Hawk Attack!!! Caught on Camera.

[Redangler]

I will admit that I did not believe that a hawk would attack a chicken that was as big as him but my view changed this afternoon. I was inside eating lunch when I heard a loud crash and a lot more comotion coming from the coop. My dog ran outside followed closely by myself to observe a hawk flying away from behind the coop. After a first quick check it looked as though I was missing one bird. I searched the woods right around us for a few minutes than went to double check the head count one more time. After the second court all hens were in the coop accounted for and Pepper(our rooster) was under under the coop raising cane. The hens were packed into the nesting boxes with that look of fear in their eyes. I proceeded to put all of them under the coop with Pepper and lock them in for the rest of the afternoon.

Fortunately I have a camera from our security system focused on the coop so I was able to see the sequence of event. Pepper alerted on the hawk and the hens ran up into the coop. The hawk landed outside the run by the coop and Pepper charged the cage and hit it scaring of the hawk into the tree beside the coop. When my dog ran outside see picked up the hawk and chased it behind the coop where I saw it fly away. It appears that we got away without harm today.

My run has no top on it because it is 30 x 30 but I will be adding some inside posts tomorrow morning and making a maze of fishing line above the run for some protection until the rest can be enclosed. I will try to post the video soon. I had been contemplating getting rid of Pepper because he can be aggressive at times but I have to say he earned a spot in the family today.

 

[Mattemma]

Sounds like Pepper deserves a special treat!

 

[JerseyHen]

I love a good rooster. It is amazing how brave they are. Mine chased a fox (who had a hen in its mouth) for about 200 yards after having been attacked himself only minutes before (huge wounds and still trying to protect his girls).

 

[littleoak]

As soon as you put the posts up put the fishing line on them. If you leave them standing open the hawk will use them for a perch to attack from.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Can you run aviary netting across the top of the pen? It's fairly inexpensive.

 

[bambamsdad]

Might wanna try deer netting just plastic net not very strong but cheap like 7 bucks for 100ft roll will at least slow em down might tangle em up usally black which might give visual detterent also not sure where youd get it in florida got mine at local garden center good luck!!

 

[redsoxs]

I had a similar experience - hawks have never gotten one of my free ranging birds but seem to always be flying around in a menacing fashion. Had one the other day fly UNDER the deck of our walk out and go after a hen. The hens sounded the alarm which alerted Churchill, the dog in my avatar. Ever since a juvenile coyote spooked my hens and they let out the alarm call and he chased that coyote, whenever he hears the girls panicked he is ready to rumble with whatever is causing the commotion. So, I let him out and he was on the hawk's tail, lunging and barking and growling as the hawk gained altitude and sailed away. Great to have a chicken guard dog!

 

[FromChictoChick]

I underestimated a hawk and it's cost me dearly. I am now in the process of acquiring a 14'x6'x6' dog kennel which I will top off with fishing line. No more free ranging for my hens
I thought the big girls were safe, I thought we had enough shrubbery and bushes, I thought the hawk wouldn't come too close to the house, I also thought the hawk would eventually move on...wrong on all counts. I have a Cooper's hawk and it will go right on the ground, right up against the house, and follow the hens into the bushes...and today, I paid for it. Loosing little hens and pullets was awful, but today I lost my big, best PBR. Came home to the hawk eating her right in my yard. No more free ranging, even after the hawk was discouraged and missed quite a few times, it persisted and I feel afraid to let my hens out again at all until we get a fully enclosed pen built

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Oh, FromChictoChick, i'm so sorry.

That's just horrible. i always thought they just swooped down. Didn't know they would hunt from the ground. i have mostly bantams and keep them all locked in covered pens. i know they want to be out free ranging, but it's just so dangerous. So sorry again for your loss.

 

[Redangler]

For the moment I have installed 4 posts in the middle of my run that are 2 ft taller than the perimeter posts. I then attached screw eyes to the top of all 20 posts around the run. After this I ran monofilament from every post to every other post(Over 500 yards to be exact). It looks like a giant spiderweb. He may still have access to them but he will look like the guys in Oceans 11 going thru the lasers to get past the line. I ordered a 50 x 50 piece of aviary netting off amazon and will install that as soon as it arrives. I figure the fishing line will act as a support for the netting. In the sun its pretty impressive because it has a sheen that is constantly moving as you move.