Hawks....

[comptonsgonecountry]

They sure are beautiful! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

I have lost a couple bantams to a hawk over the fall and winter seasons. I have learned that I need to expect this to happen if I let my flock free range. I haven't had one take out my full grown girls. But I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

It will be amazing seeing the activity in the nest once the hatchlings arrive!

 

[hondo58]

They sure are beautiful! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

I have lost a couple bantams to a hawk over the fall and winter seasons. I have learned that I need to expect this to happen if I let my flock free range. I haven't had one take out my full grown girls. But I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

It will be amazing seeing the activity in the nest once the hatchlings arrive!

Interestingly enough one of the hawks attacked our bantam two weeks ago. She escaped with a huge wound just above her tail and a back full of missing feathers. She never missed a day laying an egg though....she's one tough girl. At the time I thought it was a random attack but now that I see the nest, and the hawks every time I go out, I know better.

 

[cowman1970]

That was me......yes people talk about it....no proof though. Arrest me for speaking my mind? Go ahead and try it! Give me a break! If you don't believe that hawks have attacked and seriously injured people then you had better goole that one otherwise you are calling me a liar. There is also an article about eagles killing domestic calves. I've seen bald eagles carry parts of dead calves into trees. I've also spotted them eating deer within a few hundred feet of my house. Owls, in my opinion, deserve to be left alone. Hawks are too numerous and too much of a pest when they start attacking small domestic animals. If they are wiping out natural prey then they need to be culled one way or the other. That is just my opinion.

To the person who asked what the big deal is about killing a hawk, talk to us if you can. once you are arrested on a FEDERAL offfense. They are not going to listen to you talking about protecting your flock. Raptors (owls, eagles, hawks, falcons) are ALL protected federally. That is the big deal. Besides, it's fairly easy to protect your flock from hawks. Keep them under cover of some sort, watch them when they are free ranging if you only let them out once in a while. OR accept that you will lose one on occasion to a hawk.

Edited because I HIGHLY DOUBT a hawk is going to eat a child. Get a grip. Hawks are nesting this time of year, and if they are "stalking children" it is more likely that they are keeping an eye on a kid that is wandering near their nesting area. They are protecting THEIR family. That is how nature intended.

 

[Aschenfire]

Here are some facts for you. First of all, Bald Eagles are not only predators, but scavengers... they cannot kill a deer. They might eat one which has been killed, on the other hand.

" A bald eagle's lifting power is about 4 pounds. They do not generally feed on chickens or other domestic livestock, but they will make use of available food sources. Bald eagles will take advantage of carrion (dead and decaying flesh). Because of its scavenger image, some people dislike the bald eagle. Other people do not care for powerful and aggressive birds. Still other people object merely on the grounds that it is a bird of prey, which kills other animals for food."

Golden Eagles might be big enough to kill a NEWBORN calf, but it is very unlikely that a Bald Eagle would.

And as far as the multitudes of hawks attacking people, I'd venture it is because the people are NEAR THEIR NESTS! They are not going to just randomly attack something far larger than they are, unless they are in defense mode. Hawks are not going to come take your kids out of your back yard or stalk you. I think you are more worried about that precious "Local Game" than the federally protected birds.

I am not going to waste time replying to any more rather uneducated, sensationalistic posts about "evil hawks which should be culled". As long as they are protected animals, they will not be *culled*. Not legally anyway. Your local bunnies and squirrels must be on birth control if a few hawks have hunted them to extinction. Around here, the squirrels are the pests. I'd appreciate it if the local hawks did a better job of killing them off.
Tell ya what. I'll send you a box of squirrels, you net a few of those pesky child killing mutant hawks, and we'll trade! I'll keep my chickens under cover so they won't be dinner, and I'll also benefit by less squirrels in my back yard in the future. You can have all the squirrels I can trap for a year if we can trade off that way. Deal???? YAY!!!

 

[hondo58]

This guy is having lunch directly above our coop. I think he wants to send a message...

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[centrarchid]

This guy is having lunch directly above our coop. I think he wants to send a message...

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Red-shouldered hawk. Big enough but has never been observed to go after my birds so I do not consider it a threat.

 

[featherz]

Caught this one (with camera only, duh) this morning harassing my flock. I don't think he managed to get any of them but he was scaring the heck out of them, that's for sure.. I just yelled and waved my arms and it flew off, but I'll probably leave the chooks on lockdown tomorrow just in case. The roo had them all hidden pretty well.

 

[hondo58]

Red-shouldered hawk. Big enough but has never been observed to go after my birds so I do not consider it a threat.

Don't be fooled. This one killed a full size EE hen three weeks ago with the roo right there. It attacked our bantam also but she hunkered down in the briar and the hawk was scared off before she was finished off. She escaped with a huge gash on her back. They are all in lock down until the foliage comes in and breeding season is over....they are not happy but it beats the alternative.

 

[hondo58]

Here he is with what looks like a mouse. He circles the coop at a very low level and isn't much afraid of anything at this point. I hope he continues to find mice.​

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[hondo58]

Caught this one (with camera only, duh) this morning harassing my flock. I don't think he managed to get any of them but he was scaring the heck out of them, that's for sure.. I just yelled and waved my arms and it flew off, but I'll probably leave the chooks on lockdown tomorrow just in case. The roo had them all hidden pretty well.



Nice shot. They seem to be VERY active this spring. Must have something to do with the open, warm, easy winter.