Help....hawks

[Lippertmom]

I am looking for the best way to deter hawks from my yard. There is a juvenile red tail and I have seen at least one parent. The parent is fearless and smart. Found it sitting on the metal roof of my run, bending down to look in to order dinner. We got within feet of it to scare it away. Help... I would like my girls to be able to come out of lock down without being a snack.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I am looking for the best way to deter hawks from my yard. There is a juvenile red tail and I have seen at least one parent. The parent is fearless and smart. Found it sitting on the metal roof of my run, bending down to look in to order dinner. We got within feet of it to scare it away. Help... I would like my girls to be able to come out of lock down without being a snack.

There are fake owls you can buy but the hawks usually figure it out. Also you can hang shiny things like cds that refract the light making it difficult for hawks to see. Third option and a little more difficult would be to attract crows. The best way Ive found to do this is to find audio of a crow being attacked. If you can keep crows in your area hawks will stay away. Fourth and best option is to provide plenty of spaces for your girls to hide. Hawks usually avoid full size birds because they cant fly off with them but when they are desperate for food they take whatever is easiest. If they are continuously getting food where you are they will keep coming back. Finally and I can't stress this enough: killing a protected bird of prey is against the law. If you continue to have issues you can always contact your local wildlife rehab and see if they can catch and relocate the bird. Best of luck

 

[Folly's place]

When we have a visiting hawk, our flock is locked in their safe coop and run for at least two weeks, or longer, until that bird moves on elsewhere. Most of our losses to hawks have been young birds and bantams, and vigilance is essential!
I don't have better advice, except that right now your birds need to be in.
Otherwise, having lots of hiding places from overhead helps a lot, and netting, and some people say that hanging CDs helps. Fake owls? Not so much.
Mary

 

[Lippertmom]

Thanks Mary! I have them in and will until I stop hearing the young hawks all day long. I might try some loud crow sounds to help encourage them to find another place to hang out. I know there are at least two young red tailed hawks and had an up close encounter with one of the parents. I debated decoy owls but there were mixed reviews on whether or not they actually worked. I was hoping I didn't have to keep them cooped up for too long but it looks like the best option at the moment.

 

[alwaystj9]

The decoy owl does not work. At least mine doesn't. I spent a summer moving it every 2 or 3 days but that didn't work, either.

 

[aart]

This doesn't work(not my pic):

This does work, lots of hawks around here, mesh roof has foiled dozens of them:

 

[hellotrixie]

We currently have a family of hawks nesting in the wooded area of our property. The littles are fledging (sp?) and follow the parents around all day screaming. They've been all over the yard and I've been babysitting my flock when they go out.

We would never kill or hurt the hawks, but when they're around the yard we shoot bottle rockets that have a "report" or loud pop. Not at them, no one freak out! But just setting them off in the vicinity seems to scare hawks off for quite a while. They've been coming out of the woods less and less since we started this practice. I think they are identifying the yard with unappealing loud sounds.

We also have lots of mulberry trees, and when the crows are around feasting, the hawks never are.

 

[hellotrixie]

This does work, lots of hawks around here, mesh roof has foiled dozens of them:

@aart may I ask where you obtained, or how you made, the pipe frames you have on top of the t-posts?

 

[aart]

@aart may I ask where you obtained, or how you made, the pipe frames you have on top of the t-posts?

I made them, details in my coop page:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/aarts-coop-page

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Blast this in your backyard. Crows will show up.