Hens and Young Hawk and No Clue

[sunrise.superman]

Thank you. I will try to get a photo when it returns. I shouted from the window before running out the times it was in the yard so I wasn't in a good view for a photo.

It looked like a Cooper's to me. We have big redtails and quite a few owls around as well but they tend to prefer the wide open yards. I have 5 very mature 40' trees over most of my yard so I get all of the squirrels but much in the way of birds of prey flying low.

 

[centrarchid]

My chickens holding ground under cover happens a lot more than you suspect. The chickens produce very interesting sounds for the entertainment of the hawk.

 

[sunrise.superman]

They aren't grouping up under anything though. I would be overjoyed if they were. I saw them all essentially sitting ducks out in the open when there is cover within 5-10' of any point in my yard...copse of trees, deck stairs, large bushes, the existing coop.... When redtails fly over next door they are very alert and most will ease toward cover.

That's why I was confused today when the young hawk is well under the high tree canopy and/or landing on the jungle gym more than once and the birds are just continuing to graze or staring at it...and within feet of good cover.

 

[Mimi13]

Chickens sticking together and potentially fighting back is not good option for hawk.

This is really good to know.

The chickens produce very interesting sounds for the entertainment of the hawk.

Amazing! I would like to know more about this as I haven’t heard this. We do have hawks here and today there was a ton of hawk activity, which was really strange. A couple of hawks definitely kept my chickens on their toes. Most of the time there isn’t enough hawk activity (low enough) for me to notice any other sounds other than warnings. The majority of my birds’ warnings are due to mockingbirds flying and diving at our cats. That is constant.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Hi 21hens-incharge! How far North? I'm up by Loveland/Fort Collins.

That's what I've always heard, too. So far bc I have open yards around me with trees only on the perimeter...and 2 with bird feeders and easy pickin's for a hawk meal...the hawks haven't bothered with my birds at all. I will be using a covered/secure 8x24 run and netting where I'll have the chicken garden and walk in coop entrance...but as a single mom w a 5 yo it's slow going some days.

This one today was surprisingly small. I expected larger for this far along in the summer. He didn't have much heft but potential damage all the same.

We could quite literally be neighbors!! I am in Loveland.

One of my neighbors opened a chicken buffet when they got birds. I would see hawks on the power pole eyeballing mine then grabbing a younger (lighter) bird from them. I don't think they have any left.

I have had 2 close calls. A redtailed hawk went after my Delaware while I had the door of the coop off to make adjustments. It was actually on top of her within 30 seconds of me pulling the door off the coop.
The other was an American kestral. I had to literally step between it and the hen repeatedly to make it break off the attack.

Don't trust the hawk.

 

[sunrise.superman]

I am in the Madison and Eisenhower area.

The Fox are back in town too.
Every fall when I drop my coop Windows they are covered in coon tracks. So far none have made it into the run.

Very close! 5 min away.

I love the foxes...as long as they leave my chooks alone. I have 2 large dogs so the coons have stayed away for the most part (knock wood). Planning on a very secure coop and run so hopefully the worst I have is feet prints, too.

 

[sunrise.superman]

Yup...once you have land an itty bitty yard won't do! The yards in my neighborhood are nearly 1/4 acre and some even bigger and that's the smallest I wanted to go after having acreage to myself. Suburbia is not my cup of tea if I could still live on my own patch of land w my horses. ;-) I had to buy a fixer upper to get it, but I also didn't want to spend crazy market prices at the time.

At least it saved 'em from having an open house!

Ooooo! Tar paper would be lovely if you have it. Thank you! I'm planning on a metal roof from what I've salvaged elsewhere but lining it would be nice.

This chicken thing gets time consuming!

 

[Mimi13]

@centrarchid is excellent in this area. Maybe he could help?!? I would like to know as well.

 

[Mimi13]

They aren't grouping up under anything though. I would be overjoyed if they were. I saw them all essentially sitting ducks out in the open when there is cover withing 5-10' of any point in my yard...copse of trees, deck stairs, large bushes, the existing coop.... When redtails fly over next door they are very alert and most will ease toward cover.

That's why I was confused today when the young hawk is well under the high tree canop and/or landing on the jungle gym more than once and the birds are just continuing to graze or staring at it...and within feet of good cover.

I will agree that this is unnerving.

 

[Fishkeeper]

If it looks really small, are you sure it's not a falcon? They definitely tend to target small birds, and I don't know that they'd go at adult chickens. They look a lot like Cooper's hawks.