Hawk visitor

[ringaring]

A large hawk has been haunting my poultry yard yesterday & today. It's about the same size as the geese & muscovies so I don't think it will attack them - it came out of the muscovy house today! leaving the geese & muscovies huddled together at the back. I worry about the chickens though; leghorns, buckeyes, ameracaunas & australorps - all adult size & several roosters. They all hide under the porch & in their coops when the hawk is near & so far no casualties. Everyone is free range 24/7 on 3 acres. After 2 yrs of trying to get them all in each night & no predators, I had more success with allowing them to come in when they wanted which was usually after dark. My question: is there a deterrent that doesn't require me being in the yard & won't traumatize my birds (like an airgun or loud horn would). It's snowing with 2+ ft already on the ground & 7 degrees F for a high today so no outside work on increasing security feasible, & it's illegal to kill hawks in NY. My dogs won't go in the yard with the geese because the geese attack them. Would flags or streamers work? I can put them up easily along the fence. Any suggestions welcome. TIA

 

[fin-dachickmasta]

Wind chimes and CDs.

 

[ringaring]

Wind chimes and CDs.

thanks, i love wind chimes

 

[EdgeofAsheville]

We’re looking for ideas for hawk deterrents too! We lost a young Silkie to one a few weeks ago and now one of our big Wyandottes has gone missing. Will they take full sized chickens?!!

 

[ringaring]

I'm told they will Take a mid size chicken; RIR, Americauna like. I have put streamers up but what really seemed to deter them was the crows. The last I saw of it, the hawk was being pursued by 2 crows, which are natural enemies of hawks. Now to find a way to keep them around all year. They are annoyingly loud at 5am, but worth the added protection.

 

[cmom]

If you are seeing a very large hawk, it could be an eagle. We have bald eagles here and they don't get their white head and tail feathers until they are around 5 years old and will take most anything. A few days ago my brother saw an eagle flying with a coon in its talons. Free ranging is a risk you take and you will loose a bird sooner or later. I start when the chicks are younger and give them some treats in their coops in the evenings and they always go in for treats. They get to the point where they expect it. I don't free range anymore. I have nice large covered pens with electric wires around the pens and coops and concrete under the gates all due to losses from predators. Lessons learned the hard way. I do leave the pop doors open 24/7/365. The predators know the birds are there but won't test the electric wires. Good luck...
Here are some pictures I got online.

Relative Size of a Bald Eagle​

Relative Size: One of the largest birds in North America,
goose-sized or larger.

 

[AutumnSol]

A large hawk has been haunting my poultry yard yesterday & today. It's about the same size as the geese & muscovies so I don't think it will attack them - it came out of the muscovy house today! leaving the geese & muscovies huddled together at the back. I worry about the chickens though; leghorns, buckeyes, ameracaunas & australorps - all adult size & several roosters. They all hide under the porch & in their coops when the hawk is near & so far no casualties. Everyone is free range 24/7 on 3 acres. After 2 yrs of trying to get them all in each night & no predators, I had more success with allowing them to come in when they wanted which was usually after dark. My question: is there a deterrent that doesn't require me being in the yard & won't traumatize my birds (like an airgun or loud horn would). It's snowing with 2+ ft already on the ground & 7 degrees F for a high today so no outside work on increasing security feasible, & it's illegal to kill hawks in NY. My dogs won't go in the yard with the geese because the geese attack them. Would flags or streamers work? I can put them up easily along the fence. Any suggestions welcome. TIA

I have Streamers and CDs all over the place and a Hawk still attacked my chickens yesterday. One is very injured but alive. When I first put out the CDs and steamers the hawk wouldn't go into the yard. Sadly that didn't last long. Attacked my baby right next to the coop. THEN the sucker came back and sat on the coop just to terrorize my girls!

 

[fin-dachickmasta]

We’re looking for ideas for hawk deterrents too! We lost a young Silkie to one a few weeks ago and now one of our big Wyandottes has gone missing. Will they take full sized chickens?!!

ALL SIZES! You could also get a goose! I got one for the hawk problems and in two years have only lost a young dumb one.

 

[AutumnSol]

ALL SIZES! You could also get a goose! I got one for the hawk problems and in two years have only lost a young dumb one.

I will definitely look into a couple of Geese! My Chickens are so unhappy not being able to forage. My injured one won't let me clean her wound any more. She is on to me and runs when I come to get her to spray it. She is doing great though. Eating, drinking and still laying eggs.

 

[fin-dachickmasta]

I will definitely look into a couple of Geese! My Chickens are so unhappy not being able to forage. My injured one won't let me clean her wound any more. She is on to me and runs when I come to get her to spray it. She is doing great though. Eating, drinking and still laying eggs.

Do not get more than one guard goose. They will be to attached to each other and will not guard them.