Hawk tips? Scare crows.... Scare hawks? Anything to keep them away?

[Ragna]

So I haven't seen any hawks in my area... and I like to let my girl free range. She's got a very large portion of area she likes to hide under as it's cool and water collects down there for her to stand in if she pleases... I don't like them drinking it but I can't stop them since I can't actually get down there easily. I leave her water so she doesn't really ever have to drink it but whatever. anyways sometimes she comes out of her hiding spot under the deck to dig around. She just seems happier to be outside and I feel bad that I can't be out there with her since I work in the sun and sometimes I'm just to tired. I spend a few minutes helping her get worms today but I'm deathly afraid of her getting attacked by a random hawk that may be passing... There are cats around that run around so you'd think if there actually were hawks they'd try to go for them but I'm still worried and I don't want to push my luck anymore and lose my girl while she's just trying to eat some worms in peace. Are there any ways or methods to scare hawks off? even if that means I gotta put up scarecrows? Balloons with crazy faces on them? colors? anything? I don't know too much about hawks to know what they are afraid of or what they don't like so I thought maybe you guys would have some insight into their minds! Thanks everyone!

 

[ModernGamer]

If this is at all possible for you maybe you could consider a guard goose which would definitely protect your flock from aerial predators

 

[centrarchid]

A single bird I would make a chicken tractor for and free-range her only with direct supervision.

 

[bigmrg74]

In my pen I keep an assortment of old chairs, dog coop halves, and a few other odds and ends spaced out in the yard there that they can use as bomb shelters in the event of a hawk attack. I've had a few attacks on my girls and since I made more of a point to get the bomb shelters out I have fortunately not had an incident that know about. Knock on wood.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Add lots of bird feeders to your yard. Keep them full. Black birds and mocking birds will be attracted and in turn they will go after the hawks and keep them moving on.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Add lots of bird feeders to your yard. Keep them full. Black birds and mocking birds will be attracted and in turn they will go after the hawks and keep them moving on.

The thing most likely to happen is that the local Cooper's Hawks, Blue Darter Hawks (Sharp Shinned Hawk) and the occasional Red Tail Hawk will view your backyard as a all day all you can eat buffet. I'm not saying that sacrificing the odd song bird or two to the local hawk population won't help mitigate some of your losses to the local hawk population but at the very least you are playing Russian roulette with the lives of your chickens by attracting hawks (especially bird eating hawks) to your property

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[bigmrg74]

Not to mention the added risk of your birds picking up something from the local wild birds as well.

 

[mixedbreeds]

I know of another member that puts out food for crows in turn the crows keep the hawks away. I didn’t really believe it but I had a pair of crows nest in my fir tree this year I haven’t seen a hawk around here since and there were a lot of them before it’s really been amazing.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I know of another member that puts out food for crows in turn the crows keep the hawks away. I didn’t really believe it but I had a pair of crows nest in my fir tree this year I haven’t seen a hawk around here since and there were a lot of them before it’s really been amazing.

Hawks are stealth hunters and a few crows screaming bloody murder about a hawk in the neighborhood is not going to help a hawk feed their family.

 

[mixedbreeds]

I also have a lot of stuff around big compost bins I made from wire and plastic my fenced garden young fruit trees with wire around them to keep the deer out, lots of stuff that stops a hawk from making a screaming run to hit a chicken. So the hawks would sit on the barn or power pole then the chickens would see them and run in the coop or barn. But now the crows run them off before they get that close.