Hawk killed 6 babies over the weekend=(

[Mirahs]

I have/had 3 chickens who are about 4 months old, not quite full grown and i got some babies over the weekend. I was told they were between 7 and 9 weeks, they have most of their feathers but are still small. I had been keeping them outside with the big chickens when they started disappearing. At first i thought they were maybe wondering off or getting through the fence. So I brought the 3 babies i have left inside. Well this morning I come home and there is a hawk in the pen, and he is eating one of the bigger chickens, he can squeeze through the chain link fence. So today i went and bought a better top cover for the pen, and then some netting and put that all around the pen. The hawk was smaller then the chicken so I didnt think it would try to eat the bigger ones, is this normal? Im thinking it was a coopers hawk. I also went to the store and bought a fake hawk to put on my shed across from the chicken pen. Is there anything else I can do to keep that hawk away? Do those crazy blow up eyes work? Will a hawk tear down the netting or do they just give up if they cant fly right in? I also put a big mirror in front of the door of the pen. I dont want to lose anymore babies! I also have a dog that is smaller then my chickens so I really would like this hawk to move on! Any tips would be great!

 

[glendaschicks]

Oh, I'm so sorry! I can't help with your questions, I have no experience with hawks, thank goodness. I hope it stays that way. Good luck!

 

[JanetS]

Sorry for your loss!! The hawk will keep coming back. We have a hawk that shows up in our yard two or three times a week(He's been doing this for months) trying to get to our chickens but they are locked up safe in their pen. We used hardware cloth on all sides and the top of the run. Do you have any pictures of your coop/run?