Hawks! How can I keep the hawks away from my chickens?

[LaceySilkieLove]

Oh, I'm so sorry.  I have a Spicy too.  I always feel an extra connection when I have a hen who has the same name as someone else's.

That's awful about the hawk.  I had a close hawk encounter last night.  I stepped into the garage just to wash my hands and heard my Jersey Giant start to make this gutteral bawgawk.  Different from the I just laid and egg, song.  I went back out to find a Coopers Hawk up on the telephone wire above her looking down at her.  My other 6 hens had all hidden but the JG was standing her ground, standing tall and making direct eye contact w/ the bird.

I stood and watched and the hawk flew off about two minutes later.  I'm wondering if it thought my HUGE hen was really a rooster.  Either way, too close of a call for my comfort.

Dogs can also be great protectors.

I had a Jersey Giant hen too! She was so cool. Never got messed with by hawks and was always very protective of the other hens. Her name was Ducky lol. Where we used to live, a fox get her. I was very sad and I really want another J.G. Where we moved there are no foxes just hawks. I love the name spicey I will have to have a spicey 2

 

[itsjustme]

Getting a guinea was recommended to me. I was told they are very watchful and are very good at noisily letting the flock know when danger is afoot. However, I'm also told that guineas are pretty aggressive toward the chickens. 

I'm glad I have a solid roof over my current run (did that because I want to be able to leave them out on milder winter days when there's snow or ice on the ground). But with the two Red-tailed hawks that appear to have taken up residency here and the loss of a hen already, I want to add a bigger run and do the post-in-the-middle with strung wire like I saw another member did.

I'm at a disadvantage with helping my crew because of my profound hearing loss. I can't hear the hawks at all, but my neighbors and friends who visit me can, even if they are not flying overhead. I can only rely on visual.

 

[itsjustme]

I have buff orpingtons, old English, a Antwerp quail chicken. Turkeys ,guineas and ducks. I agree guineas are wonderful at alerting the others when there's danger. But unfortunately it hasn't kept the hawks around here from snacking on my chickens. I have also lost 2 ducks but I'm not sure to what?

 

[derbydan]

I have full grown hens and the hawk has killed 4 in the last month they will kill and then if they can not carry it way they well eat it there and come back later size does not matter at least in the hawks meals. I am also looking for a solution my hen house id well protected but I have a large area with an electric fence for predators in the woods. so covering it would be almost impossible I am still reading to find some solution.

 

[itsjustme]

So I have had no hawk problems recently. We have a boxer we keep in the kennel at night bc he likes to wonder off. But decided to let him stay out last night. Because we got a great pyraneese (to guard goats) and they get along wonderfuly. And now that the boxer has a friend he doesn't leave. But for some reason last night the 2 dogs decided to get the chickens. I lost 3 buff orp hens and a hen turkey. but iv lost no more guineas. I can't win.

 

[ajohnso1]

We haven't had any hawk attacks since we put some goats in the chicken pasture. Could be coincidence, I'm not sure.

 

I have goats and I've lot 2 chickens in the last 3 days. (Assuming its hawk related because I've been seeing and hearing one in the area and there was not a pile of feathers)

 

[dianan]

Thanks for your suggestion--the most sensible yet. Check out what I found when I looked out my kitchen window this week.

 

[LadyofChickRose]

We have hawk problems too, but my guineas are fearless warriors and saved my hen's life. They actully attack the hawks, it's suprising but we had two attacks from hawks, and the last time it visited it got attacked, that was last year.

 

[grama bailey]

i had my first hawk attack a couple days ago.it got my only female out of all the silkies. the fenced in area is too big to cover it was a red tailed hawk and it didnt get to take her body with it but i am afraid it will come back as soon as i let my guard down. what can i do?

 

[Folly's place]

Lock your birds in a covered coop and run for ten+ days, until the hawk moves on. Mary