Another thing to up your chicken's chances is to let them out a little later in the morning or early afternoon but you need a good sized run. I have a large covered run for my flock that they stay in until between 10 AM and noon, depending on time of year. I wait for the predators to have their breakfast and then let the chooks out. Most (not all) of the hunting is done in the early morning.
If a hawk is scoping out my chooks obsessively, I just make them stay in until it gets bored and goes away. Usually, they move on after a few days if they know they will not get easy access. This doesn't happen often since there are crows to chase them off but I have had a few hawk stalkers. I had a huge hawk once stubbornly sit in a tree and stare at my run for hours every morning. I just waited him out and he moved on.
If a hawk is scoping out my chooks obsessively, I just make them stay in until it gets bored and goes away. Usually, they move on after a few days if they know they will not get easy access. This doesn't happen often since there are crows to chase them off but I have had a few hawk stalkers. I had a huge hawk once stubbornly sit in a tree and stare at my run for hours every morning. I just waited him out and he moved on.
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