Hawk attack

[familyfarm1]

Sorry to hear about your problems, I had a hawk take a chicken last Monday. There isn't anything I can tell you since everyone else has given great advice!

 

[RikkiMarie]

I do not think it is legal to kill them anywhere. Most places even capturing them is illegal. Having a bird of prey in your possession can carry a heavy fine.

Roosters do not always protect the hens with their lives. Nature tells them to survive and if to survive they must flee they will flee. Not all roosters are nice with people either. Many can be dangerous toward kids especially.
Not being negative just realistic.

Oh I understand completely! I don't take your post negatively, you are correct. I have been told though that most roosters do protect their flock and I'm certain that they will flee if they have to, but I have read that they can be very loyal to their flock. Those are stories that others have told me however, I'm sure that not everyone's rooster protects their flock.
I have been flogged by a rooster before actually - I was pointing out that I had gotten lucky with this one! Hopefully he stays that way.

 

[debp]

I like the conduit and hook idea. Someone else had suggested putting up a 2X4 and hooking to that, using a rubber spacer between the board and metal. But, if the conduit isn't too expensive, that might work even better.

I have a rooster, and he will mildly go after me when he gets jealous of the attention the hens give me hoping for food. I thought he was gone, but I found him hiding so deep and flattened out under the next boxes that I don't know if he could have gotten himself back out. I guess he lead by example, as two hens were piled under the nest boxes behind him. No birds lost, so I suspect he may have helped with a warning call at least.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Conduit is very cost effective. Chain link top rail is very expensive. If you use the conduit or anything else that has holes in the ends you may want to spray foam or close them up somehow to prevent wasp nests. I am going to spray foam mine shut in the early spring.
It helps when shopping for hooks and conduit to try the hooks on the conduit too. "It looks like it will fit" is a bummer when it does not quite fit.

I am glad you found them before they passed from being stuck.

 

[nutsaboutchicks]

I just started with chickens this summer, had 1 rooster. While working in the yard I let the birds run around the yard. A hawk flew down over my head after them. I screamed and waived my arms and he flew away . Two days ago I was out with the hens, watching the sky for hawks, and again one flew from behind me and grabbed one. I ran after it making a big commotion and he dropped it, only a foot off the ground. I scooted them back into their covered enclosure. The hen looked unharmed, but lost some feathers. The hawks were so silent I only realized their presence by the air flow on my head. They are not afraid of humans, or are so focused on their prey, they don't see me.

 

[N F C]

I just started with chickens this summer, had 1 rooster. While working in the yard I let the birds run around the yard. A hawk flew down over my head after them. I screamed and waived my arms and he flew away . Two days ago I was out with the hens, watching the sky for hawks, and again one flew from behind me and grabbed one. I ran after it making a big commotion and he dropped it, only a foot off the ground. I scooted them back into their covered enclosure. The hen looked unharmed, but lost some feathers. The hawks were so silent I only realized their presence by the air flow on my head. They are not afraid of humans, or are so focused on their prey, they don't see me.

That's kind of scary to think about them silently swooping in like that. Glad your girl is ok.

P.S. Welcome to BYC!

 

[Jajika]

We have a fair number of hawks in our area as well. After losing three hens in two days, I created a covered yard for my girls. It's pretty large, but even then I'll let them out to the larger area for a field trip, but only when I'm out there with them.

Hawks are stealth and aggressive by nature. It's how they survive.

 

[nutsaboutchicks]

Thanks for the welcome. I'm already learning a lot.

 

[DustyRider]

Hello, I read here a lot but not sure if I ever posted. Anyway, at our farm, there are several resident hawks who love nothing more than succulent chicken.

After losing many chicks and a few nearly grown chickens over the years, I finally hit up on something that works here. My chickens do not free range unless I am there with them.
They live in a huge pen that was originally built as a predator proof nursery pen for my baby goats. The pen is 50x50 and pretty much impossible to completely cover. Therefore, I had to think outside of the box so to speak. I cut long bamboo poles about 15 foot long. These were woven down into the goat wire about three foot to keep them upright. Spaced them about 10 foot apart. Took fishing line and tied to the top of the poles and make a grid of sorts by stretching from one side of the pen to the other. Then I took old CDs and tied them from the grid. The CDs look like big eyeballs dancing in the wind, plus with the grid, it is pretty much impossible for an air attack. So far we have not lost a single bird since I put this up. The fishing line is pretty much invisible to us, but hawks and other birds of prey have much better sight. Good luck whatever you try!

 

[Jajika]

Wow--you are clever. What great ideas. Thanks for the tips. So glad it works.