Hawk killers? Liege Fighter?

[varidgerunner]

Have first hand experience with asils killing hawks. Have seen hens put a pretty good whooping on one. I posted a video of an asil hen that had a hawk down on the ground that I found on youtube, but it got removed. But a liege fighter is far from an asil.

 

[Beatenpathbirds]

I free range a lot of birds and have 4 full grown liege roosters on patrol. The very dominant of them has killed a hawk. Im not sure how, but I heard the anarchy and by the time I got out there the hawk was cut up and dying and Bruce (the rooster) was still going at him. Bruce broke his toe very badly though during it and while he's still dominant, he's no longer very mobile.
Honestly i dont think the other three would kill a hawk but instead run. Bruce was not only bigger than them but generally way more aggressive so I think it depends on the rooster and how you let them select. I plan on breeding by selecting for size as well as aggression. I have a small cubalaya rooster who i think would try to kill anything it could except people. I'm hoping he might teach other liege fighters to be that way.

Anyways, yes I have seen a liege take down a hawk but key points, he got very injured while doing so, and he as an abnormally aggressive liege fighter.

 

[centrarchid]

I free range a lot of birds and have 4 full grown liege roosters on patrol. The very dominant of them has killed a hawk. Im not sure how, but I heard the anarchy and by the time I got out there the hawk was cut up and dying and Bruce (the rooster) was still going at him. Bruce broke his toe very badly though during it and while he's still dominant, he's no longer very mobile.
Honestly i dont think the other three would kill a hawk but instead run. Bruce was not only bigger than them but generally way more aggressive so I think it depends on the rooster and how you let them select. I plan on breeding by selecting for size as well as aggression. I have a small cubalaya rooster who i think would try to kill anything it could except people. I'm hoping he might teach other liege fighters to be that way.

Anyways, yes I have seen a liege take down a hawk but key points, he got very injured while doing so, and he as an abnormally aggressive liege fighter.

Do you have any for sale?

 

[centrarchid]

I found this from 2012:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-rooster-killed-a-hawk-pics.616151

It's got pics!

I found this from 2012:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-rooster-killed-a-hawk-pics.616151

It's got pics!

I am very, very skeptical of the account given. Notice party holding hawk was hiding face; he probably knew to do so. My chickens are very similar to those OP of that thread indicated were involved with exception mine are game. When the chicken is on the attack, it can handle something like a Coopers Hawk very well and likely kill it will such a hawk that cannot get away relatively quickly. I have seen such a sequence in person and seen them on internet as videos although most appear to have been taken down. A Red-tailed hawk like in the thread linked is a much tougher customer. If the hawk can not get away and not fight back with talons, I have no doubt the rooster can kill that hawk as well. The problem is the hawk, even with damage like a broken wing will employ those talons. If the hawk is for some reason in ill health or more seriously damaged already I can see a rooster finishing it off. I have tangled with larger hawks and owls several times so have a good handle on how they try to defend themselves when grounded and on the defensive. The chickens that might attack such a predator will be scared themselves and act very differently relative to how they assault another chicken. All the hawk has to do is grab chicken with talons and hang on until chicken realizes it has lost the advantage. At that point the chicken will try to get away and likely not come back for round two. If more chickens involved, then outcome may swing back towards advantage of chickens, but I have not witnessed such an event.

 

[ezeo]

I free range a lot of birds and have 4 full grown liege roosters on patrol. The very dominant of them has killed a hawk.

Are liege fighters game? (meaning, will the roosters try to fight each other and never give up)

 

[Aunt Angus]

I am very, very skeptical of the account given. Notice party holding hawk was hiding face; he probably knew to do so. My chickens are very similar to those OP of that thread indicated were involved with exception mine are game. When the chicken is on the attack, it can handle something like a Coopers Hawk very well and likely kill it will such a hawk that cannot get away relatively quickly. I have seen such a sequence in person and seen them on internet as videos although most appear to have been taken down. A Red-tailed hawk like in the thread linked is a much tougher customer. If the hawk can not get away and not fight back with talons, I have no doubt the rooster can kill that hawk as well. The problem is the hawk, even with damage like a broken wing will employ those talons. If the hawk is for some reason in ill health or more seriously damaged already I can see a rooster finishing it off. I have tangled with larger hawks and owls several times so have a good handle on how they try to defend themselves when grounded and on the defensive. The chickens that might attack such a predator will be scared themselves and act very differently relative to how they assault another chicken. All the hawk has to do is grab chicken with talons and hang on until chicken realizes it has lost the advantage. At that point the chicken will try to get away and likely not come back for round two. If more chickens involved, then outcome may swing back towards advantage of chickens, but I have not witnessed such an event.

Sorry. I just shared it because it's the only one that turns up during a search. I'll delete it.

 

[centrarchid]

Sorry. I just shared it because it's the only one that turns up during a search. I'll delete it.

It was not my intent for you to delete it. I smell hype as someone is out trying to sell something and willing to whip up some advertising through interest getting means.

 

[Beatenpathbirds]

Do you have any for sale?

Not at the moment. I should have a few extra roosters in a few months.

 

[Beatenpathbirds]

Are liege fighters game? (meaning, will the roosters try to fight each other and never give up)

They are game birds for the most part and roosters definitely will have terrible fights but from my experience, once one claims dominance he will rein for a while and all the others will stop fighting. Until another gets bigger and tries to take dominance then a lot of fighting can break out. I havent had one die from fighting each other yet but I've had a few lose an eye or almost bleed out.

 

[Digby57]

I witnessed one of my cockerels charge and whoop a large, mature hawk when the cockerel was only 6 months old. At the point that I saw what was happening the melee was taking place between the hedge and the fence. The cockerel charged the hawk and knocked him onto his back and was spurring him. Of course I'm hollering and running towards the fight at this point and the hawk hopped a few hops and was able to fly away. The cockerel's spurs were still stubby at this point. None of that would have happened if the hawk hadn't tried to get to the hens that were hiding under the hedge. I have a hard time imagining some kind of aerial contest between a hawk and a rooster of any breed. Although, these are a very athletic bird once mature. Until they are mature they can be a bit gangling like a large breed puppy.

I doubt most people will ever see a Liege Fighter (or any rooster) kill a hawk, but it could happen in a rare instance, I have no doubt. The important thing is that I have a lot of hawks and I don't even give them a second thought any more.

I have lost 1 hen to a hawk in the 2-1/2 years I have been keeping this breed and there is a possibility (my hunch) that one other young rooster was taken by a racoon in the woods. I let my birds range as far as they want, when they want and no longer worry about predators during the daylight. They are in very secure pens at night.

The only other losses (2) that I have had dealt with disjointed hips in the cockerels at about 4 months age. It was the same both times. Some of these cockerels get very tall very quickly and I am sure this causes the possibility of this injury. The first I tried to baby back to health but it only took a week to know without a doubt that I was only prolonging the suffering. On the second incidence I knew better than to try.

Other than this trait (and that has only been 2 out of a total of at least 50 roosters) I feel like this is a very healthy and self-sufficient breed. I still plan to keep some other breeds eventually, but if I could only have one this would be it. Yeah, the feed bill is probably higher, but the hens that are good layers will consistently lay a jumbo egg 3+ eggs per week in season.

We like the meat also. That's not to say you don't have to take care in how you prepare it, but we always set aside 12-18 birds for finish feeding. We keep about that many for further breeding in a spiral system of 3 pens. At the point that we separate them into these breeding pens they are left out on an alternating basis with each getting out every third day, dawn to dusk with practically no supervision. We sell a portion locally a few birds at a time as we make our selections for further breeding. We have a few left for sale now, but I'm not actively trying to sell them lately. Its hard to find enough customers that seem like they would really appreciate them for what they are here in this area.

The major point for us was always controlling insects and I very rarely see a grasshopper any more, that was always the main thing. That and the ability of this breed to stand up to predators and to be their own defense, getting back to the original topic of the thread.