Hawk in my COOP!! It was a Falcon!**Update post 18**

[chicken stalker]

I put metal chicken wire on top because I figured she'd be able to get though the plastic netting. Only 4 more months until the ground thaws so we can put up a nice covered run.

 

[krzy4chick-chicks]

chicken stalker ;p...I feel your pain...Just this morning a hawk killed my only Silver Laced Wyandotte hen, Lizzy. I had her since the morning after she hatched....It kills me that these kinds of things happen....I now have to figure a way to cover their HUGE yard...does anyone know if the plastic commercial netting to keep birds out of warehouses and such will keep hawks out?? Or do I need metal wire to cover it?? Oh, and the small hawks can ABSOLUTELY kill chickens...today's incident is actually the second time it has happened and the first one was caught in the coop at dark (when I went to close them in) and it was barely half the size of the chicken it killed. Either a sharp-shinned or possibly coopers...Needless to say, that hawk never killed another chicken again...I am really sorry it happened to you and to anyone else reading this...

 

[deerman]

chicken stalker ;p :

After a little research I found out that the "hawk" was actually a female Peregrine Falcon. Which I think is pretty cool with the excepting she ate one of my hens. The girls are now in a covered run because I know she'll be back. Hopefully she can't get in the run or in my coop again! Here's a picture and a link for more information on falcons.
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr70/chicken2008_photos/peregrine1.jpg

http://www.migrationresearch.org/research/peregrine/profile.html

Nice lookin peregrine, back in the 80s there was none east if the Mississippi River.

Alot of the Peregrine have micro chips. They take most of their prey in the air, they do feed on smaller birds. Dive up to 200 miles per hr.(fastest).

First time I have hear of one taken a full grown Chicken, odd.​