Hawk NEST in MY YARD! What to do?

[CaliBlueChicken]

It also ate our chick on the ground... maybe a cooper then?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I have a fundamental question, has anyone in the southwest (Southern CA, AZ, NM) documented a Cooper's hawk taking a standard sized (dual purpose) chicken? I keep looking here and I don't think I've found an example (of course I haven't been here on BYC all that long). I'm starting to wonder if our Cooper's hawks are smaller here. I had a definite attempt early on when my chicks were about a month old and I came outside to find the Cooper's walking around the chicken tractor. I chased it off. My dog had a stand-off once where one was on the wall just out of reach of the dog. I see my local Cooper's every day. It visits several times a day and sits on the utility lines in the back alleyway, overlooking my yard. My birds free-range all day long, mostly unsupervised. While gardening one day I also had a Cooper's come and take a mouse from the garden not 15' away from me and about the same distance from my birds. When it swooped down all heck broke loose among the flock but the hawk was not influenced. The daily encounters with the hawk without consequence has somewhat alleviated my fears (of course, maybe it's lulling me into a false sense of security before striking

). So, does anyone out there in the southwest have a story about a Cooper's hawk taking one of their chickens? Thanks, Todd.

 

[desertdarlene]

Quote:
Cooper's hawks in the west tend to eat more rodents than birds than they do in other parts of the country. We have several at the lake I go to and they never bother the adult ducks there, though the ducks are wary of them (they look like falcons, which are duck eaters and that could be why). However, they will eat a duckling up to about 2 to 3 weeks old. Cooper's hawks are not really strong and can't carry a lot of weight, so when they kill something they either have to eat it where it lies or carry it away to a tree. It would rather carry it to a tree and I know ducks are just too big for it to do that. I'm pretty sure most adult chickens are, too.

Besides rodents, most of the Cooper's hawks I see hunt medium-sized birds like grackles, doves, pigeons, starlings, and sometimes killdeer. I haven't seen them try for anything larger than a squirrel. That won't mean that they might not try to get a chicken or kill a chicken and abandon it, I just haven't heard of it doing so. Now red-tails on the other hand. . . .

 

[poltroon]

I'm going to dissent here and say how wonderful I think it is that you're seeing a pair of Cooper's Hawks in southern California. That is a miracle all on its own.

I have (standard size) ducks and we have an ample supply of hawks; the hawks have never bothered the ducks. I have had bantam chickens taken by hawks. The bantams now have a fully covered tractor that allows them to be out on the grass but not be vulnerable to hawks. The young standards have a run that is covered as well. I am hoping that the large standards will also be able to be out as long as they have cover to duck under.

If I were you, rather than harass the hawk, I would either set up netting or chicken wire as a roof, or come up with some other way to give them good cover. Because, if you've got attractive habitat for hawks (yay!) then whether this particular pair is there or not is not all that relevant - another will move in, perhaps less obviously, and create a problem for you later.

 

[treldib]

Quote:
Oh they're Cooper's alright (or maybe, just maybe Sharp-Shinned Hawks)...much smaller and more "flappitty" than the Red Tails we see.

 

[NC29mom]

The hawk I noticed in our yard has returned every evening about an hour or two before dusk. He sits on a bald, dead tree at the highest branch overlooking my yard. We have been watching him and have actually realized he is just after rats and snakes in another part of our yard. I think he might just be scared of our chickens.

Another thing is our chickens hang out together. You will never find one by itself somewhere off in a corner in the yard. Most hawks are going to go after the LONE animal.

After observing our hawk for about a week now, I have come to the conclusion my chickens are probably safe. I don't feel threatened. I am not going to hurt the hawk.

If I did think the hawk was going to hurt my chickens, I would probably just get my hubby to cut down the old, dead tree. That's his forte anyway, a logger. He just LOVES cutting down a tree.

For now, though, things are well at my house.

 

[ivan3]

Sonoran Silkies wrote: Harassing birds protected by the Migratory Birds Treaty Act is also illegal.

Title 50: Subpart D—Control of Depredating and Otherwise Injurious Birds

§ 21.41 Depredation permits.
(a) Permit requirement. Except as provided in §§21.42 through 21.46, a depredation permit is required before any person may take, possess, or transport migratory birds for depredation control purposes. No permit is required merely to scare or herd depredating migratory birds other than endangered or threatened species or bald or golden eagles.

(b) Application procedures. Submit application for depredation permits to the appropriate Regional Director (Attention: Migratory bird permit office). You can find addresses for the Regional Directors in 50 CFR 2.2. Each application must contain the general information and certification required in §13.12(a) of this subchapter, and the following additional information:

http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/mbpermits/regulations/regulations.html

I find CD/DVD's mounted on poles/on lines (shiny side up) twitching sunlight into those beady eyes to be sufficient harassment (turkey hens are very handy as well), have plenty of bottle rockets for any determined stoopers.

As crperdue wrote:

Unless your state has some additional restrictions, you can remove those birds
according to the federal law. BUT, you must document that you have tried EVERY
resonable way to get them to go away before actually shooting them. Just write
a little log book like this:

8/3/2010 2pm lost 2 chickens to hawks
8/4/2010 3 pm - sprayed water at tree for 3 hours
8/5/2010 4pm shot several "noise makers" at hawks
(we were actually TOLD to use bottle rockets by wildlife officers)
8/6/2010 2pm lost another chicken, shot hawk with shotgun

The key is you have to have actually lost livestock, not pets.
Of course, your state may have other laws.
Call your local wildlife office. Ours are a great help!

Local officials might actually take care of the Federal permit for you (if they file one), as there remains some semblance of local discretion in these matters.​

 

[crperdue]

Quote:
My point exactly. Here's an example:

The federal law lists crows as one of the protected species. Do not kill at any time
for any reason. But, NC says I can kill as many as I want, any time of the year,
and I don't even need the plug in my shotgun.

Capital hill is a looong way from the country. Just ask the local wildlife officers
and they can tell you the best course of options.

 

[Gypsi]

I don't have a hawk nest, but I lost a hen today. Had them free-ranging in my 6 ft privacy fenced with inner chainlink fence back yard. I didn't see the hawk, didn't see anything, and there is not a bard rock feather to be seen, she is just GONE. Stones on one waterfall were disturbed by a large bird, but I had a whole flock of cowbirds and grackles waiting for me to go in the house, that's probably who the hawk came for, my hen was just easier prey. I'm sure the hawk will be back.

I was in and out enough today I would think I'd have heard something. My run is roofed with chicken wire, but I'd been turning them loose for several hours a day so they could cool off in more shade. Guess that is over if it is baby hawk time. I know I have red-tailed hawks nesting within a mile or 2. Have been for years.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
Someone said it was wonderful and amazing that I had a bald eagle sitting in my backyard prepping my favorite hen for lunch a couple of days ago. I darn well harassed it. It will hopefully know better than to come back to the crazy lady's yard. My hen is doing well considering there's a big patch of skin and a lot of feathers missing from her back.