Hawk! Now Chicks Won't Leave Coop

[cmom]

I encourage the crows here to stick around. When they see a hawk they chase it off. Crows will take chicks and eggs but they can't get to mine. I have a heavy duty netting over all of my pens. I shut the chicks in at night but the older birds I don't. They all go into their coops at dusk. Eventually as they grow the chicks will too, especially when the weather gets cooler. I do have electric wire around my coops and pens to discourage predators and concrete under the gates to the pens. I don't let the chicks free range and occasionally I do the older birds when I'm working out around the coops. This time of year they would rather stay in their pens because there is more shade. I did have a sharp shinned hawk kill a bird once less than 10 feet from me and another time take a chick out of the chick pen right next to my husband. Now it's covered.

 

[arrowti]

Are these the only chickens you have?

This is the first year that we've had hawk issues. The hawk hasn't gotten anything, but it's definitely here for the broody raised chicks. It's been here for 2 weeks, disappearing every couple of days and then coming back for a day before flying off again.

When the hawk flies overhead the roosters AND the broody mom make an alarm screech which has all the hens and the chicks running for cover. They then stand out, just watching the hawk, near cover. The hawk will fly from place to place, looking for the chicks, and eventually fly away. The roosters and the broody will continue to watch for several minutes, and then the roosters will make this quiet purr-growl sound and the hens will start to come out. Basically, the roosters are telling the hens it's safe to come out now. (The broody also makes a noise to call her chicks out once the danger is past).

I think your chicks don't know that it's safe to go outside yet. Give them time and gently coax them out. Hopefully they'll feel safer soon!

 

[cmom]

They may stay in the coop for a couple of days but they will come out when they're ready. I would offer them something like some meal worms to encourage them to come out, but that's the way I am. Once they feel safe again all will be good. I have had a hawk come around daily lately mostly in the morning. It was eating a snake on top of my bluebird nest box. If you look carefully you can see the uneaten part hanging over the side of the nest box. I was trying to zoom in so the pictures are a bit fuzzy.View attachment 1524042 View attachment 1524038 View attachment 1524039

Yes I have a lot of chickens.
The pictures in this post are of a young Red Tailed hawk that I have been seeing pretty much every day. I do keep rat poison in places in the barn where other critters can't get to it but the rats can. I haven't seen a rat since I renovated a coop that was rat infested. I still keep the poison in certain places and today my husband was down in the barn today and saw a dead rat just outside. I think the hawk got the dead rat because when I went out to collect the eggs I saw the hawk eating on something so I went to investigate. There was nothing in the spot where I saw the hawk eating so I'm assuming that when it flew off it took it. In the pictures I posted earlier, it was eating a snake on the roof of one of my Bluebird nest boxes. The field next door was recently mowed so the snake might have been in the grass. It looked like a Rat Snake.

 

[Folly's place]

Do pick up and safely dispose of any dead or dying rodents, so you don't also kill non-target species out there.
Mary

 

[cmom]

I do but today I didn't know about it before the hawk got it.

 

[cmom]

If the hawk comes back tomorrow, I'll assume it's ok. I have been seeing it every day lately.

 

[Folly's place]

Not that I'm thrilled having hawks attacking my chickens, but still, I do hope this individual will be okay. It was eating a rat, which is a good thing!
Mary

 

[NorthernMIFlock]

Are these the only chickens you have?

This is the first year that we've had hawk issues. The hawk hasn't gotten anything, but it's definitely here for the broody raised chicks. It's been here for 2 weeks, disappearing every couple of days and then coming back for a day before flying off again.

When the hawk flies overhead the roosters AND the broody mom make an alarm screech which has all the hens and the chicks running for cover. They then stand out, just watching the hawk, near cover. The hawk will fly from place to place, looking for the chicks, and eventually fly away. The roosters and the broody will continue to watch for several minutes, and then the roosters will make this quiet purr-growl sound and the hens will start to come out. Basically, the roosters are telling the hens it's safe to come out now. (The broody also makes a noise to call her chicks out once the danger is past).

I think your chicks don't know that it's safe to go outside yet. Give them time and gently coax them out. Hopefully they'll feel safer soon!

Yes, these are my only chickens and it's our first year raising them.They have been getting more brave with each day. I think it's amazing that your rooster sounds an alarm! We have one rooster in the mix of 10, and my son and husband said he was making a sound unlike anything they have ever heard (they are 13 weeks). He was also the last one in the coop that night after the hawk.

 

[cmom]

The hawk came back but this time it brought a friend. I have been seeing a hawk most every day and I noticed that one time it looked smaller and another time larger. Both hawks were here this morning a larger one and a smaller one. I think they are eying the chicks but they can't get at them. It appears the dead rat didn't affect them.

 

[NorthernMIFlock]

I have seen ours again too . He had the nerve to perch on top of their coop the morning after I secured their run. We also saw him yesterday flying low ear their run, and it looks like it's the aggressive Goshawk, and a large one