-plus dollar fines and or jail time. These fines and jail time go up exponentially if the bird in question is an eagle of either US species (the bald or the golden), and as an added a note to that, the feds love to make a big public example out of eagle crimes.

your first post and a good post! Thank you, and WELCOME to BYC! glad your not lurking anymore!

 

[Shokokuphoenix]

Thanks Sally for the warm welcome!

I just hate thinking of so many good people putting faith in methods that don't work (at all), losing hens/fowls and blowing their hard-earned money on what could be eliminated with a good pen. I figured it might be a worthwhile thing to 'out' myself, save some people some time and money and help clear away some hocus-pocus about the 'mysteries' of hawk predation (especially from a fellow poultry enthusiasts point of view).

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Thanks Sally for the warm welcome!

I just hate thinking of so many good people putting faith in methods that don't work (at all), losing hens/fowls and blowing their hard-earned money on what could be eliminated with a good pen. I figured it might be a worthwhile thing to 'out' myself, save some people some time and money and help clear away some hocus-pocus about the 'mysteries' of hawk predation (especially from a fellow poultry enthusiasts point of view).

Sure, glad to have you with us! Sounds exciting to be a falconer! Do you have a lot of birds?

 

[Shellz]

Yep, Shokokup! Hawks really don't care if you're around. I was out the other day with my 4 week old chicks. Made a nice pen out in the grass, sat there in my lawn chair & guess what? A hawk flew by, about 4 feet parallel from my head! It gave up on trying again though. There's a plethora of small game around this spring. Rabbits were a rare sight until now. I see them every morning &/or night!

 

[CaCO3]

Here's my question. Isnt a Cooper's hawk just a general term for all hawks? It's not an actual type of hawk. Red-tailed are what we have mostly and there are peregrine falcons around too.

 

[aart]

Here's my question. Isnt a Cooper's hawk just a general term for all hawks? It's not an actual type of hawk. Red-tailed are what we have mostly and there are peregrine falcons around too.

No, it's not a general term...google Cooper's Hawk

 

[Northie]

I have been buzzed by hawks twice since I moved to the country. The first time I was walking along the side of the road unintentionally stirring up small birds in the ditch and a hawk flew over me (only a couple feet from my head) and took a sparrow. That was a cool experience, I felt the wind from the hawks wings, but I did feel a touch of guilt for flushing the sparrows. The second time was in my garden. I was talking to my husband and a robin dropped over my shoulder close enough her wings touched me. She was being chased by a hawk who nearly crashed into the back of my head according to my hubby. Judging by the look in his eyes I don't think he was exaggerating either. The hawk left and the robin returned to her nest on the side of the house. We named her Mama, she was very tolerant of me working below her in the garden and would "talk" to me while I worked and check for worms when I was done. The other set of robins living by the garage door would dive bomb you if you came near them or tried to use the garage.
I really like birds of prey and aspire to be a falconer someday, maybe when the kids are older? I'm going to try really hard to make my coop/run as predators proof as I can...

Edited to fix silly auto-spell mistake.... (s)