Help! Stalking... or Friendship?

[AlderCreekAK]

Hi all,
New to chicken tending... The girls have been in their new coop a little less than a week and I am observing this out the window! Predator stalking, or friendship?? What do you think?!

 

[HappyClucker7]

I don't think a hawk is going to make friends with chickens. If you are free ranging your hens I would find a different way of doing it so that the hawk can't get to them.

 

[bobbi-j]

He wants to invite them for supper!

 

[centrarchid]

Goshawk taking a breather away from kids. Maybe it tried to get at chickens in pen for a bit and gave up? I have had much smaller Coopers Hawks perch within a few feet of free-range chickens that were dust bathing. Same chickens could have run that hawk off. I have also had Red-shouldered Hawks sunbath as a pair near chickens doing the same. I have yet to see discord between chickens and the Red-tailed Hawks.

Goshawks I would show the door.

 

[cmom]

Just waiting for an opportunity.

 

[Rooapalooza]

Goshawk taking a breather away from kids. Maybe it tried to get at chickens in pen for a bit and gave up? I have had much smaller Coopers Hawks perch within a few feet of free-range chickens that were dust bathing. Same chickens could have run that hawk off. I have also had Red-shouldered Hawks sunbath as a pair near chickens doing the same. I have yet to see discord between chickens and the Red-tailed Hawks.

Goshawks I would show the door.

I assume your chickens are pretty large?

 

[hayley3]

I can see one in the corner of the coop and it looks rather small to me.

 

[Franklinridgefarms]

Goshawk taking a breather away from kids. Maybe it tried to get at chickens in pen for a bit and gave up? I have had much smaller Coopers Hawks perch within a few feet of free-range chickens that were dust bathing. Same chickens could have run that hawk off. I have also had Red-shouldered Hawks sunbath as a pair near chickens doing the same. I have yet to see discord between chickens and the Red-tailed Hawks.

Goshawks I would show the door.

I found a red tailed hawk that had come through the chicken wire covering our run, standing over and eating my buff Orpington hen. That’s enough discord for me.

 

[Franklinridgefarms]

Hi all,
New to chicken tending... The girls have been in their new coop a little less than a week and I am observing this out the window! Predator stalking, or friendship?? What do you think?!

Definitely not friendship, the only motives are very the very unlikely coincidence or the more likely opportunistic predatory intentions.

 

[neo71665]

I found a red tailed hawk that had come through the chicken wire covering our run, standing over and eating my buff Orpington hen. That’s enough discord for me.

Around here red tails are more commonly called chicken hawks for a reason. I didn't even know their actual name till I was almost in my teens. Coopers hawk we grew up calling quail hawk, they are rare here.