Hawk with baby Spotted in area Have questions,

[joedie]

I have hawks circle over the chickens every few weeks but they've never gotten one. The rooster usually warns them and they have plenty of places to get under for cover. I also was give 3 adult male guineas about 4 months ago and they never bother the rooster. They roost in the tree outside the coop and go in the coop with the chickens at times throughout the day. They seem to like to hang around the chickens but NEVER bother them.

 

[my3jsons]

I just want to clarify something.

All raptors are protected by federal law!!!!

It is against the law for you to touch them in any way. You should never shoot at a hawk! One of my son's is a falconer. Hawks and falcons have their place. They control rodent and bird populations. It's your job to enclose or protect your chickens or accept it when you lose one. At least they only kill one meal at a time. I'm sorry if it sounds harsh. It just amazes me that some of you would harm them when you love other kinds of birds, namely chickens.

Just my 2 cents: you can appreciate both chickens and hawks.

 

[The Tinman]

You are absolutely right. It is up to us chicken owners to protect our flock from preditors. It is just frustrating to raise these birds only to have them killed in a blink of an eye. It is not the hawks fault, he is just being a hawk. Some people are willing to break the law by shooting,trapping, or what ever to protect thier brood. They believe that they are justified because of all the time,effort and money they put into thier hobby. I`m sure you would understand with all the time and money you have spent getting all the Federal and state permits to own a falcon. Let alone buy a falcon. It a very risky hobby, in a blink of an eye a thousand buck is off into the wind.

 

[mdbokc]

Lost our first ever to a hawk yesterday. Had had no problems before and fwiw, my CD system was temporarily down as I was getting ready to redo it. Hawk proof? No but seemed to be a reasonably effective deterrent up while up. Of course, the one lost was the tamest and my daughter's favorite. The hawk got her while she was getting a drink from the bucket. The attack even knocked over the two gallon bucket full or water. We have moved the water bucket to beneath the big cedar tree now. Activity won't be so apparent from the sky nor will it be easy to get the next one while she is head down, getting a drink.

 

[zeusrekning]

We lost our RIR a couple weeks ago. My four chicks were outside in their unfinished run (only a few weeks old). I look out and think to myself "wow, those tailfeathers are getting large". Then I realize it was a juvenile hawk. I run up but it was to late. It appeared that all but one of my chicks (the SLW) had been killed. We searched the 25' sq run and found no other chicks. Later that day I kept thinking how I only saw one pile of feathers. I went up and looked again; the chicks had dug under a bale of hay next to their coop. My wfe and I had both looked earlier, thats how deep they were. I felt bad because we had them out with only 4 foot of chicken wire up. I realize its kinda like getting ticked when you take your night-crawlers swimming and those darn fish eat em.

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

Quote:
hawks suck in Oklahoma sure seems like were over populated with them dont it there everywhere

 

[PortageGirl]

The hawk and eagle population ebbs and flows depending on the prey animals available... when there are many rabbits, mice, ground squirrels and other prey animals, the population grows well, then when the prey animals get reduced, they move on to greener pastures. Unfortunately, if there are chickens available they'll try for them after their more wild prey are reduced enough to make the risk worthwhile. Though teenage hawks aren't always as afraid of people as they might be when they get older. After a time, after the prey population has been depleted enough, the predators, a lot of them, foxes, raptors and others as well move on. This takes time though. It's not a short term sort of thing and your chickens are in danger absolutely. Raptors do prefer other prey not so close to people though, but they do resort to domestic prey.

Thing is, ALL raptors, Hawks, Falcons and Eagles are protected in ALL states under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 USC, 703-711). These laws strictly prohibit the capture, killing, harming, or possession of hawks or owls without special permit. No permits are required to scare depredating migratory birds except for endangered or threatened species, including bald and golden eagles. REMEMBER though, scaring them means, being careful NOT to harm them in the process even by accident. Fish and Game here, and in most other states too do not mess around on this one and they DO watch for people who cross the line, word does get around too.

Offering lots of cover for our chooks has been the best defense for me. That and plenty of alert hens and when possible a good alert rooster too.