Hawk flying low!!!

I live on a farm & there's plenty of predators. They stay locked up in their coop & run. Usually around 430 pm I let them out & I watch them till they all return to the coop to roost. I have a golf cart & we cruise around eating bugs & grass till its bed time. I also carry a gun just in case we find any trouble out there.

 

I've seen Cooper's hawks do that as well as falcons, except much faster.

 

I live in the suburbs and "thought" that my birds were safe from predators in my 6 ft vinyl fenced backyard. That changed when a hawk swooped down on my 6 wk old chicks this morning just as I was about to open the latch to their run, give them breakfast, and let them out and free range. Fortunately, I was in front of the chicks and the hawk would've gotten a talon full of my hair before reaching a chick, but still I was in total shock! It then had the nerve to circle around and land on my trampoline 20 ft away and just sit there looking at us! Now I'll never feel safe letting my chicks run around the yard unless I am right near them.

 

Hawks are migrating now, and they are hungry. For a while I would suggest free ranging only when you can stand guard.

 

I keep bottle rockets around all the time.

 

I have strung invisible fishing tackle back and forth at a nine foot height all across my chicken run and have not lost any chickens to hawks all year although there are definitely some around. When they try to swoop down and hit the line, it freaks them out as they can't see it and think there is some sort of trap. Hawks are territorial so you probably have the same hawk in the area all the time which allows you to "train" it not to attack your chickens.

 

Quote:Me too, i have a no fly zone here and the hawks know where it is, pretty smart birds if ya ask me.

 

I had a hawk flying in low yesterday.The teen hens went running into the shed. I just sat back and waited.Tired of running around the yard flapping my arms.It didn't come back,but today is another day.It was small so I am guessing a teen hawk.They will get bolder as the food source dwindles. I have the bird netting to tangle them,CDs,inflatable owls,red mylar ribbons,and will string up some fishing line.Not much else that can be done other than a fenced run. I never tried the bottle rockets.Will give that a whirl when they circle overhead.