Hen sounds alarm honk, sounds like false alarm until peregrine falcon takes off

[Kfults]

My pullet gave same warning call twice! She had eyed a jet flying over way up high..... LOL but still- all the girls ran to their secure run! I guess to their eye it looked like a bird of prey flying over.

 

[Animalfisherwoman]

Aww, how cute! My younger girls have never alarm-squawked, unless it's me catching them to put them in the pen;-)

 

[Animalfisherwoman]

Hey StayC, lots of American crows where I am. I've seen them go after red-tails. What do you feed 'em, and if that involves meat, how do you keep raptors/raccoons/skunks away?

 

[centrarchid]

Look up following:
Goshawk
Coopers Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk

 

[Animalfisherwoman]

As the coop/run is now all enclosed, I put the younger girls in that outdoor enclosure and my adult hen in the grow-out pen in the middle of the yard. A couple hours ago, "cluck cluck HONK! cluck cluck HONK!" Went out, nothing there. My SO let her out thinking that she was angry. Well, just now the "cluck cluck HONK!" resumes. Went out, and exit stage left is Mr. Raptor flying off. Put the adult back into the pen.

It's possible it's a Cooper's hawk (http://d2fbmjy3x0sdua.cloudfront.ne...efault/files/Cooper%27s_Hawk_s36-35-008_l.jpg)

instead of a peregrine falcon
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/taxalab/2005/falcop/ryanperegrine.jpg

Regardless of what he is, my backyard is a pit stop for him and may have been for a while. My BF has seen him take out a couple starlings long before we got chickens. My questions are 1) Once all of my flock is in adulthood, will their size make them less desirable prey? 2) Are there measures to make him go away? and 3) Is it at all possible to backyard free-range this flock, when grown, without having them be picked off?

Thanks in advance!

 

[RNPAULIE69]

We have a coopers hawk that hunts the birds at my feeders..he has never gone after the girls but they aren't outside free ranging alone either. We stay with them

 

[centrarchid]

Coopers are starting to be fun now as juveniles are starting to float about having deal with increasingly more difficult quarry. Juvenile song birds are maturing becoming much stronger and smarter fliers. Then Coopers, especially the young ones, will start going after chickens and will be more likely it under your noes and in locations adults will not try.