Hawks stink!

[Mom2Cool]

Ok I haven't tried this but I've heard that hawks are put off with shiney objects that glisten & that if you have old CD's you can tie them to a tree limb or to fence posts etc & that it'll make the hawks skiddish to swoop in.

And Juliect you don't need a rooster that is mean to people to be an effective protector in the yard & coop. My Mr. standoffish is a a buff orpington, real darling but from the time he was a chick he tood his rooster duties very seriously. I think that's why he was always just so "standoffish" & that's how he got his name. I almost called him Serious because he was as serious as a heart attack when it came to "watching the girls". A good rooster is just worth his weight..

 

[Attack Chicken]

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I second that!

My Leggy is such a baby doll to me and protects his girls with his life at the same time.

 

[juliect]

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Awesome! Maybe my little boys will grow up to be good watch-roosters.

One rooster chick already meets me at the edge of the brooder with his wings spread and a serious look in his eye...at first I thought he was glad to see me, but I think he is just checking me out to make sure I am not a threat. Once he figures out it is just me, he goes back to doing whatever it was he was doing before, but not until after giving me a "I've got my eye on you" look.

I will experiment with some shiny objects. Thanks for the idea!

 

[Barred Rocker]

I lost a 2 month old pullet to a hawk when I let them free range. Thought I learned my lesson, then month later I let them out again but this time I kept my eye on them, just went around the corner for a minute and came back around to see the darn hawk attack one of the pullets again. Fortunately I was close enough to run at it yelling and waiving my arms and scared if off, but it didn't let go of the poor chick til I was almost on top of it. The pullet survived amazingly with no injuries except its wits as in scared out of. I think it was literally unconscious out of extreme fear but she snapped out of it in about 5 minutes. No more free ranging for this bunch. Darn hawk!

 

[juliect]

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I know what you mean...I told my girls that I was going to weld the door shut on their run. Two days later & they don't seem to care...they are still too frightened to come out into the covered run for long periods of time.

How long does it take chickens to get over a hawk attack? I hate seeing them so perturbed.

 

[Mom2Cool]

Quote:
Awesome! Maybe my little boys will grow up to be good watch-roosters.

One rooster chick already meets me at the edge of the brooder with his wings spread and a serious look in his eye...at first I thought he was glad to see me, but I think he is just checking me out to make sure I am not a threat. Once he figures out it is just me, he goes back to doing whatever it was he was doing before, but not until after giving me a "I've got my eye on you" look.

I will experiment with some shiny objects. Thanks for the idea!

Juliect just be careful with the boys when they start raising wings at you or doing anything that challenges you..... My Mr. Standoffish is from a very docile breed & he really is a doll, but during adolesence (between 18 to 24 wks) they are really feeling their oats & trying to "rule the roost" . I had no idea the things that they might do that are considered to be aggressive. Some say not to allow them to mate a female in front of you & then when they are trying to woo a female they do this like dance that resembles a Native American dance where they drop a wing to the ground & looks like "oh my word he's hurt his wing" but then you realize he's trying to impress a girl before mating. Apparently if they do that with us humans it's them being dominante over us... I once went into the enclosed area to put in water & refill a feeder and I had 2 hens & Mr. Standoffish there & so I was kneeling down filling the feed when a hen came up & I put out my hand to pet her & he comes & sort of steps in front of her looking at me as if "don't touch her". I laughed at first because he was just a boy really but you all of a sudden see this change in their face that is challenging. Of course I came right here & several BYCer's told me "do not back down to him or he wins" & they warned me of all the things I'd just said the mating in front of you etc. & I realized he was doing almost ALL of them! so I positioned the broom outside inside the enclosed area & the next time I chased him right out with it. After that I'd make him stay *outside of the enclosure* untill after the girls had been eating for a while & I had interacted with them etc. After a while it all calmed down & he & I have a real good understanding & he is truly a doll boy! He is so sweet he feeds all the chicks when they moms will no longer have anything to do with them.... He is the calm in a sea of angry hens shooing away their offspring & I think he takes their mind off the fits they're throwing etc. A good roo is really worth his weight, just make sure you're asserting yourself with him at the start.

Oh & btw funny is when there is a hen on the other side of the yard that starts yelling like something has got her & he goes running/flying across the yard with a frantic look to get to her only to have the little girl suddenly come out into site & give a look like "what? I didn't call you." & then snub him. He is truly girl driven these days.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

Hawks don't stink. They smell like chickens

I am a raptor nut. That is what I specialize in. I just this very week had my first hawk attack out of years of being here. I saw a big red tail that looked mighty hungry the other morning being chased around by blue jays and then that evening I had a pullet gone, next day a grown hen was gone. Signs are leading to hawk but I still am not certain but pretty sure. So, my chickens will spend the week in their coops until the hawk realizes the food isn't running around the yard...if he continues after this...chances are up and we will shoot it and pluck all his feathers out for craft puposes

 

[juliect]

Quote:
Awesome! Maybe my little boys will grow up to be good watch-roosters.

One rooster chick already meets me at the edge of the brooder with his wings spread and a serious look in his eye...at first I thought he was glad to see me, but I think he is just checking me out to make sure I am not a threat. Once he figures out it is just me, he goes back to doing whatever it was he was doing before, but not until after giving me a "I've got my eye on you" look.

I will experiment with some shiny objects. Thanks for the idea!

Juliect just be careful with the boys when they start raising wings at you or doing anything that challenges you..... My Mr. Standoffish is from a very docile breed & he really is a doll, but during adolesence (between 18 to 24 wks) they are really feeling their oats & trying to "rule the roost" . I had no idea the things that they might do that are considered to be aggressive. Some say not to allow them to mate a female in front of you & then when they are trying to woo a female they do this like dance that resembles a Native American dance where they drop a wing to the ground & looks like "oh my word he's hurt his wing" but then you realize he's trying to impress a girl before mating. Apparently if they do that with us humans it's them being dominante over us... I once went into the enclosed area to put in water & refill a feeder and I had 2 hens & Mr. Standoffish there & so I was kneeling down filling the feed when a hen came up & I put out my hand to pet her & he comes & sort of steps in front of her looking at me as if "don't touch her". I laughed at first because he was just a boy really but you all of a sudden see this change in their face that is challenging. Of course I came right here & several BYCer's told me "do not back down to him or he wins" & they warned me of all the things I'd just said the mating in front of you etc. & I realized he was doing almost ALL of them! so I positioned the broom outside inside the enclosed area & the next time I chased him right out with it. After that I'd make him stay *outside of the enclosure* untill after the girls had been eating for a while & I had interacted with them etc. After a while it all calmed down & he & I have a real good understanding & he is truly a doll boy! He is so sweet he feeds all the chicks when they moms will no longer have anything to do with them.... He is the calm in a sea of angry hens shooing away their offspring & I think he takes their mind off the fits they're throwing etc. A good roo is really worth his weight, just make sure you're asserting yourself with him at the start.

Oh & btw funny is when there is a hen on the other side of the yard that starts yelling like something has got her & he goes running/flying across the yard with a frantic look to get to her only to have the little girl suddenly come out into site & give a look like "what? I didn't call you." & then snub him. He is truly girl driven these days.

How sweet! Your roo sounds adorable.
Thanks for the advice. My Favs chicks are only twelve days old at the moment...so they are still young & I may be misreading his behavior. But I will definitely keep an eye on his behavior. My first rescued puppy taught me the hard lesson of what is cute when they are young, loses its cuteness when they get some weight on them.

 

[juliect]

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I was a raptor nut too...until I got chickens.

There is a couple of Red-Tails that patrol the creek across the road from us...I've spent years enjoying watching them. Now I cringe when I hear their calls. But thankfully the Red-Tails seem to pay no attention to the chickens whatsoever...it's the Cooper's and Sharp-Shinned that are proving to be a headache. As angry as I was, I have to admit that it was a really pretty Cooper's...he would just look even better chasing wild rabbits.

 

[juliect]

Hmm...my neighborhood is still oddly quiet. No crows whatsoever today...I hope they are all safe.