Hawk Attacks

[RedWhiteandFree]

Okay, so in the past 2 months or so, I have had 5 hawk attacks on my flock (luckily, I have only lost one chicken). Also, no attacks in the last 2 weeks since I built some extra shelters for them about the yard. Anyways, my question(s):

1) Has anyone figured out a sure way to deter hawks?
2) One of my hens had above her eye split, it looks like it's healing fine, and another hen had her comb ripped (also seems to be healing fine, but you can still see where it happened and she did lose a decent amount of blood before I was able to get to her and chase away the hawk), but is there anything I should buy for them or put on their wounds to make sure nothing gets infected as well as in case another injury occurs by a hawk? What should I look out for to tell if an infection of any sort is starting?




Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

The only surefire way to keep hawks off your chickens is to have the top of their run covered in some fashion. If your birds free range then adding cover in the form of bushes, trees, or other covered areas should help by giving them some place to hide during an attack.

 

[RedWhiteandFree]

The only surefire way to keep hawks off your chickens is to have the top of their run covered in some fashion. If your birds free range then adding cover in the form of bushes, trees, or other covered areas should help by giving them some place to hide during an attack.

I do free range, which is why I built some wooden shelters just the perfect height for them to get in and out and put them in the front yard. Since I put those out, there haven't been any attacks.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Okay, so in the past 2 months or so, I have had 5 hawk attacks on my flock (luckily, I have only lost one chicken). Also, no attacks in the last 2 weeks since I built some extra shelters for them about the yard. Anyways, my question(s):

1) Has anyone figured out a sure way to deter hawks?
2) One of my hens had above her eye split, it looks like it's healing fine, and another hen had her comb ripped (also seems to be healing fine, but you can still see where it happened and she did lose a decent amount of blood before I was able to get to her and chase away the hawk), but is there anything I should buy for them or put on their wounds to make sure nothing gets infected as well as in case another injury occurs by a hawk? What should I look out for to tell if an infection of any sort is starting?




Thank you!

Sorry to hear about the attacks and your loss. I have a lot of hawks (a couple of different kinds, even) where I live and have also suffered losses to them.

With regard to treating chicken injuries, I would recommend keeping Vetericyn on hand. I've used it on various different animals with great results, and since you can get it as a spray, it's easy to apply even to squirmy patients. A triple antibiotic ointment (like Neosporin), without pain reliever, is also helpful to treat wounds as an alternative to Vetericyn - but, personally, I'd start with Vetericyn because it's not an antibiotic.

Signs of infection can include swelling, discharge, discoloration (usually redness; greenish is typically a sign of bruising), or a bad smell from the wound.

Best wishes for your hens' speedy recovery...and may the hawks move on soon.

 

[RedWhiteandFree]

Sorry to hear about the attacks and your loss. I have a lot of hawks (a couple of different kinds, even) where I live and have also suffered losses to them.

With regard to treating chicken injuries, I would recommend keeping Vetericyn on hand. I've used it on various different animals with great results, and since you can get it as a spray, it's easy to apply even to squirmy patients. A triple antibiotic ointment (like Neosporin), without pain reliever, is also helpful to treat wounds as an alternative to Vetericyn - but, personally, I'd start with Vetericyn because it's not an antibiotic.

Signs of infection can include swelling, discharge, discoloration (usually redness; greenish is typically a sign of bruising), or a bad smell from the wound.

Best wishes for your hens' speedy recovery...and may the hawks move on soon.

Thank you very much, and sorry for your losses as well. There is a homestead store nearby, I'll have to go there and see if they have that or ask them to order it. (It's locally owned and they order just about anything you ask them to)

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Thank you very much, and sorry for your losses as well. There is a homestead store nearby, I'll have to go there and see if they have that or ask them to order it. (It's locally owned and they order just about anything you ask them to)

You're very welcome, and thank you. It's nice that you have a store there that provides that kind of service! If, for some reason, you can't get it there, I know you can purchase it online from Amazon.

I've noticed that this tends to be a really active time of year for hawks (and foxes) here, and that the attacks taper off as spring approaches. We'll see if it holds true this year...