hawk got one of my girls

[maine chicks]

A very bold hawk took out one of my black chickens yesterday. Not a very good New Years Eve present. The girls were out in the sun for a few minutes and the deed was done. The hawk didn't even take off when I approached it. I know they have to eat too, just not my birds. .

 

[HorseFeathers]

 

[maymiegirl]

Be very careful! Hawks carry bacterial viruses they pick up while hunting rodents. I would spray and sterilize the area with clorox solution or a broad spectrum spray and be sure none of your other birds are exposed to it. I had that problem once and got a huge, plastic owl and placed him in a tree. The hawk still flies over but never bothers my chickens on the ground.

If he kills anymore I am considering Aviary net but it has been a year.

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Sorry for you lose. I hate hawks.

 

[Jena]

So Sorry,

This must be an awful experience.

The plastic Owl sounds like a good idea.

here in the Uk, we don;t really have that many problems but we do have hawks, and foxes, I am also concerned about the Magpies, they harrass my blackbirds in the garden and something even kills them I have found 2 dead at the bottom of my garden, but my chickens can't get down there thank God.

I watch them so close, but to date the only thing I see is a pair of garden blackbirds that now come out into the middle of the garden when I am taking out early morning food and they wait to get their bread too.

Sometimes, I think they have a morning chat through the wire.

I can not imagine how you all cope with the many predators you get there.

Jena.

 

[first time farmer]

sorry for your loss i just one of my bantam hens today to the cold

 

[lalaland]

I'm sorry, Maine Chick. Was your black chicken a standard size or a banty?

 

[maine chicks]

Thanks for your kind words.

She was a beautiful Australorp-and too big for the hawk to carry off. I will clean the blood spot from the snow. The hawk was not around long and did not appreciate getting tangled in my fencing. I could have caught it but did not want to mess with the tallens or beak. Don't know where I'd take it either, I'm sure it has range farther than the raccoons I take up to the dump 12 miles away.

 

[1chicklady1]

Guess what? Yesterday I also lost one of my sweet Favorelle banty hens to a hawk - same scenario - I'd let them out for a little sun and BAM a big old hawk screams down on her. I heard the ruckus and ran out to scare away the hawk (which actually sat on my girl and glared at me for a long time... before flying off)
Am I correct in thinking that this hawk will be back? My girls so love to go out for a few hours a day, but now I'm scared.

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
Yes, it will be back.