hawk attack lockdown

[zmender]

Hello everyone! Wanted to get your thoughts on the duration of post-hawk attack lockdown. This is the first (albeit 2 consecutive back-to-back attacks) since we got the flock.

We had the flock since spring of last year. They are located in a very deeply wooded + shaded area. Their living arrangement consists of solid wood coop that we lock up at night, an adjoining fully enclosed covered run protected by chicken wires that's openable to the free ranging area, and a much larger free ranging area protected by electric wire.

We had 2 hawk attacks in the past 2 days. First attack was successful... lost my roo, but all girls were safe. Second attack was interrupted when I heard the commotion. Both cases they were red tailed hawks. The hawk didn't get a chance to eat anything yet.

Now however my girls are locked up between the coop and the enclosure, and I'm too worried to let them out into the free ranging area.

Do you know how long hawks tend to stick around after multiple attacks?

 

[Matejka]

Protecting my chickens is priority involving most of my senses.Whenever im outside (or inside), i look, listen, smell. Generally, I'll hear a hawk, owl, or eagle, THEN I start looking for it. Or the crows start a ruckus and I'll look. Something smells off? I start to investigate (yes some predators have a smell). It's hard to describe, but keeping your property safe involves more than looking.

 

[zmender]

Hawk attack again this morning! This time I'm prepared, muwahaha.

Past couple of weeks, I've put up bird net over the area of chicken run that's most exposed, and I've created a spider web of baler twines on areas where it's more wooded.

I was outside splitting some wood and heard a raucous. I ran to this the run (pun intended ), my chickens are scattering and here it is - a red tailed hawk looking stunned laying in the corner by itself, with wings wide open. I suspect as the hawk was dive bombing the chickens, its wings got tangled by the twins and crash landed into my run.

I was able to pick up the hawk without any fightback, snapped a few shame photos, and released it. Hope this hawk learnt lesson - there's no easy breakfast here!

5 of my hens are healthy and accounted for, 1 huge brahma is missing somewhere... figure she'll come out of hiding in a few hours.

 

[zmender]

Here it is - looking a little upset for missing breakfast.

 

[JoeCT]

A resident goshawk attacked my hens just last week. I was lucky to be home and hear the hens freaking out. Long story short my girl that got attacked survived and now my yard looks like a powerline sub-station with cables and strings everywhere. Good luck.

 

[theoldchick]

I have resident Redtails so I keep my chickens in the covered pen. I tend to see the hawks in the fall and Spring. And I have a Horned Owl currently watching my flock. He's really putting a dent in the rodent population. Though he's supposed to be nocturnal he's not above a crack-of-dawn snack before bedding down.

 

[KRack]

Here it is - looking a little upset for missing breakfast.

Man, beautiful bird though. Glad your hens are safe!

 

[KyCoop]

The string works. Not as a keep a hawk out kind of thing but more of a dive bomb interup-ter. It gives the girls the extra seconds they need to hide or get to safety. I had young hawk hit the string and crash into me and saw one pull up at the last second and crashed into the neighbors bush. Much to the girls excitement. They enjoyed running to the fence and making fun of it.

 

[centrarchid]

Thank you for your great advice!

Dealing with hawks is a function of hawk species, demographics of your flock (age/size. sex, breed), and the cover options where the chickens free range. Cover patches here have shut the Redt-tailed hawks down here. Coopers still hunt although they can take only smaller chickens and standard sized roosters are very good at keeping Coopers Hawks away. I free-range chicks with broody hens. My broody hens will take on a Coopers Hawk and prevail.

Dogs now more important for larger stuff (foxes, coyotes raccoons, opossums) and owls.

 

[Matejka]

I would plan on keeping the birds safely enclosed in coop/run a minimum of 2 weeks-maybe longer, depending on hawk, resident or migrating. Good luck!