Hawk attack!

[Lori J]

I went out today to find my hens hiding under bushes, feathers everywhere and a hawk in the tree above me and another hawk flying overhead. I walked out and the hawks flew off. One hen was dead. The feathers were from several of our chickens but I didn’t see any scratches on them. The one hen seemed to have been dead for several hours. I have had chickens for 4 years and this is the first hawk attack. Does that mean their days of free ranging the yard are over? Since the Hawks have made them a target now? Is there anything I can do? If I keep them locked up for a while will the hawks forget? Hawks are common in our neighborhood. Our neighborhood, unfortunately, does not allow roosters. We have an elderly terrier mix who can possibly stay outside with them for short periods. Advice please.

 

[Abriana]

You can get them a run and let them out for an hour or two of supervision, or use electronet fencing (super easy to move around) around trees or bushes. You can also set up pallets or other temporary structures (like two or three) in the open areas for them to run under if the hawk comes back. I've had a couple hawk attacks over the three years I've kept chickens (my rooster has fended off the hawk twice), probably around once a year. Unfortunately, you can do a lot to prevent it, but it will happen. Hopefully others chime in about their experiences, so sorry you lost your girl!

 

[SueT]

I lost a hen to a hawk a month ago. Mine were free ranging, but won't be let out for the foreseeable future. In fact, they don't even ask to go out. They have a big run, covered w bird netting, but they often don't even go out in their run, even on nice days. They saw the attack and they are afraid.

 

[Saigey]

I went out today to find my hens hiding under bushes, feathers everywhere and a hawk in the tree above me and another hawk flying overhead. I walked out and the hawks flew off. One hen was dead. The feathers were from several of our chickens but I didn’t see any scratches on them. The one hen seemed to have been dead for several hours. I have had chickens for 4 years and this is the first hawk attack. Does that mean their days of free ranging the yard are over? Since the Hawks have made them a target now? Is there anything I can do? If I keep them locked up for a while will the hawks forget? Hawks are common in our neighborhood. Our neighborhood, unfortunately, does not allow roosters. We have an elderly terrier mix who can possibly stay outside with them for short periods. Advice please.

I'm so sorry! We have a hawk that likes to perch on our back porch (eeek) so I'm extra twitchy about my little bantam ducks. I supervise their outside time very closely (I would punch a hawk in the face if it came down to it, although I think that's illegal). There are a lot of easy DIY runs on Pinterest made of PVC pipe and other materials that you can easily move around that would keep hawks from getting to them, but I'm always worried they would be terrified if something attacked them. Good luck!

 

[Lori J]

You can get them a run and let them out for an hour or two of supervision, or use electronet fencing (super easy to move around) around trees or bushes. You can also set up pallets or other temporary structures (like two or three) in the open areas for them to run under if the hawk comes back. I've had a couple hawk attacks over the three years I've kept chickens (my rooster has fended off the hawk twice), probably around once a year. Unfortunately, you can do a lot to prevent it, but it will happen. Hopefully others chime in about their experiences, so sorry you lost your girl!

Thank you so much! I have them locked up in the coop now but I hate to leave them there all the time they’ve been used to running around the backyard. I was thinking I could do a chicken tractor To move around the yard but if I do what is the best way to get them from there to the coop is the chicken tractor is not attached and not a coop itself?

 

[Lori J]

I lost a hen to a hawk a month ago. Mine were free ranging, but won't be let out for the foreseeable future. In fact, they don't even ask to go out. They have a big run, covered w bird netting, but they often don't even go out in their run, even on nice days. They saw the attack and they are afraid.

Mine were very afraid as well! A couple months ago what I think was a rat got into the coop and pulled some feathers out. So it just makes me feel terrible to not be able to protect them one way or another!

 

[Lori J]

I'm so sorry! We have a hawk that likes to perch on our back porch (eeek) so I'm extra twitchy about my little bantam ducks. I supervise their outside time very closely (I would punch a hawk in the face if it came down to it, although I think that's illegal). There are a lot of easy DIY runs on Pinterest made of PVC pipe and other materials that you can easily move around that would keep hawks from getting to them, but I'm always worried they would be terrified if something attacked them. Good luck!

Ha ha I don’t know if punching a hawk in the face to keep it off of your animal or pet is illegal. But it does sound like it might hurt your hand, not the hawk, they have such sharp beaks! But yes there are hawks all over the place around here and I see them all the time, so I was also kind of shocked that after so many years they decided to attack one of my hens.

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry!
When a hawk hits here, and it's been bantams, usually, I keep everyone in for two or three weeks, and the hawk moves on elsewhere. My coop/ run combination is predator proof and large enough for the birds to manage, for this reason, and incase of weather, like the snow we have right now.
Having places to hide when they are free ranging helps, SOMETIMES a big rooster helps, and some dogs will alert to raptors too.
A covered run is ideal though, and free ranging does come at a price...
Mary

 

[Abriana]

Thank you so much! I have them locked up in the coop now but I hate to leave them there all the time they’ve been used to running around the backyard. I was thinking I could do a chicken tractor To move around the yard but if I do what is the best way to get them from there to the coop is the chicken tractor is not attached and not a coop itself?

How many birds do you have? Probably the only option is to carry them (possibly you could carry two at once, depending on how calm they are). Or you could make the chicken tractor their home and add roosts and secure doors with locks.

 

[blackandtan]

They don’t usually attack if you’re right there, so I’m sure you could move the girls from the coop to the tractor without too much trouble.

You may have hawks that live nearby but since this was your first attack it could have been a transient bird, or by the sounds of it a pair looking for a new territory. Like most animals there is a good chance they’ll lose interest if a food source is no longer available for a few days or a week but even so, they’ll remember and could come back now and again to check

They don’t like anything in the air with them or in the way however, so things like a flagpole with a large flag, a clothesline etc can help. There’s also hawk-shaped “kites” that you can mount on your roof or on your coop and they “soar” in the slightest bit of wind, they can deter hawks, pigeons, gulls etc.

I had a lot of luck keeping a duck with my flock, they’re hyper-alert to threats from the sky, and the chickens learned to run and hide when the duck quacked a warning about hawks.

Good luck!