How, exactly, do hawks hunt?

[happysongbird]

I loved your post. Informative and nonPC funny! I've had 4 skunks try to get in to my chickens this year, after losing some to decapitation from skunks last spring. Everything I read says skunks are basically harmless and... cute. Not the ones that I trapped! Had one person unfriend me because I dared to kill them. Didn't keep the fur, though. ;-)

 

[Kris64]

Thanks for this info concerning the shelters. I've been "paniced" over 2' x 8' open areas with surrounding places with boards to run under or wire hoops. Starting to think of letting the pullets go free without having to sit there with them for hours on end.

 

[otakalhasas]

Hi all!

This is my first year owning chickens and I've had them for about 5 months now. To date, we have been using a large Omlet fencing enclosure to keep them close to the house so we can keep an eye on them. Now, as they are getting older, they are repeatedly "flying the coop" every morning to seek out the goodies on the other side. I'm considering just free ranging them.

My question re hawks (which we have in abundance, but we also have a ton of crows), can they hunt in a heavily forested area or does that ward them off as they can't see well nor swoop? We live on a bit over an acre, pretty much all covered by pine and sweet gum. Not a lot of underbrush, but lots of canopy.

Should I give it a go or get taller fencing??????

Thanks,

Dana

 

[FarmerMac]

I live in a wooded area, lots of trees and underbrush. I have seen hawks fly under the tree canopies and try to get my chickens. I have some good watchdog roosters that sound the alarm when they see a hawk or an eagle flying, my chickens and turkeys run into the coop or underbrush to stay out of danger. I seen hawks perched on the tree brach waiting for a chicken to be careless, I used to free range all day unsupervised, I lost several chickens to predators, now I only let them out to free range when I am home.

 

[otakalhasas]

Thank you! That sounds like a good plan to me! Me and my girls appreciate it!!!!!!

 

[jjoos99]

I keep purple martins in my back yard and every year I get hawk attacks from coopers. I would guess each year the coopers take out a half a dozen martins. I am researching keeping chickens but would want to allow them to run my property (2 acres). There is little cover in my yard so I am really thinking the hawks would get any free range chickens that I would keep. I have witnessed the martin attacks and the hawks swoop in hard and fast from the woods that is behind us. I am thinking adding chickens would be a waste of money time and the birds. Any opinions?
thanks
jeff

 

[otakalhasas]

I don't know if it will work for you, but I went ahead and ordered another 100 foot Omlet fence and with the two of them plus the house, I can "fence" in a good large area for free range. Hopefully that will solve the "flying the coop" problem! Then I'm going to string fishing line meshed between the trees and the trees to the house (probably 8 feet high) so that if a hawk tries to swoop in, he or she is going to learn toot sweet that something is in the way. Could also hang some CD to pie pans from it as well. I'll let you all know how it goes!

 

[centrarchid]

I keep purple martins in my back yard and every year I get hawk attacks from coopers.  I would guess each year the coopers take out a half a dozen martins.  I am researching keeping chickens but would want to allow them to run my property (2 acres).  There is little cover in my yard so I am really thinking the hawks would get any free range chickens that I would keep.  I have witnessed the martin attacks and the hawks swoop in hard and fast from the woods that is behind us.  I am thinking adding chickens would be a waste of money time and the birds.  Any opinions?
thanks
jeff

If Coopers is your problem, then a fully adult rooster or two will reduce hawk visits. Such will not aid the Purple Martins as Coopers still hunt my songbirds seeking cover among pens. If you have potential longterm interest in chickens, then start planting cover. Anything that hinders flight will work to chickens advantage. Consider planting a dense stand of Timothy or anther tall cool season grass and putting some electrified poultry netting around it. Then you can even have birds roosting at night on the ground.

 

[dekel18042]

I live in a wooded area, lots of trees and underbrush. I have seen hawks fly under the tree canopies and try to get my chickens. I have some good watchdog roosters that sound the alarm when they see a hawk or an eagle flying, my chickens and turkeys run into the coop or underbrush to stay out of danger. I seen hawks perched on the tree brach waiting for a chicken to be careless, I used to free range all day unsupervised, I lost several chickens to predators, now I only let them out to free range when I am home.

Hawks either eat their prey where they have killed it or they carry it off (usually under a pound). I've been told that hawks are pretty good at figuring out which prey is which as far as they are concerned. Although we have some small chickens, most are large dual purpose birds and we have several large roosters with the flock. We've actually seen hawks come down and perch and watch without coming all the way down. Thankfully we have a flock of both blue jays and crows as well as other natural hawk deterrents.

 

[otakalhasas]

Now that's a cool idea! Cool season, tall grass. This is our first year in NC (we are from FL), would timothy or alfalfa grow here? Does it need sun or will it grow tall enough in shade? Do you have to keep the chickens off of it until it is well established (like how tall)?

Also, we have a good size deck off the back of our house that is only about two to three feet off the ground (sloping ground). While it would be TERRIFIC shelter for the hens in case of a hawk, I'm afraid they will take to laying eggs under it and retrieving them would be problematic at best. So I was thinking of just giving them just the outside 3 feet of the underside as their hidey spots and using chicken wire to keep them from going back into the "dungeon" (i.e. not easily accessible part).

Thoughts??????