Hawks, Hawks and More Hawks

[igorsMistress]

This turned into a longer response than I had planned. I guess I'm in a writing mood today. I think you could try to free range, in spite of the hawks. I would recommend selecting breeds for their free ranging excellence, e.g. Dominique, Welsummer, Spitzhauben, Hamburg and ensuring they have plenty of cover.

Here's the longer version...

I am in Southeast Missouri on a 100+ acre farm with numerous predators including hawks. It is important to me to free range, so when I started my flock last year, predator savvy was one of my top criteria when selecting breeds. I started with Dominiques - 4 hens and a rooster. Whenever I saw a hawk flying, I would run out to protect the chickens, but they were no where to be found. They would disappear for hours at a time and always seemed to spot the hawks before I did. (They also took cover for passing airplanes and various non-threatening birds.) Earlier this year, I expanded my flock with a variety of other breeds known to be predator savvy, and now have a flock of nearly 30 who can disappear almost as quickly as the original 5.

I had my first hawk victim, a Speckled Sussex, a few weeks ago. I had seen a hawk flying around, and then found a pile of feathers and a Sussex who didn't make it back to the coop that night. Of all my breeds, the Sussex hens (3 remaining) are the most independent & curious, and the closest breed I have to a "lap chicken". I had been a little concerned, even before the incident, because they didn't seem to have the same self-protective instincts as the others, especially if there were tasty treats around.

After that, I noticed the flock spending a lot more time in the coop...hardly leaving it for days in a row. Then, other days they ranged and hung out in their favorite places around the farm. One day, I heard a huge commotion coming out of a little strip of woods by the compost pile where the chickens like to hang out. Suddenly, a dozen or more chickens came squawking/flying/running out of the woods, heading back toward their coop. There was one Spitzhauben rooster standing on the top of the compost pile, at the opening to the woods, screaming a warning siren, with one eye toward the sky and the other eye on the hens run/flying to safety. Another Spitzhauben roo was up in a tree near the coop also screaming warnings as the hens and juveniles who had been hanging out near the coop scrambled inside, and the ones coming out of the woods flew in behind them. Within seconds, the entire flock was safely under cover except the two roosters, who stood their ground and continued to sound the warning. Then, I saw the hawk fly out from behind the little strip of woods behind the compost pile and fly away. No one was harmed.

My plan is to continually add to my flock, select for hardiness and savviness, keep extra roosters in the flock (selecting for cooperation and protectiveness). I know I will lose an occasional chicken, but I'm hoping the flock will survive and thrive over time.

Here are my two siren-warning Spitz roosters who have been spending an increasing amount of time in trees lately
View attachment 2423967
View attachment 2423969

I wrote another story about them earlier today, if you're interested
"Too many" roosters


Good luck to you!

This is an excellent response. I like the long version. Handsome fellas there!

 

[BaaKaaawk]

This turned into a longer response than I had planned. I guess I'm in a writing mood today. I think you could try to free range, in spite of the hawks. I would recommend selecting breeds for their free ranging excellence, e.g. Dominique, Welsummer, Spitzhauben, Hamburg and ensuring they have plenty of cover.
Good luck to you!

Gives me some good hope!!!

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

This turned into a longer response than I had planned. I guess I'm in a writing mood today. I think you could try to free range, in spite of the hawks. I would recommend selecting breeds for their free ranging excellence, e.g. Dominique, Welsummer, Spitzhauben, Hamburg and ensuring they have plenty of cover.

Here's the longer version...

I am in Southeast Missouri on a 100+ acre farm with numerous predators including hawks. It is important to me to free range, so when I started my flock last year, predator savvy was one of my top criteria when selecting breeds. I started with Dominiques - 4 hens and a rooster. Whenever I saw a hawk flying, I would run out to protect the chickens, but they were no where to be found. They would disappear for hours at a time and always seemed to spot the hawks before I did. (They also took cover for passing airplanes and various non-threatening birds.) Earlier this year, I expanded my flock with a variety of other breeds known to be predator savvy, and now have a flock of nearly 30 who can disappear almost as quickly as the original 5.

I had my first hawk victim, a Speckled Sussex, a few weeks ago. I had seen a hawk flying around, and then found a pile of feathers and a Sussex who didn't make it back to the coop that night. Of all my breeds, the Sussex hens (3 remaining) are the most independent & curious, and the closest breed I have to a "lap chicken". I had been a little concerned, even before the incident, because they didn't seem to have the same self-protective instincts as the others, especially if there were tasty treats around.

After that, I noticed the flock spending a lot more time in the coop...hardly leaving it for days in a row. Then, other days they ranged and hung out in their favorite places around the farm. One day, I heard a huge commotion coming out of a little strip of woods by the compost pile where the chickens like to hang out. Suddenly, a dozen or more chickens came squawking/flying/running out of the woods, heading back toward their coop. There was one Spitzhauben rooster standing on the top of the compost pile, at the opening to the woods, screaming a warning siren, with one eye toward the sky and the other eye on the hens run/flying to safety. Another Spitzhauben roo was up in a tree near the coop also screaming warnings as the hens and juveniles who had been hanging out near the coop scrambled inside, and the ones coming out of the woods flew in behind them. Within seconds, the entire flock was safely under cover except the two roosters, who stood their ground and continued to sound the warning. Then, I saw the hawk fly out from behind the little strip of woods behind the compost pile and fly away. No one was harmed.

My plan is to continually add to my flock, select for hardiness and savviness, keep extra roosters in the flock (selecting for cooperation and protectiveness). I know I will lose an occasional chicken, but I'm hoping the flock will survive and thrive over time.

Here are my two siren-warning Spitz roosters who have been spending an increasing amount of time in trees lately
View attachment 2423967
View attachment 2423969

I wrote another story about them earlier today, if you're interested
"Too many" roosters


Good luck to you!

Beautiful boys!!

 

[Folly's place]

Also, start planting small trees and shrubs as cover and entertainment for your birds. Open pastures aren't good chicken habitat, they were jungle animals, and prefer that environment anyway. Having a good run, or runs, is important anyway.
Here we have a small very safe run integrated into our coop, it's one unit. There are times when the flock needs to be in a safe place, sometimes for weeks at a time, either because of predator attacks, or big blizzard events.
@halefamily_flock has very good ideas too, chickens vary a lot by breed, and of course individually, in caution and predator awareness. Forget about Silkies, for example! Bird color is irrelevant, far as I can tell, but alertness, and experience matter a lot.
Mary

 

[hayley3]

So I just moved to a new home outside Lexington, KY with about 120 acres, mostly pasture- and the first thing I noticed (being a chicken nerd) is the incredible number of hawks I have flying all over the property. I've seen 4 at a time looking out across the land in different directions- so yeah- zero chance I am going to be able to free range chickens here.

I've always kept chickens and want to again, but the concept of an enclosed run is just not appealing to me. We have always free-ranged and I love watching the birds exploring their world, chase bugs and interact. The fact that I moved to Hawk-Land really has me second guessing whether to even start up another flock. I considered building a huge enclosed coop area, but the cost of that (and the eyesore) just doesn't seem worth it.

Any suggestions out there?

To top it off- for those Koi lovers out there (me included) - I also got a 10-acre pond... complete with daily visits from Great Blue Herons. SMH. Love this land, but what a bummer on the livestock side of things!

Are you positive they are hawks? I lived in a forest for 13 years and on 10 acres for 16 and rarely saw hawks although I could hear them. Buzzards were plentiful though soaring lazily along in the sky looking for roadkill.
Sometimes it's hard to tell if it's a hawk or vulture.
In my opinion, hawks in that much country have more things to eat than a chicken.
Now that I live on 1.5 acres, I see hawks frequently because they are coming down to where I can see them.
I'm from Louisville btw.
And with that much acreage, get a couple of goats to roam with the chickens.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

So I just moved to a new home outside Lexington, KY with about 120 acres, mostly pasture- and the first thing I noticed (being a chicken nerd) is the incredible number of hawks I have flying all over the property. I've seen 4 at a time looking out across the land in different directions- so yeah- zero chance I am going to be able to free range chickens here.

I've always kept chickens and want to again, but the concept of an enclosed run is just not appealing to me. We have always free-ranged and I love watching the birds exploring their world, chase bugs and interact. The fact that I moved to Hawk-Land really has me second guessing whether to even start up another flock. I considered building a huge enclosed coop area, but the cost of that (and the eyesore) just doesn't seem worth it.

Any suggestions out there?

To top it off- for those Koi lovers out there (me included) - I also got a 10-acre pond... complete with daily visits from Great Blue Herons. SMH. Love this land, but what a bummer on the livestock side of things!

A few things:
A.) I've never had experience with hawks but as far as I know you will NEED a covered, sturdy run. Animals will do anything to get at your precious chickens. Sturdy metal/treated timber frame, 1/2 inch galvanised hardware cloth/wire stapled/nailed down. Trench around the outside 2ft deep and filled with crushed hardcore or more wire, hardcore will probably be cheaper. Even better is some electric wires too! If you have to free range, make sure it is in a forest with lots of cover or something similar. I'd also suggest a rooster or geese to go with your hens. They are territorial and will protect your hens against any predator attack
B.) I also love Koi Carp! We have a large pond and 70+ of them. They aren't so active now in the winter but they are a beauty to watch and are really quite elegant, I think all ours are female so no mating. We have an electric fence around the pond, though it isn't on and we've never had any issues with predators. Nice to see another Koi lover!

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Are you positive they are hawks? I lived in a forest for 13 years and on 10 acres for 16 and rarely saw hawks although I could hear them. Buzzards were plentiful though soaring lazily along in the sky looking for roadkill.
Sometimes it's hard to tell if it's a hawk or vulture.
In my opinion, hawks in that much country have more things to eat than a chicken.
Now that I live on 1.5 acres, I see hawks frequently because they are coming down to where I can see them.
I'm from Louisville btw.
And with that much acreage, get a couple of goats to roam with the chickens.

Oh yeah they're hawks lol. I'm a pretty good bird-of-prey identifier these day. In fact they are mostly red-tailed hawks. Some of them are beastly in size. They comb my fields all day for mice and critters... so maybe I will get lucky and they have a taste for them instead lol.

So cool you are from Louisville- I have not met many chicken people since I moved here from NC- and craigslist is empty (used to buy and sell a bunch of them on there!). So if you ever want to pair up on chick-buying or something let me know. I will be buying a pile of chicks in the Spring.

I had goats before- there are coyotes all over out here that would enjoy a goat sandwich. Going to get some horses and a donkey (which naturally are like coyote hunters!).

A few things:
A.) I've never had experience with hawks but as far as I know you will NEED a covered, sturdy run. Animals will do anything to get at your precious chickens. Sturdy metal/treated timber frame, 1/2 inch galvanised hardware cloth/wire stapled/nailed down. Trench around the outside 2ft deep and filled with crushed hardcore or more wire, hardcore will probably be cheaper. Even better is some electric wires too! If you have to free range, make sure it is in a forest with lots of cover or something similar. I'd also suggest a rooster or geese to go with your hens. They are territorial and will protect your hens against any predator attack
B.) I also love Koi Carp! We have a large pond and 70+ of them. They aren't so active now in the winter but they are a beauty to watch and are really quite elegant, I think all ours are female so no mating. We have an electric fence around the pond, though it isn't on and we've never had any issues with predators. Nice to see another Koi lover!

Yeah my koi in this 4 acre pond will likely have a tough time because I have all sorts of herons and amazingly I have a bald eagle that comes by on occasion! So the herons would get anyone up to like 12" and the bald eagle could take out the rest... so I might try some koi in there and wish them luck, but I think they have less chance than the chickens out here.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

Oh yeah they're hawks lol. I'm a pretty good bird-of-prey identifier these day. In fact they are mostly red-tailed hawks. Some of them are beastly in size. They comb my fields all day for mice and critters... so maybe I will get lucky and they have a taste for them instead lol.

So cool you are from Louisville- I have not met many chicken people since I moved here from NC- and craigslist is empty (used to buy and sell a bunch of them on there!). So if you ever want to pair up on chick-buying or something let me know. I will be buying a pile of chicks in the Spring.

I had goats before- there are coyotes all over out here that would enjoy a goat sandwich. Going to get some horses and a donkey (which naturally are like coyote hunters!).




Yeah my koi in this 4 acre pond will likely have a tough time because I have all sorts of herons and amazingly I have a bald eagle that comes by on occasion! So the herons would get anyone up to like 12" and the bald eagle could take out the rest... so I might try some koi in there and wish them luck, but I think they have less chance than the chickens out here.

I'd suggest a simple plastic (but strong) bird netting over the pond...though it is 4 acres...lol. Put some stakes in at the edges to keep it down and an electric fence around the outside, can be only 1ft tall with strands but it should do the trick.

 

[hayley3]

Oh yeah they're hawks lol. I'm a pretty good bird-of-prey identifier these day. In fact they are mostly red-tailed hawks. Some of them are beastly in size. They comb my fields all day for mice and critters... so maybe I will get lucky and they have a taste for them instead lol.

So cool you are from Louisville- I have not met many chicken people since I moved here from NC- and craigslist is empty (used to buy and sell a bunch of them on there!). So if you ever want to pair up on chick-buying or something let me know. I will be buying a pile of chicks in the Spring.

I had goats before- there are coyotes all over out here that would enjoy a goat sandwich. Going to get some horses and a donkey (which naturally are like coyote hunters!).

I plan on making a few of these...for a way to give the girls a place to run or hang out to stay out of view of the hawks. I can't plant trees where I am and they would take so long to grow.

And yeah a donkey would be much better if you have coyotes.
I had a hawk two days ago...I heard the ducks make an alarm sound, I ran out, the ducks had ran under the lean to and the hawk was still looking for them in the tree. Smart ducks!

 

[halefamily_flock]

So, I should admit I was starting to doubt myself. I was so proud of my flock for protecting themselves from the hawk that has been coming around regularly, ever since he got a taste of Speckled Sussex. Then, last week, one of my most "street smart" (and favorite) Dominique hens went missing. I didn't find a pile of feathers anywhere, but I was sure she had been taken. It was easy to see how Speckles could have been an easy target. All 4 of my Sussex girls tend to be loners, curious & trusting, with tunnel vision around tasty treats. But my Dominique? It shook my confidence. I started to think maybe it was just silly to believe in the possibility of a self-protecting flock of chickens.

Then, after at least 3 days, maybe up to 6, away from the flock & the coop, she appeared, unharmed, with a fresh set of feathers from a recent hard molt (so I don't think it could have been broody stuff). She must have just been on an adventure. She's the one in front...

Anyway, I'm really happy to have her back in the flock. I still could be wrong about the overall idea of chickens defending themselves against hawks in the long run, but I'm going to keep encouraging and breeding self-sufficiency and see where it gets us!