Hawks :(

[MarineCorpFarmr]

little running white bullseye's

Yup, they are.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I ended up using some fishing line but also 3ft wide pieces of stucco wire on the tops. Put some reflective tape up as well.
The strips of stucco wire across the top has worked keep them away.
Only frustrating thing is now my chickens are in a run.

 

[benisarooster]

It's helpful to have a few roosters. Mine try to scare the hawks away and they warn the hens to hide.

 

[canesisters]

I'm giving the fishing line thing a try. I put a nail in the top of each post and then ran line from the top of each post to the top of every other post on the 2 opposite sides. It got a little complicated for a while there... but it didn't take as long as I thought it would. Since my posts are 6', there's room to walk around without stooping - except on the hill.... The day after I did it, we got snow and ice. I was expecting it to end up on the ground but it's still holding. I hung CD's at about 10 intersections. I didn't pull it tight for fear of breaking the line.. so now it's sagging a little. I guess I should figure out a way to tighten it....

something like this:



Lets see 'Mr Hawk' dive through this.. and get back out..

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I'm giving the fishing line thing a try. I put a nail in the top of each post and then ran line from the top of each post to the top of every other post on the 2 opposite sides. It got a little complicated for a while there... but it didn't take as long as I thought it would. Since my posts are 6', there's room to walk around without stooping - except on the hill.... The day after I did it, we got snow and ice. I was expecting it to end up on the ground but it's still holding. I hung CD's at about 10 intersections. I didn't pull it tight for fear of breaking the line.. so now it's sagging a little. I guess I should figure out a way to tighten it....

something like this:



Lets see 'Mr Hawk' dive through this.. and get back out..

I had a hawk stuck in my run when I went up there he got scared and jumped right through it. the Cd's will help though

 

[chickbythebay]

A hawk attacked one of my silkies yesterday with me out there with them! I was bout 10 feet away sitting there watching them when a hawk came out of nowhere and picked up my partridge pullet. He didn't go for the white or black ones. I started running at it screaming and he dropped her. Now they won't come out of the sleeping quarters of the coop. She seems unharmed except for a small scratch on her ear, but very traumatized. So if that hawk will attack with me sitting right there, how can I let them out at all?

 

[KnobbyOaks]

I have a hawk that sits in a tree about 100 feet from my coop. I only let them out when I'm out there with them, usually end of day so I can get them back in. Tuesday something scared them really badly when they were at the back of the house and I was on the side. They flew back and huddled up behind the air conditioner unit. Nothing's sacred anymore.

P.S. I don't blame your chickens for not coming out.

 

[mairead]

while i am doing my chores the hawk has come out and attacked one of my favorite rooster twice now luckily he has been close to the barn to run in for cover

 

[chicken farmer]

Isnt it impossible to add another rooster when my easter egg rooster is almosta year old and very territorial....they would just fight to the death...but I would feel really safe with at least 2 roosters,ANY advice??

 

[rudyroosmom]

I JUST (less than an hour ago) lost my favorite Plymouth Rock chick (Charlotte) to a hawk. She was about 8 weeks old and was in a large wire dog pen (crate) with 2 of her sisters. I raised the three from 2 days old in my bathroom (so they always had ALOT of human companionship). Although this wasn't the first time I've had them in the pen it was definitely the longest amount of time as it got up to 80 degrees here in Mid-Missouri.
NOTE: I put them in the wire pen more for protection from my two hens (a newly broody Buff Orpington (Angel) & a New Hampshire Red (Mary Kate) as well as my overly aggressive RIR (Rudy-Roo) who are all a year old now.

Well, RudyRoo was making MORE racket than normal so I looked out the window and was aghast to see that a hawk had Charlotte (although I didn't know which one it was at the time) in his talons and was trying to literally PULL her through the wire pen. Well obviously I FREAKED OUT

but had the barings to immediately run to her aid
Needless to say that in the split second it took me to get from the window to the door and yell at the "Hawk from Hell"......it was too late.

As I ran to my fallen angel (the hawk was physically gone, but not audibly - the thing kept shrieking from a distant tree obviously upset that he didn't fill his belly) my poor Charlotte was laying broken and helpless next to her sisters in the pen who seemed to look at me with a "*** was THAT?!!! Mommy?" look. Charlotte, unfortunately, was still alive. Now I have had other chickens, pullets & babies meet their demise at the hand of a predator or disease, but my husband has always been here to handle the dirty work, if you will. Today, being 80 degrees and beautiful - my husband went fishing

So my "please don't let her suffer mode" immediately engaged and I proceeded to snap her neck. Now, I don't know if I did it correctly - it sure felt like it - but she kept moving...so I got out the large hedge trimmers and made **** sure she wasn't suffering. Then I composed myself as much as possible, put her into a bag and proceeded to bury her next to Ruby and Ashley (Mary Kate's twin)

I am starting to wonder if I should continue getting so attached to my chickens. They are ALL special...but the pain from losing them...it just sucks.