Hawks....

[Ole rooster]

It is not fear. It is the fact I don't feel like gunning down every single organism that so much as breathes in my flock's general direction. My chickens free range, but have a coop and run that are covered with netting. At night they get closed up in the coop. During the day, I've had bald eagles, red tailed hawks, cooper hawks, rough legged hawks, and some I could not identify roosting in my trees. They roost for a short while, then move on. No losses. And since I free range, I accept I will lose a few.

If I was as kill happy as a majority of the population here, those birds would have been shot for no reason. No reason because they brought no harm to my fowl. Seriously, everything isn't out to get you in this world. Use a bit of common sense and learn to live with rather than against. People shooting everything they see left and right is the reason we have federal laws protecting animals, why we have endangered animals, because people proved they could not self regulate.

I fail to see what I said and the the relevance to your statement. Looks to me like you went a tad off the deep end. Mercy, I have hawks flying over all the time. Some stop by and have a look, but most have crows on their tails and just can't find time to stop. I've yet to have a hawk problem. And I've not "gunned down every single organism breathing in my flocks direction". But my dog has taken exception to certain organism with four legs getting to close and dispatched them.

The fear I speak of the every time anything is mentioned about a hawk at least one person gives all the rest of us the law. The intent is to instill fear of the results if caught according to the "law". Well, there is a very strict law against driving and drinking. As well as speeding. Laws against stealing another man's property. These are for our protection but they are broken every day. But when a predator is killing my livestock I make the decision, do I watch them die, or do I protect what I've taken responsibility for? My rule is simple, attack me and I defend. I never attack just for attack sake. Who with a heart would do that? But when I defend there is a finality to it. But what I "do"on my place will not be posted for you to know.

 

[JenellYB]

I can't speak for other states, but Texas does a very good job of monitoring and managing game and endangered wildlife. In all my years here in rural East Texas, I've never known hawks to be among the major predators on chickens, many mammals way worse than hawks. But some people are so paranoid about hawks. It may be different with little banties, but with regular chickens, I never had a problem, even with many hawks around. I have always made a practice of keeping small growing chicks in under cover, that would be tempting them too far. Years ago, when Redtails were so critically endangered, I was so proud to have a pair nesting on my place every year, within sight of our house, and never had a problem with them. My mother used to come up here, raised in the country, and would just freak at all our hawks, took her a long time to beleive they didn't bother my chickens, was amazed by it. Maybe it has some to do with how much other game is available, we have a LOT of "wild" land around us.

Texas does not and cannot over ride Federal protection laws such as those on birds of prey. And the Redfish are under constant monitoring, as several other salt fish species, such as Speckled trout. The size and bag limits on Specs is changed almost yearly according to that monitoring, and their system works very well. The major limit on Redfish is on those in a certain size range, as they discovered that they reproduce only during a relatively small 'window' of their growth span...the special Redfish tag on our salt fishing license, only one per person per yr, must by law be attached to the fish immediately upon catch and invalidated with date of catch, is applied only to Redfish in that narrow size breeding window. many concientious anglers don't even take their legally allowed one, they photograph and release, many piers and some charter boats now use a basket to bring them up out of the water, instead of traditional gaff, so they can be released. .No, there are not plenty of them now, so as to lift the restriction...they are still endangered. I remember 50 yrs ago when they WERE being heavily caught, my dad was passionate about them...many nights, from a pier, take maybe 7 or 8 "bulls" as they were called (we now those those big ones are actually "sows" critical to the breeding pool, and it takes them many years to get there) and everyone one else of the pier was doing the same..and in recent years, those same piers MIGHT yeild 3 or 4 big Redfish a week, if that.

I respect wildlife and game protections as best as possible and reasonable. Texas F&W WILL help livestock owners when a certain area becomes over-populated with a protected specie to the extent there are major livestock or other damage problems.

I'm not for killing a hawk just because it's a chicken killer. You pretty much know when the hawk is after your livestock. The laws need to be amended for people protecting their livestock. They put laws in place but never go back & amend the laws. Example, here in Texas when the Red Fish population was going south they put limits on the reds. Well, now there's plenty of reds, but they never changed the laws I'm not saying they should let people keep as many fish as they catch just amend the laws .
I spend alot of money building coops, feed is out of sight, my time & more variables to care for my livestock & by law I can't protect my animals. No way this is right.

 

[JenellYB]

If you have not seen them taking the chickens, how are you certain? To say they 'have just bene swooping down into the open grass and nailiing my birds' and then say 'I'm certain its hawks' on nothing more that 'since today I pulled in the drive' saw them sitting around a few times isn't very sound predator idenitification. And you tell us you don't even have a fence, so why aren't you thinking of predators making a land approach? Don't assume just because they are there. While the hawks are possible, many other predators are much more likely. As for a hawk sitting around watching your place, it may be waiting for a mouse or rat to run, not neccesarily for your chicken to come out. They also seem to actually like just sitting and 'watching' pretty much any and everything that might move, even if not prey. I've had them sit up in trees and just watch us work in the garden or mow the grass! They are very curious about ALL activity in their territory..
Hawk are more visible, easily seen, than other predators. Doesn't mean they are 'more guilty'.

I would love to know how to deter hawks too. I have a couple ASDs that are fabulous about watching for hawks, and great with the chickens, but I dont have the chicken area fenced, so I cant utilize that right now. Fencing isnt in the budget at the moment, so how can I deter hawks, cheaply? My set up is pretty much open with a treeline only. The hawks have just been swooping down into the open grass and nailing my birds. I am quite certain its hawks, since today I pulled in the drive and twice had a hawk sitting on the top of the barn door as if it was waiting for a chicken to come out.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Yes, you are allowed to protect your chickens. The way you protect your chickens is to keep them in safe adequate housing.

If you allow them to free range, you are going to lose birds, and the fault is no one's but your own. If you want to free range, you must accept your loses. It is not Mother Nature's job to protect your birds when you refuse to do so.

Sorry, but it is just plain foolishness to kill a $10,000 bird to protect your $4 bird. Especially when you are too irresponsible to provide safe housing for your flock.

 

[Tripp16]

Scarlett456 that chick on your pic when you write a coment what is its name? on my pic, its honey my buff orp!

Her name is Gracie. She hatched out with her brother who died and left her all alone. I raised her as a lone chick from 5 days old and she has escaped from 2 hawk attacks while her sibling wre killed!

She thinks shes a person since I raised her alone! Always wanting to ride on my shoulder while Im doing chores!

 

[Vamvakas]

Some hawks will, most hawks won't. Most types of hawks are too small to take on a large chicken.

If you have problem hawks, keep your birds in a covered run. Problem solved.

This...

 

[Hodawg]

My wife called me at work this morning to tell me that this guy was sitting in the back yard.....


We had the girls locked securely in the run at the time. She said that the hawk just sat there for a little over an hour. He kept checking out the cracks between the boards on the ramp going into the shed. We have a family of rats that sometimes invade the underside of the storage shed, so that appears to be all that he was interested in. He never once seemed to show any interest in the girls in the run. But that could have been different if they had been free ranging at the time of his visit.

Beers y'all,
Ken

 

[centrarchid]

Looks like an adult female Coopers hawk. Could have been on ground for a number of reasons including what you suggested. Sometimes they will pursue critters on ground. For me such will go after juveniles or hens in hen only flocks. Same hawk on ground as shown would be targetted for flogging by game rooster. For me such are threat only on juveniles not tended by adults. During winter months Coopers will land on top of fence post above free-ranging game flock but not target chickens and chickens seem to know it. Same hawk seems more interested in songbirds that it shoots after from fence post. I think the hawk uses the chicken flock as cover that mistakenly relaxes the songbird target. Red-tails present a very different relationship.

 

[AHDCST]

Chicken girl the picture is of little Gracie. She is a BB Red Old English Game Bantam.I know this because my Ethel laid and hatched the little one. I gave her to Scarlett456 because she was all alone and he had the time to spoil her and raise her.

Little Gracie does not need to lose any more members of her flock! She lost her only sibling at 2 days old and so I sent her to live with Scarlett456. He has done an incredible job of raising her and keeping her safe.

 

[7L Farm]

I can't speak for other states, but Texas does a very good job of monitoring and managing game and endangered wildlife. In all my years here in rural East Texas, I've never known hawks to be among the major predators on chickens, many mammals way worse than hawks. But some people are so paranoid about hawks. It may be different with little banties, but with regular chickens, I never had a problem, even with many hawks around. I have always made a practice of keeping small growing chicks in under cover, that would be tempting them too far. Years ago, when Redtails were so critically endangered, I was so proud to have a pair nesting on my place every year, within sight of our house, and never had a problem with them. My mother used to come up here, raised in the country, and would just freak at all our hawks, took her a long time to beleive they didn't bother my chickens, was amazed by it. Maybe it has some to do with how much other game is available, we have a LOT of "wild" land around us.

Texas does not and cannot over ride Federal protection laws such as those on birds of prey. And the Redfish are under constant monitoring, as several other salt fish species, such as Speckled trout. The size and bag limits on Specs is changed almost yearly according to that monitoring, and their system works very well. The major limit on Redfish is on those in a certain size range, as they discovered that they reproduce only during a relatively small 'window' of their growth span...the special Redfish tag on our salt fishing license, only one per person per yr, must by law be attached to the fish immediately upon catch and invalidated with date of catch, is applied only to Redfish in that narrow size breeding window. many concientious anglers don't even take their legally allowed one, they photograph and release, many piers and some charter boats now use a basket to bring them up out of the water, instead of traditional gaff, so they can be released. .No, there are not plenty of them now, so as to lift the restriction...they are still endangered. I remember 50 yrs ago when they WERE being heavily caught, my dad was passionate about them...many nights, from a pier, take maybe 7 or 8 "bulls" as they were called (we now those those big ones are actually "sows" critical to the breeding pool, and it takes them many years to get there) and everyone one else of the pier was doing the same..and in recent years, those same piers MIGHT yeild 3 or 4 big Redfish a week, if that.

I respect wildlife and game protections as best as possible and reasonable. Texas F&W WILL help livestock owners when a certain area becomes over-populated with a protected specie to the extent there are major livestock or other damage problems.

The bull reds are the ones that have the most eggs & should be thrown back they don't eat well & who would want to clean them anyway. I don't really care for them anyway their good on the half shell . I was simply stating that they change laws but never go back & amend the laws.The red fish have recovered. Great job done mainly by Gulf Coast Conservation Association which is now Coastal Conservation Association. They deserve the credit not Texas F & W.