Hawks and how to stop them!

[Georgia Nana]

Depending on the size of your run, and the chicken/sq.ft. ratio, your chickens will NOT be miserable in a pen! You are putting "feelings" into their "pea brains" that are not there. Feed them treats, hang a cabbage from a string, grow grass in 'cages" for them to munch, go out and sit and "chicken-sit". They will be happier than they would be as a pile of feathers! I have acreage to let mine roam, but I choose to keep them healthy and happy in their big hawk deterrent pen, instead!
The way that we deterred hawks from our pen (we couldn't afford netting): I bought "lawn chair" webbing from a wholesaler on Ebay very cheaply. We then pulled it from side to side at 3 ft. intervals. Then, we "wove" other strands from the opposite side at about 3 ft. intervals. Over a year old, faded some (was bright orange), but no hawks have taken the challenge!
I hope that this helps somebody as poor as we are!

 

[Georgia Nana]

Hawks are on the protected list...be careful

 

[happyfrenchman]

If they are so scarce... they better be careful too... LOL. Thanks though.

 

[Chickens R Us]

I lost another chicken to a hawk today at least this time it wasn't a hen. I ran mason line like a spiderweb pattern over my other run that I lost a hen in so it must of helped. I had run out so I didn't do the bachelor pad and that's the run I found the dead half eaten roo in.

 

[aoxa]

Depending on the size of your run, and the chicken/sq.ft. ratio, your chickens will NOT be miserable in a pen! You are putting "feelings" into their "pea brains" that are not there. Feed them treats, hang a cabbage from a string, grow grass in 'cages" for them to munch, go out and sit and "chicken-sit". They will be happier than they would be as a pile of feathers! I have acreage to let mine roam, but I choose to keep them healthy and happy in their big hawk deterrent pen, instead!
The way that we deterred hawks from our pen (we couldn't afford netting): I bought "lawn chair" webbing from a wholesaler on Ebay very cheaply. We then pulled it from side to side at 3 ft. intervals. Then, we "wove" other strands from the opposite side at about 3 ft. intervals. Over a year old, faded some (was bright orange), but no hawks have taken the challenge!
I hope that this helps somebody as poor as we are!

If I wanted caged food from caged birds, I would buy them from the grocery store. No thank you. I will free range my chickens.

 

[centrarchid]

If I wanted caged food from caged birds, I would buy them from the grocery store. No thank you. I will free range my chickens.

The birds are not all that stupid. They just do not complain or have the ability to do so in a manner I can understand. Birds that I perceive to be happy do seem to taste better and they also live longer assuming something does not eat them. I say again they do taste better which is a benefit of free-range foraging, not just running about in the sunshine and rain.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Well, I think everyone is different... if someone is uncomfortable with their chickens running round facing potential losses, then they should keep them penned up more. They can/will enjoy their chickens better if they are not having to be fearful of them being killed... I have lost chickens before and it makes you wonder if maybe you did something different... etc... etc... Everyone is different.. Predators are a real threat and everyone has a different tolerance for the risk.

 

[aoxa]

Well, I think everyone is different... if someone is uncomfortable with their chickens running round facing potential losses, then they should keep them penned up more. They can/will enjoy their chickens better if they are not having to be fearful of them being killed... I have lost chickens before and it makes you wonder if maybe you did something different... etc... etc... Everyone is different.. Predators are a real threat and everyone has a different tolerance for the risk.

If they are pets, sure. I see that. But if you are raising meat birds and egg layers with hawks being the only predator? Yeah.. I don't see how keeping them in a barren pen is OK. They will eat all that grass that was there in no time flat. You run risk of parasite overload with barren runs. Tractors ARE better, but I know my chickens are most happy when free. I see them pacing if cooped up (which I do during breeding season to keep breeds pure).

I don't have ground predators (thanks to my dogs), but the hawks.. the dogs don't seem to do anything at all about them, and the hawks ignore the dogs.. They attack if the dogs are out or not.

Thankfully the hawks around here are small (cooper hawks) and stand no chance against my large fowl chickens. It's the juveniles that have an issue. Most of the juveniles KNOW to take cover when the warning alarm is called. Those who don't are the weakest link. It's how it is...

The hawk has only successfully gotten away with one bitty chick. The juveniles are too heavy to carry away. I've processed one that was freshly killed. No need for it to go to waste...

Yes it's a shame. Yes it's a risk. But it's a risk I feel is important to take. If I could not free range, I would not raise chickens for food..

 

[LadyMaryChicken]

Cover
Provide cover patches that hawks cannot not fly through. Multiple patches better. My patches are bushes and brambles. Fence row with cover patches are awesome places for birds to loaf. Cover takes time to develop and is a long-term consideration for your property. I have posted many times on this and have a lot of pictures in my albums here showing good examples.


Flock Free-Range Activity Times
If flock is overly vulnerable then let them out only when you are present. I had to employ this routine after moving to new location before getting dogs in place. My birds were let out only after I got home for day when I would be out working yard. I did not stand idle when a predator got into flock and local predators quickly figured out I was not just a fast moving tree. No free-ranging when snow is deep and cover is anything less than exceptional. For me hawks do not hunt much during the last hour of daylight so let birds out then but watch for owls.


Free-Range Demographics
When you protection systems are week, do not free-range younger birds. If you have small or visually impaired birds, then do not free-range those either. Breed selection is important here.


Considerations above help reduce losses but properly behaving dogs are best system. If you have dogs that do not work, then invest time in dogs to get them to work. Roosters I use under very specific situations and that involves protection of younger birds specifically from hawks. Roosters also protect hens during much of year but with red-tailed hawks the roosters must have cover to operate from.

Predator management is a long-term activity that will take into a more holistic approach of free-range chicken raising. Losses will still be incurred but keep the losses down. Some losses are tolerable but make so loss prevention does not cost more than loss replacement. Bullets are cheap but time required to make them do their thing is not. I use a camera like I would use a gun so have a pretty good handle in the time cost. No need to mention penalty cost if caught harming raptors.

Thank you for the tips. Questions for you:

--I am planning on planting some more bushes for cover, but what do you think about a few shade sails strung up over open areas for now? Would a hawk be less inclined to try to fly down and under a shade sail? Or would this just make it harder for chickens to see what's coming from above?

--Dogs: I have a great shepherd puppy (only a year old) that is good with the chickens and doesn't bother them--that training part we got down. She was raised with them, but would rather follow me around than stay behind to watch them. Did you train your dog with specific chicken guarding behaviors?

We lost our favorite chicken today to a hawk and it has just been devastating.

 

[Georgia Nana]

Who said anything about caged, and what does that have to do with 40 day old eggs from the grocery store? My hens are happy, well fed, and entertained. I choose to protect them, that's all. Touchy, touchy