Hawks :(

[BridgetBarger]

I have had one incident with a hawk trying to get one of the guineas but it was the only time I have seen it.

 

[tatertot]

You need to cover the whole area

 

[mamahen1980]

Melinda48 my girls have their rooster that rounds everyone up for bed when it starts getting dark, I dont know if that's part of why I dont have to go find any strays. But I haven't had to worry about the girls in the evening, I'm always watching and listening but that's because the neighbors dogs, 1 German shepherd on one side, 3 pit bulls on the other and neither seem to keep up with their dogs.

 

[Miss Lydia]

A member on the duck thread lost one of his drakes to a pred yesterday and we're thinking possibly a hawk first off because none of the rest were injured and second the drake was eaten from spine to neck only head still attached. They can't find any foot prints in the snow to point out 4 legged either. The run had an opening in the front where there wasn't any netting over top. does this kill make anyone think hawk?

 

[mamahen1980]

Yes always picked clean to bone on neck and head, they also leave poo (looks like white paint spray around) its very wasteful killing and it makes me so angry and sad at the same time.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes always picked clean to bone on neck and head, they also leave poo (looks like white paint spray around) its very wasteful killing and it makes me so angry and sad at the same time.

Thank you.

 

[BarneyChick97]

Yes

 

[BarneyChick97]

We had a duck eaten (just as described above) last year, on Memorial day. It was during the mid-late morning sometime. We were 99% sure it was a Redtail, because it flew through our yard (a lot lower than usual), the next day. I figured out, the spring is pretty much their migration around here.


***I call my chickens with an old plastic travel coffee mug-filled with scratch.*** When I shake it, they come running. I do not let any of my smaller birds out any more, unless I am with them, and when I see birds flying above no one goes out. I have some tom turkeys-they are the only birds allowed to stay out alone. The other day, an eagle flew over (I don't even think it was looking for food, it was just passing by), but my hens sure flew like H*LL back into their coop!!!!

I've seen that video that shows a hawk flying INTO a hen house (because it was just left open) to capture and kill a chicken (on youtube-but someone has it up here somewhere). The only way I feel my chickens (and other birds) are safe, is if they are fully enclosed by chicken wire. I don't need to be convinced that those predator birds are "smart", by another clever kill. I believe it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We had a duck eaten (just as described above) last year, on Memorial day. It was during the mid-late morning sometime. We were 99% sure it was a Redtail, because it flew through our yard (a lot lower than usual), the next day. I figured out, the spring is pretty much their migration around here.


***I call my chickens with an old plastic travel coffee mug-filled with scratch.*** When I shake it, they come running. I do not let any of my smaller birds out any more, unless I am with them, and when I see birds flying above no one goes out. I have some tom turkeys-they are the only birds allowed to stay out alone. The other day, an eagle flew over (I don't even think it was looking for food, it was just passing by), but my hens sure flew like H*LL back into their coop!!!!

I've seen that video that shows a hawk flying INTO a hen house (because it was just left open) to capture and kill a chicken (on youtube-but someone has it up here somewhere). The only way I feel my chickens (and other birds) are safe, is if they are fully enclosed by chicken wire. I don't need to be convinced that those predator birds are "smart", by another clever kill. I believe it.

Thank you for sharing, We are seeing a lot of Red tails right now and year round we have them but I'm thinking a lot are heading further north. So mine stay inside fenced property right now and I have put up reflective predator tape to try to keep them safe since it's too large an area to cover. Sometimes it takes a kill to wake us up to no matter what we do they [preds] still can find a way.

 

[tatertot]

Does the reflector tape work?