Hawk attack (with video)

[m1marin]

Yesterday morning we had a very close call with a hawk. While I was out feeding the girls and cleaning the poop board our hens freaked out. As you can see in the video the coop door was blocking my view of what happened. All I heard was our girls let out a warning yelp and scrambling under the shrubs. That's literally all I heard.

I didn't think much of it since they usually get the zoomies in the morning and race around the yard. But this time they seemed really traumatized and wouldn't come out from under the shrubs. It was only later when I went inside that and checked the security camera that I realize how close one of our girls came to serious injury or worse. Poor girls must have been terrified.

Normally the crows in our neighborhood seem to keep the hawks away. But on this particular morning they were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they were off fighting crime on another street. Needless to say, there was absolutely no warning - the hawk was completely silent. Not only that but this brazen hawk made a go of it while I was standing right there!

Anyhow, keep your eyes out and for predators. It can literally happen right under your nose.

 

[Jessi.Smith]

My chickies are still confined to their run, but I have busted a hawk checking them out. I can tell when hawk is around because the chickies stay in the coop.
They are quick and deadly. I am glad your girls are ok!

 

[DobieLover]

Wow!
Nice tuck and run. Good for your girls that they didn't get injured or worse.

 

[ChickenLeg]

Nice camera set up, glad theyre safe

 

[MissChick@dee]

Wow that was a close call!
They are silent when they fly and fast too.
I walked out one day with treats. Silence...girls nowhere to be seen. I called no one came. I took a few steps out I could see my girls but they wouldn’t come. Panicked I yelled and my ever obedient leghorn inched towards me.
I looked to my right (because she was looking that way) there next to the fence was a hawk chomping on a snack of a sparrow. It just looked at me like “what?”
It literally finished the bird then couldn’t take off because it’s back was to the fence and he’d have to fly my direction. I was yelling and approached. The hawk (huge) jumped from the ground to the top of the fence then flew off.
Funny my RSL (7months old) ran up when I did she got all puff daddy on the hawk....guess she was waiting for reenforcment. Hawks here are crazy and brazen!! Glad yours had a happy ending.

 

[FishMtFarm]

Wow! That was a really balsy bird!

 

[Saaniya]

Yesterday morning we had a very close call with a hawk. While I was out feeding the girls and cleaning the poop board our hens freaked out. As you can see in the video the coop door was blocking my view of what happened. All I heard was our girls let out a warning yelp and scrambling under the shrubs. That's literally all I heard.

I didn't think much of it since they usually get the zoomies in the morning and race around the yard. But this time they seemed really traumatized and wouldn't come out from under the shrubs. It was only later when I went inside that and checked the security camera that I realize how close one of our girls came to serious injury or worse. Poor girls must have been terrified.

Normally the crows in our neighborhood seem to keep the hawks away. But on this particular morning they were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they were off fighting crime on another street. Needless to say, there was absolutely no warning - the hawk was completely silent. Not only that but this brazen hawk made a go of it while I was standing right there!

Anyhow, keep your eyes out and for predators. It can literally happen right under your nose.

God damn I hope those chicken who hide under the tree are fine ..

I hate hawks
Can you apply a net over & cover the open area of ur run

 

[FarmerGirl101]

I just had a hawk fly straight at me the other day.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Yesterday morning we had a very close call with a hawk.

That looks like a Blue Darter hawk a.k.a. a Sharp Shinned hawk.

If you are beset with chicken math and you have young birds then a blue Darter hawk is the answer to your chicken overpopulation problems.

Young chickens are a Blue Darters' tater chips because they are unable to eat just one.

 

[centrarchid]

That is pretty cool. Other hens appeared up to engaging hawk which likely part of reason it broke off. Hawk did appear to be aware of human working on coop. That person likely heard chickens respond but did not listen. I have learned to drop everything when chickens sound alarm.