Grabbed by hawks under our own eyes, we grabbed them back!!!

[Spanishchick]

I remember my father saying to me (a biologist) there are more animals today than ever. At the time I thought is he kidding! Now I understand. We don't hunt like we used to and we protect everything. We just go to the market and buy buy buy. And we don't dream of eating things people thought were normal to eat.

 

[FarmerWife]

We just had a hawk take one of our hens recently, I posted about it the other day. Right in front of my daughter, he just swept down and grabbed it, poor hen was just screaming as she was being carried away. My daughter came in crying hysterically to tell me what happened. We have several different types of hawks here in NM, but that hawk was HUGE. It's been in our pecan orchard watching the neighbors chickens, has taken a few of them. I told them, but they didn't appear to care.

One day it targeted my chickens , and took one. It's been sitting out there on and off every day. I've contemplated getting rid of it, but I don't know if that's legal, and I don't know if I have the heart to shoot anything. I looked it up, and it's a Ferruginous Hawk, really big hawk. One also tried to take one of our Chihuahua's once, so I never let them out to do their thing unless either I, or my daughter is right there with them. We never really had any trouble with them until this year, usually they're way out in the desert, now they seem to be hanging around the farms. Another member here recommended getting guinea hens, and I'm working on it. Just trying to find someone who has them. Anyway, I hope you don't have anymore of your chickens attacked, it's sad, they can't defend themselves. Well here is a picture of what the hawk we have hanging around here looks like so y'all can get an idea of how big he is. Have a good night all!

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ferruginous_Hawk/id

Blessings,
Dianna

 

[Spanishchick]

Your poor child just got a taste of the wild live. We do get really attached to our chickens. I tell my husband that they at least contribute unlike IMO a cat.
A dog can watch your property and do more if they're trained............I just can't get attached to the cat my family brought home. Poor thing.
I did have another hawk attack but the chicken is alive and healing.
She was too heavy and the hawk wasn't as big as the Ferruginous hawk so he dropped her.
Believe it or not they've been hanging in the trees every day since then now and I don't care let the chickens out.
Good luck and sorry for you loss.

 

[centrarchid]

I remember my father saying to me (a biologist) there are more animals today than ever. At the time I thought is he kidding! Now I understand. We don't hunt like we used to and we protect everything. We just go to the market and buy buy buy. And we don't dream of eating things people thought were normal to eat.

Somebody has spent very, very little time outside to make such a statement.

 

[Spanishchick]

Somebody has spent very, very little time outside to make such a statement.

Me or my father? We've both lived in the amazon, europe and in notheastern usa. I grew up iin a tent or a tarp.
Not sure what your referring to.

 

[farmgirl02]

Wow!!!

 

[Spanishchick]

The hawk who finished off my best girl after surviving his attack for 5 days visited us again today. I know which tree he perches on now and he flew off before before I could snap a picture. Actually I can hear the raptor screaching from his perch every day.
I let the chickens out for an hour completely supervised, I'll do it again later ( home today) and they must be traumatized because they heard a screech from a bird which is not a hawk or owl and ran in their coup completely frazzled and all together. May be they're getting the hang of living in jurrasic park.
I went to home depot and looked at netting but I don't see anything better than hanging a tarp.....although burlap seemed an interesting choice. We'll just have to keep this up until we enclose the corral and forget free ranging.
Poor chickens.
Too bad there is no sonics that work for raptors that wouldn't also bother chickens.