Hawk scare this evening

[rooster-red]

I was out in the run just before dusk giving my birds their evening meal when my roosters sounded the alert.

I looked up just in time to see a medium sized hawk coming in level 2 feet above the top of the run fence.

My first instincts were to grab at its legs as it came over, but I'm about 6 inches too short to have gotten ahold of it.

The hawk freaked and flared its wings and pulled up hard.

He didn't make a second pass, I think I scared him more than he scared my birds!

I'm suprised he didn't dive just after clearing the fence line.

It may have been that he caught sight of a couple of roosters that were twice his size, and they weren't running scared.

 

[speckledhen]

You scared me, Lee! Glad it didn't turn into something worse!

 

[Attack Chicken]

Alpha rooster(you) for the win!

 

[Debi214]

We have a lot of red shouldered hawks and red tailed hawks but they won't come too close if I am outside with my birds. We chased off one after it had already landed and was ripping out the feathers - the SLW pullet was fine and is now very wise to overhead shadows to say the least.

 

[rooster-red]

We have always had hawks nesting on the power line towers, about 200 yards from the coops, and even had one come down into the yard last year only to get a bunch of his feathers plucked out by big red. after that they have left my birds alone.

This hawk must be the newest generation and will have to learn about large roosters.

Big red goes absolutely bananas when he sees one, getting on top of the coop and jumping up and down and tawnting them.

He will fly/climb the 6 foot fence to get at them.

I need to replace the CD's I had strung up, they work very well for detering hawks.

Guess what I'll be doing on my half day off tomorrow?

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Huh? CD's? What are you doing with them to deter hawks? I'd love to know cause we have them everywhere....cd's and hawks.

 

[rooster-red]

Speckledhen probably has a pic or two of her setup with the CD's.

They are suspended from line stretched across the run, they hang down so they can twirl in the breeze, and reflect light.
This confusses birds and they won't fly in amongst them.

 

[rooster-red]

Hmmmm... what if I had been 6 inches taller...


We'll probably never know.
That same scenario will never replay in my lifetime.

 

[thesteven]

wow cds, know i kniw what im doing with my scratched ones, any rap crap i find laying around

 

[chixie]

I have noticed a hawk hanging around closer than normal and he doesn't seem scared of people... I don't want to hurt him so I will try the cd idea... i haven't own chickens in years but I have always had ducks never had a problem with hawks getting them...... plus I have a 3 month old puppy that weighs a little over a pound and smaller than a coke can... i don't want it getting her