Hawks?

[ThreeOfSeven]

Same thing here. They are as bold as can be, tho I have to say that my girls and ducks aren't as bothered by hawks flying overhead since I added the sun screen tarp. As you can see, I have plastic netting. Welded wire would be nice. I do a visual inspection at least once a week to see if any spots have opened.

My problem started when the woman down the street got smart. For years, she free ranged her hens and lost them to fox, hawks, cars, and probably raccoons too. Last year, she set up an outside run area with overhead netting. That closed down the ol' chicken buffet for the hawks, and they started looking elsewhere.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Same thing here. They are as bold as can be, tho I have to say that my girls and ducks aren't as bothered by hawks flying overhead since I added the sun screen tarp. As you can see, I have plastic netting. Welded wire would be nice. I do a visual inspection at least once a week to see if any spots have opened.

My problem started when the woman down the street got smart. For years, she free ranged her hens and lost them to fox, hawks, cars, and probably raccoons too. Last year, she set up an outside run area with overhead netting. That closed down the ol' chicken buffet for the hawks, and they started looking elsewhere.

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That's a great set up. Honestly, I used to let my flock out when I was doing clean up, water buckets, etc at dusk/late afternoon. I thought "what could possibly happen? I'm right there!" right! Well, I've got a couple of border collies and when a coyote came running out of the woods on the edge of my field/woods with me standing there (right near the duck run) going after one of them I got to thinking that if I had a bunch of ducks out having fun foraging and that happened with the ducks there is no way I could control that situation. It would be pandemonium and I'd be running around like a nut trying to corral everyone and probably not doing a very good job at that! I know that's about coyotes but still could be the same with flying predators.

It was heartbreaking to lose my Daisy to that falcon. Naturally, it was my favorite duck that would be perfectly happy sitting in my lap every night snuggling with me. I think he was protecting the girls because they were all in the pen which they never went into during the day.

 

[Chickinie]

It's quite different where I live. Hawks and Eagles tend to stay away from people. Many of the other birds that live around people give off alarm calls that makes EVERYTHING in the area scatter or fall silent, and they even harass and chase Hawks when they come into their territory. So they are quite reluctant to stick around.

 

[ThreeOfSeven]

It's quite different where I live. Hawks and Eagles tend to stay away from people. Many of the other birds that live around people give off alarm calls that makes EVERYTHING in the area scatter or fall silent, and they even harass and chase Hawks when they come into their territory. So they are quite reluctant to stick around.

Your island is bigger than mine. And I can't wait to get back to visit. But, I think our raptor types might be bolder because hunting grounds are limited and chickens are easy prey. There's even a nest of Great Horned Owls that I've seen lurking nearby and eyeing my girls.

 

[Chickinie]

Your island is bigger than mine. And I can't wait to get back to visit. But, I think our raptor types might be bolder because hunting grounds are limited and chickens are easy prey. There's even a nest of Great Horned Owls that I've seen lurking nearby and eyeing my girls.

We don't have owls that eat chickens (average sized ones), small bantams maybe. Actually we have like 1% chance of our chickens getting eaten by a wild animal compared to all your wild animals that eat chickens...haha. Foxes is the main thing, only if you forget to lock them up, then it's only a slim chance that they find the roost open. I'm more concerned about cats, when the chooks hide their nests and I can't find them for a night or two when then go broody. I mostly have bantams though. My xs Modern Game Bantams I'm definitely gonna build an enclosure for. They'll be really enticing, even for little falcons.