Free range and hawks, still unsue on the best preventative if any

[Illia]

Three letters - CD's.

Hang 'em up on a metal wire, let em blow in the breeze, and you won't have hawk/eagle issues anymore. My pasture is slightly tacky looking with the CD's hanging around, but it is worth it!!

 

[mdbokc]

And put treats and their outdoor water under cover. I lost one at the water bucket in the open and another while eating treats scattered on the ground earlier. In both cases, the girls would have been focused on the food and drink...making them an easier victim. Now I place the water bucket beneath a cedar tree and only scatter boss, etc. under cover where they are not out in the open or easily seen from the sky. I believe that I could actually tell a difference in how relaxed they seemed when I started doing that instead of out in the open.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
That is logic behind my feeding station setups. Feeders and waters under cover. Also reduces feild of view chickens must monitor for hawk approach.

 

[meinvw]

there are no restrictions on Roosters other than what was set by myself. I will try the cd trick and see how that works. Will be quite a bit until the new flock is brought up so a bit of time to plan. i am sure all but one was a hawk. Setting up cover is not an option, the area is pretty open surrounded by woods. Only cover is my collection of cars and have found them hiding under them a good bit. They do run into the woods and stay there a good bit of the day but think that is when they are threatened. Feeders are all in the coup so they only fend for themselves while outside. When a hawk does show up the older ladies do alert and run into the woods, but they freeze up and make easy targets.
How do you friend the Crows? I do put out feed for the jays and other birds as well as deer blocks (the ladies love these!) so with the other fowls, deer, ground hogs, cats there is quite a bit of activity out there. Even 3 feral cats that run around but they do not even look at the birds, have seen them walk withing 3 feet of a ladie and when they see them they make a wide path! Plus the feed bowls for them do not put up a fight so they are taken care of.
Have seen where most of them have been taken and its not really in the open, its the space between my shop and the field. there is a tall skinny tree there at the end that the hawks will perch and watch. Was thinking about putting up some webbing of fishing line in their flight path to the ground so maybe they would hit it before they made contact but worried about injuring one of the hawks and getting in trouble for it. Usually when i see them up there will shoot bottle rockets at them and it scares them away for a bit. Numerous friends have told me just to take the hawks out but cannot bring myself to do this even if they ar a pest. Plus the legal issues, I am way out in the country and probably would not get caught but I cannot even raise meat chickens for the slaughter part. Ah what to do, what to do.

I did buy 8 more for the loss factor, ok they were cute to, so maybe I can keep more thruout the year. The better half said i am not allowed at TSC anymore, 15 are enough at the house plus the grown ladies at the shop. Dang that Chicken Math!!!!

 

[jamband]

A local farmer told me to hang fishing line from tree to tree over the pasture area, it will glisten enough to deter the hawks. He said he hasn lost a bird to hawk in years and he raises hundreds

 

[tiffanyg2]

I was wondering whether or not Hawks would prey on my chickens... I know we have Hawks around here so now that makes me a little nervous. I was planning on allowing the chickens to free range in my backyard and still have their coop as well. I will have to do some of the tricks yall suggested. I liked the idea of the pie pans that seems easy and definately would be reflective. Luckily there isn't alot of room for them to dive bomb in the backyard They have to come closer and get within our trees. Also I seriously doubt they would even try it if my dogs were outside to. I really didn't think that hawks would attack chickens though? I have Buff's though which will be really "BIG" so I'm hoping there size will keep them out of a Hawks reach!

 

[knjinnm]

Quote:
Yes ... hawks will prey on your chickens. A hawk won't necessarily try to carry a large bird away, it will strike ... kill and pick at the birds flesh. If you know you have hawks ... keep them under cover.

 

[knjinnm]

Quote:
I once used fishing line to keep crows out of my garden. The space was narrow (12 -15 ft) between two fences so it was easy to zig-zag the line back and forth between the fences. Crows could land on the fence and hop down to the garden but they couldn't easily take off if startled. I think the opposite would apply to hawks which like to swoop in and grab prey. The line would deter them form swooping in for the kill.

 

[jamband]

i was told that a few times they tried swooping and hit a line and it totally freaked them out. Just seems like if it works its a little more aesthetic than 30 cds in your yard........but whatever keeps them safe.

 

[AlbionWood]

I've used the fishing line and so far, so good. We have Cooper's Hawks here all the time, and before I put up the line one of them killed a NH pullet. Since then, no losses. We also have a good rooster, but so far I don't think he's had to do more than scream in warning.

Fishing line is super-cheap. Get 15 or 20 lb test, I think it's like $2 for 300 yards. I put in a few extra-tall T-posts (the 10' kind, so they stick up about 8' + ) and ran a line down the center of the run, then ran zigzags over that line, so I can walk without garrotting myself. My yard is pretty big so there are large gaps, easily enough room for hawks to fly through, but I think the appearance of the line throws them off. Cooper's Hawks come in low, eye-level or even lower, and then swoop over the fence to attack. The webbing of fishing line at eye-level apparently looks impenetrable, or at least not something they want to tangle with.

Ravens are another matter... they will drop straight down through the gaps. I have to solve that problem before I can let my new chicks out.