Hawk Attack Thwarted!

[JoeInPA]

So I was just sitting at my dining room table where I have a pretty clear view of my chicken run in the backyard. All of a sudden my dogs ran to the back door and started barking, I looked out the door and the hawk was trying to get at my chickens! Immediately I ran out and when I did the hawk flew away, but he was trying very hard to get at my little chicks. My run seems to have done been enough to keep the hawk from getting them, but I am not sure what to do next. It is covered in chicken wire but I think I'm going to recover it in hardware cloth. I am going to bring the chicks back inside for the day. Wow am I glad I was there when this happened.

 

[Folly's place]

Chicken wire will keep raptors out, as long as it's secured well enough so it doesn't just collapse if one hits it.
Actually hawks are the easiest predators to keep out!
Your bird will likely come back for a week or two, so don't have your chicks outside of their safe covered area for at least that long.
Is your roof built with snow load in mind?
Pictures will help us see any places that might need more security.
Mary

 

[FathertoFeathers]

You'll probably have to get something stronger than chicken wire like metal wire mesh because I have had hawks swoop down break through the chicken wire and fly out of the hole with a chicken in its grasp. Ive had the birds of prey do the same thing.

 

[goldysgirl]

I saw a hawk full speed dive into the side of my chain link run a few years ago. It knocked it on it's butt and i never saw it again. I don't think it saw the fence at all. It was probably too excited about the tasty chicken it thought it was going to grab. It has half chain link and half welded wire top and electric fencing strands half way up the sides.

 

[Folly's place]

Diving through chicken wire? That bird really worked for that chicken dinner! It's never happened here though.
Chicken wire is useless at keeping any other predators out anyway, so an upgrade would be good.
Mary

 

[dehowery]

So I was just sitting at my dining room table where I have a pretty clear view of my chicken run in the backyard. All of a sudden my dogs ran to the back door and started barking, I looked out the door and the hawk was trying to get at my chickens! Immediately I ran out and when I did the hawk flew away, but he was trying very hard to get at my little chicks. My run seems to have done been enough to keep the hawk from getting them, but I am not sure what to do next. It is covered in chicken wire but I think I'm going to recover it in hardware cloth. I am going to bring the chicks back inside for the day. Wow am I glad I was there when this happened.

We had the same problem with Raptors. All of our chocks are free range on 3/4 of an acre. We first had a hawk attack that killed my Husbands Favorite Chock. After it had finished with her it went after a second chicken when my husband appeared . He chased it away and up into a tree. That hawk would not go away instead it flew down and after another chock. To wit my husband disposed of it. We were at a real quandary as what to do. We read this article online here about a couple who also had the same problem... They put up discs hanging off ropes. We said that sounds like a good idea and did the same. We now have our entire property crisscrossed with hanging discs. And guess what (knock on wood) we haven't had another hawk attack again. I realize that your situation is different then ours but I would think the discs could establish the same "keep away effect" for you. We used clothes line rope and slung it from one high spot to another then we hung computer discs from fish line tied onto the rope about every 5 Ft or so. They spin in the wind and send reflections all over the yard. Apparently this really confuses the hawks when they are dive bombing down to land on the chicken. Once you get used to the discs you don't even notice they are there. If we hadn't read that article we would probably would have lost alot more chocks. You might want to try this idea with 2 lines strung over you shed/run. Anyways we wish you the best of luck .

 

[JoeInPA]

He didn't try to dive into it, he was trying to pull the wire off of the frame. Son of a b! I think I'm going to upgrade to hardware cloth anyways. I don't want to take any chances. I just feel bad for the chickens right now, I'm sure they are absolutely terrified.

Here is my run-

I haven't constructed my coop yet, but I'm going to start tonight or tomorrow. Here is the basic design although it'll probably change a bit as I build it. Obviously it'll be covered in sheeting of some sort.

 

[JoeInPA]

We had the same problem with Raptors. All of our chocks are free range on 3/4 of an acre. We first had a hawk attack that killed my Husbands Favorite Chock. After it had finished with her it went after a second chicken when my husband appeared . He chased it away and up into a tree. That hawk would not go away instead it flew down and after another chock. To wit my husband disposed of it. We were at a real quandary as what to do. We read this article online here about a couple who also had the same problem... They put up discs hanging off ropes. We said that sounds like a good idea and did the same. We now have our entire property crisscrossed with hanging discs. And guess what (knock on wood) we haven't had another hawk attack again. I realize that your situation is different then ours but I would think the discs could establish the same "keep away effect" for you. We used clothes line rope and slung it from one high spot to another then we hung computer discs from fish line tied onto the rope about every 5 Ft or so. They spin in the wind and send reflections all over the yard. Apparently this really confuses the hawks when they are dive bombing down to land on the chicken. Once you get used to the discs you don't even notice they are there. If we hadn't read that article we would probably would have lost alot more chocks. You might want to try this idea with 2 lines strung over you shed/run. Anyways we wish you the best of luck .

I'm willing to try anything to keep them away. Do you have any photos of the discs you have hanging?

Unfortunately the hawk's nest is only about 10 or 20 yards from the edge of my backyard, so he is always around.

 

[EggWalrus]

I'm willing to try anything to keep them away. Do you have any photos of the discs you have hanging?

Unfortunately the hawk's nest is only about 10 or 20 yards from the edge of my backyard, so he is always around.

Aluminum pie pans, old CD/DVDs, balls of tin foil, anything shiny that is light enough to hang up.
I've even heard of people using Plastic Saran Wrap to make water balls that they hang up. Supposed to keep away flies also, but I've never tried it.

 

[goldysgirl]

I think it is awesome that you are trying to fix the situation by keeping your birds contained. I am so sad when I hear that people kill protected native predators. Especially beautiful critters that control disease by eliminating rodents. If you remove a predator, another will likely take its place anyway. I free range half of my birds and I accept my losses knowing that it is nature's way. I don't have the heart to kill anything. But, we did relocate a racoon to the gamelands this season after checking with our game warden to make sure it was legal. Later we found out that the culprit that picked off 3 of my chickens was probably a neighborhood dog...I caught him in the act on a 4th. I probably should have let the raccoon stay.