HAWKS!

[Chicks252]

I have a hawk watching my chickens. It swooped down at them yesterday with us outside with them! I've heard music will keep them away. Is there any thing to this? Any ideas to help would be appreciated. We have them in a partially covered area now. We really hate to make their enclosure any smaller, but don't want to lose anymore chickens. We lost one two weeks ago. I have also heard that once the chickens are full grown, they will be safe from Hawks. Is that true or are they just as vulnerable?

 

[redsoxs]

No, they are still vulnerable to hawks as adults as well. Are you town or rural? I live in the country and frequently have hawks eyeballing my flock from trees on the property. I have found a well placed shotgun blast scares them away. I don't shoot them - they're just trying to make a living - but shoot near them. Seems to do the trick.

 

[centrarchid]

Dealing with hawks has some nuances effected by cover, hawk species and chickens themselves. For now pen your birds up and provide a more detailed description of your situation.

 

[lowens]

My daughter and my husband said they saw a hawk in the backyard putting it's eyes on my baby chicks Will the owl decoys with the light up eyes and movement help deter them ?

 

[tdart]

I too have had a hawk swoop down in front of me after my chickens. By right in front, I mean like 3 feet. I tried hanging crows (I had some decoys) but it scared the chickens so be careful with the hawk decoy. I bought "deer netting" from Lowes and covered their run. It was around $12 and covered my 200-300 square foot run with a lot to spare.

 

[azygous]

I fear hawks attacking my flock more than bears and wild cats. It's simple to rig hot wire to protect from mammal predators, but hawks are unpredictable, and almost impossible to protect against while your chickens are out free-ranging.

I was working in my garden this week when a hawk swooped down and attacked my flock just fifteen feet away. There was mass pandemonium, shrieking, and twenty-four chickens went in that many different directions. I got them all rounded up and back in the covered run and did a head count. I was missing the youngest, a ten-week old chick. I searched everywhere, certain the hawk had flown off with her, but then I discovered she had hidden herself between two straw bales.

Another time, last year, I was letting several of my hens pick bark beetles from wood I was splitting when a hawk swooped down at the chickens just a couple feet from me. That attack was also unsuccessful. But several years ago, I had a red tail hawk kill one of my chickens while she was out of the run.

I don't believe music is any deterrent. Others may know of something, but the only sure thing is a covered run and keeping your flock confined. However, if you like to free-range your flock, and you have large open spaces, you can give your chickens a fighting chance by building a few low ramadas, a couple feet high, for them to shelter under. Chickens will instinctively run for cover if you provide it, and a hawk could be thwarted when chickens run underneath these ramadas. Even with trees and shrubs and these ramadas for cover, there's no absolute way that I know of to keep free-ranging chickens safe from hawks.

 

[chickenflicker]

I put out a owl decoy and the hawk kept attacking it, couldn't believe it.

 

[centrarchid]

Hawks can be easy to beat if you allow departure from manicured lawn and employ fully adult roosters. You also need to recognize some breeds not resistant hawks regardless of setting.