Hawk deterrents?

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

I thought I would try something today.
Earlier this morning....as I was sitting out by the run....the new resident hawk flew over my head. Maybe 20' up. It saw me and changed course. I guess it wasn't expecting to see me there.

Anyway....thinking about it on the way to town...I wondered what kind of scare crow thing I could set out by the run to at least give it pause.

Halloween Decorations!!

Cheap as all get our right now...or buy some after halloween!
I found one of the scarecrows on a stick....to sit in the chairs......and two of the hanging ones with streaming legs. I hung those inside the run.
The hawk, this past weekend, had tore a huge hole in the top of the bird netting over the run. I discovered it yesterday. That will be a weekend repair.

So...I'll see how these work! Maybe stringing those aluminum pie pans around might help too...if I need to.

 

[chicmom]

Anything is worth a try! I hope it works for you....Maybe change their positions and move them around every couple of days so the hawk doesn't realize they're not real people.

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

That's exactly what I have been doing!!! Seems to be working so far. I move the scare crow around...so it more resembles human activity.

 

[sbhkma]

Now if you could only get a motion-activated way to make it wave an arm or turn its head, you'd totally convince the hawk that there's a guard on duty.

 

[chicmom]

Love the idea! LOL

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

I found some of those streamer things with the scary faces....and dangly legs. Hanging inside the run...and blowing around......makes them think twice. The chickens don't seemt o care...but they are far more domesticated than a wild hawk is.

The scarecrow.....I found him on the ground about an hour ago. Seems like he moves around just fine on his own

.....AND......he has straw or something sticking out for hands and feet that blow around.

I haven't seen any hawks out back today.

 

[sarahandbray]

I've lost my first two chicks ever this past week to hawks. Grrrrrr...
I'm not willing to confine them only to the 12'X8' dog run--I got them to be pastured and I'm determined they will be!
I put up more cover this week and hubby made some pallet short tables they can run under.
Going to have to move into phase two: pie plates, CDs, ribbons, fake owls, and Scarecrow. This is going to look like white trash headquarters all because of darn hawks!!

 

[sarahandbray]

(Wonder if they're scared of mooning garden gnomes and crystal balls lawn ornaments--.b/c I feel like that would be next! Sheesh! So much for the pastoral/bucolic look!)

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Well, I have read that silhouettes....of owls ....scare them too. But pricewise....they are even scarier! I have to figure out how to draw them and make some myself. Then hang them around the run...like windsocks.

 

[sbhkma]

If they don't move, the hawks learn quickly that they're not scary. The bird scare tape has worked very well for me. I had an area the red tails were using as a bombing run. I strung scare tape across it and along the 2 shrubby areas my hens hang out around and for the last year I haven't seen hawks in those areas.


You can do a search for it. I found it on Amazon and one roll is a LOT of tape. I use nylon cord to string it across areas and you can also tie it to tree branches and let it hang down a foot or two.. sorta like silver and red tree garland! I replaced all my tape strips this fall as they were beginning to fade (Texas sun does that).

Of course, in the fall & spring when the migrations are going on, I just keep my gals in for a while since the hunting pressure increases so drastically with the birds coming through.