Hawks?!

[Tillicans]

I have lost 3 hens and 2 roosters in the past couple of months due to hawk attacks. Are there any ways to trap hawks? Any good ways to determine them? If I can't get rid of these hawks, I will have to start fencing in my girls.
Thanks for any help!

Best keep your chickens enclosed in an enclosure so they won't be food for preying birds.

 

[EmmC]

Best keep your chickens enclosed in an enclosure so they won't be food for preying birds.

I wish I could, but everything is frozen, so I can do build them a run

 

[Zoomie]

Check Craigslist for a used dog kennel, like the kind they sell at Tractor Supply. I've seen them go for pretty nice prices. Put it on the snow, put some netting or something over it, and put the chickens in there. In the spring when the ground thaws you can build a proper pen. In the meantime it will help them survive until spring.

 

[EmmC]

Ok, sounds good. I have been talking to friends and they have a tractor for meat birds that they are not using, so I will attach it to my coop.

 

[cmohlin89]

If you are legally able and choose to remove the hawks, look into the traps used in falconry. This way they can be trapped safely and then moved to a new location.

 

[EmmC]

If you are legally able and choose to remove the hawks, look into the traps used in falconry. This way they can be trapped safely and then moved to a new location. 

I will look into that, thanks!

 

[birdmanmax]

You still need a permit given to you by the federal government to trap or kill any bird of prey

 

[EmmC]

You still need a permit given to you by the federal government to trap or kill any bird of prey

Yep, just checked with my husband and he applied for one after the first was killed. We don't want to kill him, but instead try to trap him if possible. We had a permit last year but never used it. I am thinking of getting a large decoy bird of some sort to try to keep him away because we really don't want to harm him if possible.

 

[TinyBirds]

I have lost many chickens to hawks and they seem to come more at certain times of year depending on where you live. You can just keep the chickens inside a covered dog run or buy one of the cheap greenhouses 15 ft by 7ft by 7ft for $100 and put fencing around the bottom of it. They are easy to put up. https://jet.com/product/Best-Choice...-Green-House/b87e73422893484dafb2264afb6e84a1
or locally you can sometimes find a dog run with chain link on craigslist but usually they're not as big so it depends on how many chickens you need the run for. They still need a safe place at night like a secure coop, unless you cover the greenhouse with hardware cloth 19 gauge 1/2 in spacing and add a door and also a hardware cloth apron around the whole thing to keep raccoons from digging in.
Usually if you keep them in the enclosed run with a cover for a couple months, then you can try letting them out again and see if the hawk has moved on or migrated by then. Luckily they usually just take 1 bird per day, whereas a raccoon can wipe out the whole flock at once even mid-day in our area. Sometimes getting a guard dog is your best bet but we don't have one yet either.

 

[silkiechicken]

To reduce hawk kills and issues I've done 2 things. 1) Keep breeds that are savy and can see birds coming and 2) provide lots of low shelters such as bushes/coffee table height covers to duck under if a predator comes. I've not lost a bird in years from a bird of prey. Do not have a covered run and do let them fence less free range.

Good luck!