Hawk problems.

[Jondiesel78]

I have 94 chickens in 2 pens. I have wire fence and nylon netting over the top of the entire pens. The netting is zip tied to the vertical wire fencing about every 2 feet, and overlaps by at least a foot. Today I had a Cooper's hawk fight his way in between the fence and netting between 2 zip ties until it got into the pen. Any suggestions other than a 12 gauge?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A 12 gauge is illegal for birds of prey by international treaty.
Adhere the netting better.

 

[Jondiesel78]

I'm aware it is illegal, but this is getting crazy. Has anyone ever had a hawk climb up wire fence and fight through netting to get into a chicken pen? I'm seeing anywhere from 12-30 hawks a day, plus eagles and vultures.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Vultures don't kill their prey. They eat carrion. Golden eagles may possibly kill a chicken but Bald eagles won't if fish is to be found.
Hawks are a different story. I've had a hawk fly through a 40' long, 3' high and 4' wide tunnel to get to chickens. It is incredible what I have seen predators do.
I've had raccoons pull the siding off of a building to get in. They've also chewed through wooden doors to gain access. All my doors are made out of metal now.
Everything likes the taste of chicken.
Where are you located? What breeds do you have? Have you lost any to hawks?
All my flocks free range and the roosters have kept the hawks at bay for years.

 

[mixedbreeds]

I’m sorry to say there is nothing other than more netting or a solid building. That’s a lot of hawks they don’t bother my birds it must be the 300 to 400 wild quail that hang around my place, those they bother relentlessly.

 

[Jondiesel78]

Black headed vultures do kill prey, but usually they go for young calves or goats. The golden eagles will sit on top of the A frame that holds the netting up and try to figure out how to get in. I lost one chicken to a hawk a year ago before I put netting up. The hawks have no fear of humans, they will try to attack with me standing there. One hawk snatched up a neighbor's dog while it was on a leash 4 feet from the owner.

 

[Jondiesel78]

I’m sorry to say there is nothing other than more netting or a solid building. That’s a lot of hawks they don’t bother my birds it must be the 300 to 400 wild quail that hang around my place, those they bother relentlessly.

I have 2 solid buildings, but I'm not going to keep 90 chickens inside all day

 

[mixedbreeds]

I don’t blam you for not keeping them inside. I free range also about 55 birds the quail and doves keep the hawks busy.

 

[Jondiesel78]

There is a fair amount of misinformation out there about hawks. It is NOT illegal to harass hawks, or destroy inactive nests. It is illegal to harass eagles without a depredation permit. It is also possible to get a depredation permit for killing hawks. (Hard, but not impossible) Hawks are only protected by MBTA except for a couple that are on the endangered list.

 

[Animalfisherwoman]

OP, that is insane. OP has taken reasonable precautions here, and at 94 chickens, this appears to be a farm situation that OP depends on. Depredation permits are possible if a pain, and if I were OP, I would contact state F&G/DNR as to how to do that.