How, exactly, do hawks hunt?

[Al Gerhart]

The amount of knowledge that shows up on these forums is amazing. We have bird of prey experts right here among us, what a resource!

And like a worn out record, get rid of the mice and rats that attract the predators in the first place. I had no idea that birds of prey can see urine and poop trails using U.V. or fluorescence but that makes perfect sense. Those are trails leading right to your coop.

 

[Mark Whatley]

I have been "free-ranging" our four Buff pullets in our fenced back yard. We live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and hawks are everywhere. When they are up and about you can generally find them circling in the sky. They are also prone to perch on wires and in trees. I listen for their distinctive call and keep an eye out for perching. The girls have pretty good cover in our yard under shrubs and such; sometimes it's really hard to find them. I know having them out in the yard is a calculated risk but I feel pretty good about their ability to hide. What I don't know is if chickens have any innate sense of danger if a hawk is aloft, especially if calling.

 

[centrarchid]

I have been "free-ranging" our four Buff pullets in our fenced back yard. We live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and hawks are everywhere. When they are up and about you can generally find them circling in the sky. They are also prone to perch on wires and in trees. I listen for their distinctive call and keep an eye out for perching. The girls have pretty good cover in our yard under shrubs and such; sometimes it's really hard to find them. I know having them out in the yard is a calculated risk but I feel pretty good about their ability to hide. What I don't know is if chickens have any innate sense of danger if a hawk is aloft, especially if calling.

Hawks simply flying overhead are not the ones to be worried about if you are a chicken. What you need to be worried about is a hawk perched above you in position to go after you. Once hawk is flying at you it is past time to be worried, you must then react. I have yet to hear a hunting hawk make any calls. Calls are for interest of hawks friends and foes; dinner is neither.

 

[mcdze]

about 95% of the birds ive lost over the years has been due to hawks .. theres at least 4 different species around here and they all hunt differently .. if you free range just always be home and better yet, outdoors, when you have your birds out, hawks tend to avoid people they know they can get shot, and know generally when your around - they see more than you think .. most hawks do 90% of their hunting in the early morning also, so letting your birds out after 10-11am is a wise move ... getting up at 6am to let your chickens out then going in to nap till later is a death sentence for your flock, you'll go back out to mounds of feathers dotting your yard, ask me how i know lol ... and finally as mentioned elsewhere in this thread, corws are your friend and will harass hawks .. they may not stop them altogether but they will alert you and your chickens to their presence, so if you make it a habit to toss your scraps out in the evening or early morning to feed the crows and make them your friends thats going to work for you tremendously ...

 

[cmom]

If a hawk gets an opportunity it will pick off a bird as with most predators.

 

[centrarchid]

Over the top people. Hawks in the US are not that bad nor that predictable.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I lost a rooster to a hawk about 2:00 in the afternoon. I agree with @cmom, like most predators, hawks are opportunistic. They eat when food's available.

 

[centrarchid]

I lost a rooster to a hawk about 2:00 in the afternoon. I agree with @cmom, like most predators, hawks are opportunistic. They eat when food's available.

They are not a certainty. I have as many hawks a anyone. They can be managed against. She may not have know how needed

 

[BigBlueHen53]

She may not have know how needed

Sorry, who, what?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

When I heard that crows are a deterrent to hawks, my path was clear. It may not have been accurate, but I felt it was worth a try. I ordered a dozen Black Australorps. They do look very much like a bunch of large crows fraternizing with my EEs, and I haven't seen a (crow) sorry, I mean a HAWK since.