Hawks and fishing line - am I wasting my time?

[lynnehd]

You make very good points.

In my case, my coop and run are covered. I am more concerned with the back yard for part time free ranging. It isn't practical to cover the back yard with netting, and I do like to see the songbirds.

In the tortoise area, the fishing line is 2-4" apart in a row. That seems to work well in that particular area for larger birds.

However, tortoises are not as yummy as chickens.

So...I will try a combination of shrubs/trees, small hides, and fishing line in certain areas. All the while, accepting that nothing is 100% effective.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

This is an European goshawk negotiating tight situations.. Goshawks are a kind of falcon and as such they are not the best fliers in tight places. But if a goshawk can fly through the thick stuff to nab songbirds then how much better can a Coopers Hawk or a Sharp Shinned Hawk that are designed by nature to hunt in tight restricted areas catch and kill your hens?

 

[chixmaidservice]

Thanks Lynnehd for digging these two posts up- very useful ideas and I particularly like the flagpoles for aesthetics and the extra scariness of all those snapping flags! Also thanks for the internet sleuthing of Chickengeorgeto-- amazing video that helps us all to "know thy enemy".

 

[lynnehd]

That is a great video!

We have Arborvitae hedges around our yard, and small shrubs, so there isn't a free and clear flying path.

We have the Cooper's hawks. Mainly the juveniles. I have seen them try to get my songbirds, and they are very clumsy. They tumble around and then recover and fly onto a tree.
I don't think the adults mess around with back yards much, as there are more open areas/wetlands that would be easier picking.
I have seen the occasional adult hawk try to pick a songbird off of the feeder, but they have to lift up too soon to achieve this, to avoid crashing into the hedge.

Some species of hawks may be more agile than others. Our Cooper's hawks, at least, are not very agile, as I have observed them, although they are described as agile when you look them up.
So it may be the combination of shrubs, hedge, etc. that helps. Our hedge is dense; they can't fly through it.

I'm very aware that the only sure fire way to keep hawks away from chickens is in a secure coop and run, which I will have.
These measures might not be perfect, but if I can increase the chickens' chances of survival, when they are outside of the coop, why not?

 

[LipsChicks]

I have been writing several replies to folks recommending the fishing line. I lost several pullets before I realized it. I was devastated! We were leaving for vacation the next day! I got the info from someone on BYC about the fishing line but had no time. A friend called and asked it there was anything she could do and I told her about my problem. She volunteered to come out and put up the line. What a relief ! Between her and my adult daughter, they got it done. I have an enclosed run with chicken wire and 3 rows of electric fencing along the bottom. I have not lost a chicken since! Not one! My spaces are irregular but it still worked.

 

[lynnehd]

Thanks. That is very good to know!

 

[teamjessie]

I figured I'd update now that it's been a few weeks.

We have fishing line crisscrossed over a large portion of the yard. Our efforts have been stalled somewhat by the fact that the ground is frozen solid, and we're not really able to drive anymore stakes in on which to anchor these lines. We have decent enough coverage though.

We have been letting the girls free range during a portion of the day for about a week now. No incursions until yesterday afternoon. My husband just happen to be looking outback, when he saw our Buff Orpington straighten up suddenly, and bolt for the run.

Half a second later a Redtail buzzed the yard, traveling from the front of the house, over the back yard, and landed in a neighbor's tree.

While I do note that the hawk did not attempt to make a landing in the yard, he was watching us awfully closely as we got the girls back into their covered run. This could mean that the fishing line worked, or that he gave up because there were suddenly people in the yard...

We are honestly not sure how we will proceed at this point. We probably have about two thirds of the coverage that we wanted to have with the fishing line. I suppose we may as well finish the job. I admit that I am looking into affordable chicken tractor designs however. Maybe something with enough roof clearance to let me get in there with a chair, and spend some quality time.

I am still somewhat optimistic about the fishing line. I know that people have commented on other types of Hawks like Cooper's or peregrines being able to slip into small spaces, but over here in southeastern Pennsylvania, we really only see the red tails. And big ones at that.

The neighbors uncovered chickens remain perfectly safe. Go fig!

 

[lynnehd]

I will say that in the videos of smaller hawks flying through small holes, they are doing it parallel to the ground, as if they were flying through close trees in the woods.
I'm still hoping that squeezing through a small space while hurtling directly toward the ground could be more challenging. I've seen that in my backyard: they have to pull up if there is a more solid obstacle like a dense hedge.

I'm sure a hawk attach is still possible, but surely somewhat more difficult. We hope!

Very odd about your neighbors. Do they have a dog running free too?

BTW, what kind of poles are you using?


Thanks for the update.

 

[teamjessie]

I am using green stakes for now. 7 ft. With a wood stake attached to the top (because it's easier to drill through to attach the lines)
We also have eye bolts attached to the shed to act as more anchors.

 

[teamjessie]

Back with another update... unfortunately not a good one.

A female Cooper's hawk got "Little Buffy" yesterday. I didn't see or hear it happen, so I don't have exact details - but I suspect the hawk might have landed on the fence, and just hopped down into the yard.

She was in a corner, by the fence, so poor Buffy was a sitting duck there anyway. None of the others sent up the distress call, and the only reason we even knew it happened is because my husband cut through the back yard on the way back from picking my daughter up at the school bus stop.

The hawk was completely unfazed by us too. We threw sticks, hollered, swung a shovel around... I even turned the hose on it twice. It wouldn't move. Not only that, but whenever my husband got close enough, the hawk would motion TOWARDS him, rather than flinch away. We have two young kids, and after 40 minutes (!!!) of trying to scare it off, we made an animal control call to the township. An officer came out, but with it being illegal to interfere with raptors, he could do little more than say "Don't let the kids outside for the rest of the day."

I never considered the yard to be hawk-proof, but I felt like we were at least making life difficult for them. And maybe we were! It's hard to prove these things, but we didn't have any trouble with hawks after putting the lines up. As with all predator deterrents, "It works until it doesn't."

We have all these plans to plant more cover for the chickens, but here we sit in one of the most cold and miserable early springs I can remember. Nurseries around here aren't even selling plants yet. Nothing's growing anywhere. So we thought the lines would be a good stop-gap until it finally warmed up, and we could protect them even more.

We can't get a dog (allergies), we can't get a rooster (illegal), we can't plant cover (too cold), so it looks like we're building a tractor.