Hawk!

[bzbrown]

That's what I felt like screaming out this morning while sitting near the exercise pen watching the chicks enjoy a nice leafy salad. I feed wild birds up front so they tend to surround my house until I put out their seed. All the sudden they all left, I look up and there is a huge hawk planted on a utility pole about 50 feet above my head. When I stood up he flew off, almost as if he hadn't noticed me sitting here quietly typing away on my laptop. I had to put the chicks in so I can finish my watering without looking up every 2 seconds, lol they are mad and pecking at the run door to get out.

I hadn't intended on leaving them unsupervised in the play pen, ever, but I see that I have to pretty much be up and right around them to stop a flying attack huh. I can't think of any way to alter the current play pen to cover it on top. It's only temp anyway until I've gathered supplies for something more "advanced" and preditor proof.....

BTW, do hawks always give out a "warning sound" when they are around? Or did mine just not pass the "how to sneak up on your prey" class in hawk school?

 

[KFox]

I don't know much about hawks but anytime I've heard the screech, it seems like more come. So, it might be that it was calling it's friends/family for dinner.

My chickens free range with supervision and when we have hawks interested in our yard, I send the kids out to act like lunatics. They run through the yard and scream while flapping their arms and the hawks get very uninterested quickly. Generally, it keeps them away for a few days.

 

[JerseyHen]

We have several types of hawks (and a few bald eagles) around our property. They don't always make a noise. I was sitting on the deck enjoying the wild birds and without warning there was a cloud of feathers floating to the ground. The hawk had swooped through and took a bird in flight about 15 feet away from me. No sound at all, just feathers. I have seen them go for the rabbits and squirrels without making a sound too. I have been pasturing my flock, but the hawks, especially the harrier, have been a little too interested lately, so I might start keeping them in the covered run for a while (they are going to be sooooo mad at me). It is that, or accept that free-ranged and pastured birds are going to be at higher risk and I will lose some birds. I am designing the landscaping in their "yard" to provide aerial coverage, but it will be a while before it is big enough.

 

[chicken grandma]

I had a Coopershawk enter my chicken coop thru the same door the chickens enter. Then he injured my full grown Rhode Island Red hen. I know, because I heard her scream and I ran to the coop and caught the hawk IN MY COOP, on top of my hen. She was so injured that I had to put her down. Coopershawks land and walk/run after their prey. Just a FYI.

 

[ChandlersChickens]

I had a hawk come in our yard and sit on the fence, just inches above the coop. It didn't make a sound and I didn't know until I heard the chickens....I could tell they were obviously panicked about something.

 

[RHRanch]

Hawks often visit my property and scope out the area on the very tall trees I have. Just because a hawk visits your home doesn't mean its there to hunt your chickens.

 

[Mattemma]

The few times that they have come down over the chickens there was no sound.It happened fast. I ran 600 yards of fishing line across the chicken area hoping to prevent the swift fly down attacks.

 

[7L Farm]

I hear them alot but they will sneak up on their prey. I woke up one morning it was poring down rain & looked out at the coop & a hawk was standing in the rain looking inside the coops run at all my chickens trying to figure out how to get in.

 

[BarredRock971]

Adult hawks are almost always silent. It's the babies that you hear screeching all the time.
Good luck!

 

[babalubird]

We've only had chickens since April 7, but we are in Hawk Heaven and so far, haven't lost one to a hawk (Sheesh, I hope I didn't just jinx myself bragging!)

I give credit to the Nite Guard Predator lights we use, 4 facing all directions on top of a 10 or 11 foot post attached right to the coop.

Connie