Hawk took one of my chickens !

[FarmerWife]

We have a hawk coming to our property lately, for the last month. The other day it took one of my hens right in front of my daughters eyes. She was so upset, she came in crying hysterically because the chicken was screaming when it carried it off. I now HATE hawks. How can I keep my chickens protected?? I hate to keep them on lock down, and I have since that day. They look so miserable, they love being out and being able to eat bugs, and scratch the ground. We have no leaves on the trees, so there is no shelter for now, until spring. Any ideas??

Blessings,
Dianna

 

[chikkenfriend]

Found this online:

Try hanging CDs from trees and bushes. Chickens don't mind the flash, and will even chase the odd bright spots around the yard. Hawks, however, don't seem to like that bright flash as they fly overhead.

Plastic owls have also been used in keeping hawks away from chickens. An owl that remains stationary, however, does the chickens no good. Move the owl every few days.

Use windsocks in the shape of rival birds, such as the ones sold at Aboveitallkites.com. These should be as convincing as possible to be of any use in keeping hawks away. Hang them high from long branches so that the boughs above do not conceal the decoy.

Assistance From Other Animals

Guinea hens may be noisy, but they are an excellent alarm system. Any predator that makes an appearance in your yard will be cause for a great deal of squawking. The guineas themselves are generally too large a target for most hawks, and so are not often taken.

Dogs can't be everywhere at once, but they can help. Some say pot bellied pigs make decent deterrents as well.

 

[nab58]

How awful! I had a hawk drop out from a branch over my head right on top of one of my hens. I screamed and it flew off. The hen was not hurt. I couldn't believe how bold it was!

 

[FarmerWife]

Thank you ! I have a friend who's sister has guinea hens, I will ask if she has any that she's willing to sell. I hear they also kill snakes, and snakes are a problem in our area of NM, we haven't had rattlers, just garden snakes, and king snakes so far, I don't mind those, besides the king snakes kill the rattlers. Thanks for all the good info, I really appreciate it, I hate to think of what that hawk did to our hen, and she was my favorite. :-(

Blessings,
Dianna