Hawk got one of my girls, what to do?

[jcatblum]

We have a major hawk problem as well. I plan on putting a few Martin houses up before spring. I have heard those tiny bird are a great help. Occasionally when a hawk is flying low one of the dogs will chase them, but the hawks are not scared at all. I agree with the bottle rockets the sound would deter the birds, but hard to use them with our drought. Also my birds would be upset about the bottle rockets.

I was just thinking yesterday about a radio on a timmer to make noise to deter the coyotes not sure what kind of noise would deter hawks. The coyotes come every night @7. Dh keeps trying to eleimante them. But has yet to hit one. They dodge bullets well.

 

[foxypoproxy]

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I have the same issue

 

[taprock]

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You don't have to hit them - it scares them. I think my husband just sent a half dozen in its general direction and it left. One of my young EE's named Trouble was taken this spring. I didn't see her get eaten but just finding a pile of feathers with wings and feet was enough. Three times we have seen the hawks (who knows how many other times) but after scaring them each time they haven't been back for a while. We are right in the migration path so spring and fall there are more. Each time our rooster gave an alarm and everyone hid under stuff. We have trailer, old jeep and other "junk" behind the coop were they like to hide.

 

[Patricia Jane]

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X2 That's why I built mine like this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/50870_101.jpg

x3 It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Even netting or shade cloth would work. I have shade cloth over mine. It even helps keep it cooler in their run. I have had no problems and I have 2 hawks that hang around. I also feed crows. I know a lot of people don't like them but hey they help keep the hawks at bay. Really sorry to hear of the losses. Good luck.

Fiddlebanchee: I love your set up. Very nice.

 

[nonsuch]

You can buy a fake "Wolf statue". It can be purchased on line. The tail blows in the wind. It's 3D from any angle, including above. I believe they said it was effective, as long as you move it to a different location every day. It was pricey...about $85?

 

[Oregon Blues]

[[[.......My friend said to put a radio in the yard. What do you think?.....]]]]]

And that would be so the hawk has dinner music?

If you are going to play music for the hawks, they like Wagner. Ride of the Valkyries is the National Hawk Anthem.

 

[centrarchid]

I have as many hawks as anyone but my losses are light for several reasons. Coopers will take chicks / juveniles weighing less than 1.5 pounds without hesitation unless they are defended by coop, dog and / or competent adult chickens. Cover (dense plants) increases odds juveniles will avoid detection and evade capture by hawks. Red-tails will take adult chickens and juveniles but if chickens have access to cover and flock includes large competent roosters, the red-tail can be bluffed or even attacked if it follows chickens on ground. My free-ranging games are very freighttened by a red-tail that is overhead but a full adult rooster will go after hawk once latter is on ground. The hawks talons are useless if it can not grab you with them and my roosters are much faster when on ground. Seldom do I loose adult chickens to red-tails except in winter and usually it occurs with deep snow and chickens unable to reach cover before hawk strikes. Losses seem to be mostly stags or dominique pullets. Former seem to spend to much time away from cover and latter are slowest in herd. Active dog is my backup that comes a running when chickens get riled up. He will likely kill hawk if he were to catch it but hawk does allow.

 

[SilkieBantams]

I'm sorry for your losses

Try to do the best you can to scare the hawk away but just be careful with those talons from the hawk

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

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Oh no, if you keep seeing the scene in your head, that could be a traumatic stress disorder brewing. Do you know how to do biofeedback? You could start by remembering a pleasant scene (favorite breakfast? pretty flower? best friend?), and counting your breath inhale, then remembering the pleasant scene while you count backwards for your breath exhale. Breathe in for 3, out for 4; then breathe in for 4, out for 5, etc. until you can calm it down. Brains can't do two things at once, concentrating on breathing and recall of a nice image at the same time INHIBITS the horrible memory image. You can do it.

Keep trying to "press restart" on the horrifying image your brain is recalling until you can control it. That way, you can grieve your terrible loss when its appropriate, like quiete time with loved ones around you, but you won't be controlled by that horrible image when you need to concentrate on something important, like driving or sleeping.

Now we know the origin of monsters. In our yard, the word for hawks and owls is "monster". Sometimes our girls do the "monster" growl for cats and dogs, too. Things like this is where the Grimms' fairytales and ancient monster myths came from.............

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

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same here! Except we haz no dog. Maybe in the future, a happy happy dog will happily guard our little flock of little birds.

The hawks talons are useless if it can not grab you with them and my roosters are much faster when on ground.

I actually felt a pang of pity for a hawk once, it sat useless on a tree limb above my hiding flock, already attacked by one of the elder chickens who are much quicker than the hawk. The rooster fighting style is much like ninja, and I have not yet seen a hawk equal to that agility. The poor thing was sort of whining, like "my burger won't come...... I so hungry..........." but all it has is those big square talon feet, kinda heavy and certainly no match for the quick over-your-head-now-I-got-your-brains-from-behind fighting style of the little chickens.

Maybe the heavier, rounder, sweeter/more docile breeds of chicken are more prone to hawk attack?