Hawks--A Different Question!

[Basel]

Just be careful and take the extra precautions that you feel are necessary. Your instinct is usually always right.
I 100% agree with not letting them free-range unless your out there with them. I will never let mine do it unless I'm there!
ALWAYS lock your coop and egg box at night... (I'm sure you know that already lol.)
Anyway, hawks will always be a problem, but it's up to us to out-smart them.
I also suggest covering your run with a good and hardy chicken wire!
It will help prevent attacks.

Yes, I absolutely agree and will have my runs covered with hardware cloth for the one they can go in all the time, and with poultry netting for the secondary one that I plan to make quite large.
Thank You!

 

[Basel]

Thank you, Nambroth!
That is wonderful news that you haven't seen an increase in hawks in your area. I am lucky in that a family of crows has taken up residence the last few years and they are GREAT at spotting and chasing the hawks away!
If anyone has any suggestions on how to make my yard more attractive to hawks, I'd love to hear them!

 

[Basel]

Just remember predators are opportunists and they are territorial as well. They will seek the easiest meal and you will be hit if/when your guard is down. A secure enclosure is a must at night. You still have to be vigilant in the day as well when your birds are out of the run. I don't think they stake out a place like Wile E. Coyote, but they probably have a time when they come thru your part of their territory, maybe once/twice a week or so.
I haven't noticed more birds of prey now than before we got our birds. My wife has made mention of it, but I believe it's because she didn't have a reason to pay attention to them before.

Yes, vigilance is important. Interesting about how a predator will come by now and again to check the situation out! Love Wile E Coyote tho!

 

[Basel]

Up until 2 weeks ago, I lived in a heavily wooded area in PA. I let my dozen or so chickens free-range when I was at home on the weekends. I had to be extra careful during the early spring & fall when the leaves were off the trees, because this also meant that much of the hawk-food migrates & they migrate along. A few years ago one made a slight detour into my yard and killed one of the hens - it's always one of the better hens. Since then I kept a closer eye out when they were out ranging. I also learned that hawks stay away from crows, so I paid less attention when they were around. I also think they may be more prone to return if they were successful.

I'm in PA too! In a heavily treed older neighborhood tho, not woods however. I do see them occasionally but as I mentioned earlier, some crows have moved into the area and I love them!
Any thoughts on how to keep them attracted to my yard??
Thanks!

 

[Nambroth]

Thank you, Nambroth!
That is wonderful news that you haven't seen an increase in hawks in your area. I am lucky in that a family of crows has taken up residence the last few years and they are GREAT at spotting and chasing the hawks away!
If anyone has any suggestions on how to make my yard more attractive to hawks, I'd love to hear them!

Do you mean how to keep the crows attracted? Right?

Anyhow, making friends with crows can sometimes be hard, depending on their experience with humans. Crows that have been harassed by people or shot at (etc) are far less friendly and they actually teach that to each generation. There have been studies shown that crows recognize individual human faces and can remember them for years and will teach new generations about it as well! So it's important not to upset them if possible.
Like all animals, crows are very food driven. They adore meat scraps. I have a wood pile behind my house that I always put the meat scraps (that the chickens don't get!) on for the crows. I will also leave them stale bread, though not too often as it's not overly good for them (people might think I'm nuts for caring, but that's just who I am). It took them a week or so but they have learned that it's a buffet, and that I am never threatening to them. I have lived here for three years and it's taken that long for the crows to trust me enough to stay in the yard when I am out and about. I live in the country, though, where people have shot at them before. In more urban and suburban areas, crows are usually less fearful of people. They've started nesting in my pine trees, which is great.

A few hints about leaving meat or bread scraps out: Always leave them in the same place, visible from above, so that the crows learn to look there. A stump or a log or whatever works well.Crows learn our human routines pretty quickly.
I won't feed my chickens raw poultry of any type for fear of disease vector, so the raw poultry trimmings always go to the crows.
Other critters love meat/bread too-- you don't want to attract more predators to your yard! For this reason, I always put my "crow food" out in the morning, so that they have time to clean it up before nightfall. Once they find the snacks, it rarely takes them more than 30 minutes to clean it up. I've never had other critters come in for it, in this way.

If you can get crows nesting nearby, that's the best! Crows are very defensive of their nest sites and will brazenly chase hawks away during the spring and summer months. If they know they have a good food source and there are any pine trees nearby the chances are higher.

Best wishes!!

 

[Basel]

Do you mean how to keep the crows attracted? Right?

Anyhow, making friends with crows can sometimes be hard, depending on their experience with humans. Crows that have been harassed by people or shot at (etc) are far less friendly and they actually teach that to each generation. There have been studies shown that crows recognize individual human faces and can remember them for years and will teach new generations about it as well! So it's important not to upset them if possible.
Like all animals, crows are very food driven. They adore meat scraps. I have a wood pile behind my house that I always put the meat scraps (that the chickens don't get!) on for the crows. I will also leave them stale bread, though not too often as it's not overly good for them (people might think I'm nuts for caring, but that's just who I am). It took them a week or so but they have learned that it's a buffet, and that I am never threatening to them. I have lived here for three years and it's taken that long for the crows to trust me enough to stay in the yard when I am out and about. I live in the country, though, where people have shot at them before. In more urban and suburban areas, crows are usually less fearful of people. They've started nesting in my pine trees, which is great.

A few hints about leaving meat or bread scraps out: Always leave them in the same place, visible from above, so that the crows learn to look there. A stump or a log or whatever works well.Crows learn our human routines pretty quickly.
I won't feed my chickens raw poultry of any type for fear of disease vector, so the raw poultry trimmings always go to the crows.
Other critters love meat/bread too-- you don't want to attract more predators to your yard! For this reason, I always put my "crow food" out in the morning, so that they have time to clean it up before nightfall. Once they find the snacks, it rarely takes them more than 30 minutes to clean it up. I've never had other critters come in for it, in this way.

If you can get crows nesting nearby, that's the best! Crows are very defensive of their nest sites and will brazenly chase hawks away during the spring and summer months. If they know they have a good food source and there are any pine trees nearby the chances are higher.

Best wishes!!

Excellent advice!! Thanks. Yes, crows nested in my back yard last year and I see them pretty often in the area. Not sure if they come to nest in the same nest year after year or not. I did save on of their babies last year from a neighbor's terrier. I hope that helps make me a "friendly" face! They are so amazingly smart. And yes, I've seen them dive bomb and harass a hawk right out of a tree and then chase it far away.