Hawks

[Freegrazer]

Sorry for your loss. It is hard having to keep them penned up even during the day. We are going through the same thing here.

 

[RPAtkins12]

I had a hawk kill my largest drake, pull all the feathers out and all that was left was his head and feet, picked clean to the bone. It was a red tail hawk and it hung around my yard for three weeks, even perching right over my duck pen in front of me! Yep, keep them locked in or it will be back for more!

 

[Pyro01]

As a falconer, we hear about hawks taking people's birds every now and then. What we try to do if we're close enough is trap them and relocate them for them. We don't want hawks preying on chickens because they're more liable to get shot. However, the one thing you must know about all birds of prey is if they're successful at something they will continue to try. That's how we train them to take new prey, we get them as close as we can to something so they have the best chance at being successful and want to do it again.

I have a friend who works at a pheasant farm who's also a falconer, and they get some pretty big redtails in their pheasant pens. If anyone needs any advice feel free to PM me or ask me here.

 

[birdlady79]

As a falconer, we hear about hawks taking people's birds every now and then. What we try to do if we're close enough is trap them and relocate them for them. We don't want hawks preying on chickens because they're more liable to get shot. However, the one thing you must know about all birds of prey is if they're successful at something they will continue to try. That's how we train them to take new prey, we get them as close as we can to something so they have the best chance at being successful and want to do it again.

I have a friend who works at a pheasant farm who's also a falconer, and they get some pretty big redtails in their pheasant pens. If anyone needs any advice feel free to PM me or ask me here.

That is really interesting info... What is the typical time period of the hawks coming back? Do they eventually get bored and stop coming back?

 

[Pyro01]

They won't come back if you relocate them far enough. They usually just find other prey in the area to go after, hopefully not someone else's chickens. The only way to really deter them once they start going after chickens is they need a negative experience strong enough to deter them from being successful. If a hawk that's going after a squirrel gets bit badly, but he still manages to dispatch the squirrel and make a meal out of it, he's not going to be deterred because he was successful in the end.
If they are continually unsuccessful they can get discouraged, but hunger is the strongest motivator, and eventually might come around and start going after chickens again. Your best bet if you see them hanging around in a tree would just be to scare them off by hollering at them. Adults clear out real fast, but juveniles are a little more naive.

 

[Folly's place]

I just lost another young bird today, probably to a hawk. Lost one about four weeks ago also. The flock has been locked in a lot lately and nobody's happy about it. Usually about two weeks in will discourage the offending hawk, but not so far this year. If it's the one I've seen, it's a young Red Tailed Hawk. DARN IT!!! Let them eat rabbits!! Mary

 

[Pyro01]

Young redtails tend to have a brown band on their belly, and they have barred brown tails(a definitive identifier), and adults have a white belly(usually) and the red tail obviously. Locking chickens up can discourage them but if the same hawk hangs around it might just eat something else, such as rabbits, but they view chickens as an easier meal and will return to doing so. If you see him I would definitely try to scare it off by yelling at it.

Hawks are opportunistic, if all it takes is sitting on a chicken versus missing a rabbit cause it ran into brush or down a hole, I'll tell you which one they'll prefer.

 

[birdlady79]

They won't come back if you relocate them far enough. They usually just find other prey in the area to go after, hopefully not someone else's chickens. The only way to really deter them once they start going after chickens is they need a negative experience strong enough to deter them from being successful. If a hawk that's going after a squirrel gets bit badly, but he still manages to dispatch the squirrel and make a meal out of it, he's not going to be deterred because he was successful in the end.
If they are continually unsuccessful they can get discouraged, but hunger is the strongest motivator, and eventually might come around and start going after chickens again. Your best bet if you see them hanging around in a tree would just be to scare them off by hollering at them. Adults clear out real fast, but juveniles are a little more naive.

Would being shot with a BB gun, then shot at with a pistol be stressful enough to keep it away? I would never just randomly shoot at a hawk, I have wild birds and love bird watching.... But I walked out and he's standing over my dead chicken and was not scared of me!! I'm just wondering if he will come back... I've kept my girls up for two days and it's misrable on everyone.... If I could find someone in my area, we live in a forest with a state park, to come and trap, that would be great!!

 

[Folly's place]

Shooting at the hawk would count as illegal harassment anywhere in the USA. Raptors are protected; that's why most of us curse and try confining the birds, rather than taking out the offending hawk. The chickens need lots of protective cover, and learning to be cautious. Mary

 

[Pyro01]

Shooting a hawk is not worth the fine that comes with messing with a migratory raptor. By negative re-inforcement I meant shouting it off, or maybe shoot of a whistling bottle rocket. Whistles have a pretty good effect on most animals and scaring the bejesus out of them. However, since trapping season varies state-by-state for falconers, and you're saying it's not afraid of you, it sounds like it's a juvenile hawk that some falconer would be willing to come out and trap for you, and take them as their own hunting bird.

I would go here: http://tennesseefalconersassociation.com/Tennessee_Falconers_Association/Welcome.html

Click on the link to Contact TFA, and say you have a hawk killing your chickens, and you were wondering if there were any falconers willing to come out and trap it. Try to be specific and let them know whether or not it was an adult. If it was an adult Red-tail it would have a red tail, if it was a juvenile it's tail would be brown.

Better to play it safe, than sorry.