Hawks and how to stop them!

[centrarchid]

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.

Anything that obstructs view of hawk in flight before chickens are detected can help. Once hawk 'knows vulnerable chickens are present it will scan area periodically to spot potential victims, In latter situation benefits of such cover type is greatly reduced. Shade sails will not be a refuge from hawk once it starts chasing them.

My dogs also hang with me when I am in yard but they will quickly get head in game if chickens get riled or dogs see, hear or smell something directly, Dogs willingness to be aggressive to other animals innate which part of reason you had to train. The aggressiveness I did promote dogs learned to monitor chickens for signs the dogs favorite victims were about. The predators did help with training by showing up and scaring chickens. I also helped by getting riled and focusing on predator myself which dogs were very sensitive. Also older dog stepped in and filled much of the role had for as the younger dog learned her bit. My dogs also took between 18 and 24 months to get their heads into game which partly a function of maturation.

I have thread (kind of long) that relates much of what I did to get dogs going.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/426408/planned-poultry-guarding-dog

 

[LadyMaryChicken]

Thank you -- your advice has been very helpful.

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

My oeg bantam rooster gave his all today and saved all the hens in his run from what im presuming was one of the hawks nesting in my neighbors trees. My lgd got herself loose and came up to the house she was very excited so I followed her out. He was a good rooster, kept his hens from fighting, had previously protected his hens from neighbors cat, I hope the eggs I have in the bator hatch me one of his sons =(

 

[TXGranny]

I have a pair of hawks that like to circle over the property a couple of times a day. We have a covered run, so I know my guy and gals are safe, even though hubby keeps telling me "We never kept them in a pen when I was growing up". Also, the ladies are all laying, and we have a large cotton field just across the fence from the coop. If they ever got out over there, I'd never find the eggs!
We used to have some dogs that ran loose in the neighborhood, but most of them are gone. Soooo, too much risk for me to let them free range.

Will have to try the CD thing - have heard it works on keeping birds out of the garden but haven't ever tried it.

I don't look forward to losing any of my ladies...am sure it will happen eventualy though!

 

[spainterrd]

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.

Sorry to hear. My kids and I would be devastated if a hawk took our flock.

 

[chickenlover89]

Hi all, sorry it's been such a long time since I've posted on here, but something new is happening. 2 nights ago, I lost one of my chickens to an unknown cause. I heard a big commotion, so I went outside, and i saw a wing in the house of the coop. I knew it was fighting, and then I heard a "thunk" and I ran over, and the chicken was dead. The strange part is, no animal left the coop (I was there and watching for about 30 min before, during, and after the death). I took a closer look, and there were no scratches, or missing feathers anywhere on the dead bird. I was baffled, but decided they must have mites. I checked the rest of the birds, and there were no mites to be seen! I found it very strange. Now, this afternoon, I noticed one of my birds hadn't been out in the run (I locked them in in case of a predator attack) for a while, and so I went to check if she was broody, and she was lying in the nesting box dead. The same scenario as the first one in terms of marks! Does anyone have an idea on what could be happening?

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

If no top you could have a hawk, did u check in rafters/ceiling? I once had a redtailed hawk getting inside the coop, till one day I caught him inside.. Relocated to bird sanctuary. Maybe raccoon/skunk underneath sneaking in.. I had a chicken die of fright once, but technically I would call it a heart attack, but u said it has no marks on it tho, and that u heard a rucus ... if I can think of anything else I will be sure to post =) best of luck on your mystery, hope you catch the culprit.

 

[Carin]

What about a snake?
Where I live that would be my suspision

 

[Jajika]

When I first had a hawk attack I was advised to put up mirrors, CD's, Mylar tape and a scarecrow. Sorry to say, none of these solutions stopped a smart hawk. Short of a barrier, they are not intimidated by a reflection.

My solution was to cover the entire yard with poultry netting. Everyone on the board is correct: One one hawk finds food, they and the others will be back.

For nighttime predators I use the sol



ar powered blinking red lights. they have worked for me for ten years.

 

[chickenlover89]

Thanks for the help! So I know one thing, if it was a hawk (which I'm almost certain it wasn't) it hasn't been back, and none of its friends either! If you are wondering, I believe my dog who seems to bark and run around at every sound he hears (hes trained not to with the chickens) is the best deterrent of a hawk I've ever had. Anyway, today I was holding one of my birds who didn't get killed, and I looked down and I saw a small red bug that looked like a tic running across her feathers. I'm assuming it's a mite (although I've never heard of a red mite), and so if it is a mite, what should I do? Also going on it that its a mite, would diatemacious earth help?