How Often do Hawks Eat?

[MickWithChicks]

Does anyone know how much and how often Grey Goshawks eat? They'd be equivalent in size to the Coopers Hawk in the continental North Americas.

I just lost my great little rooster Robare to Goshawk this morning and am pretty PO'd. He'd been with us for a number of years after being dumped in the neighbours horse yard as a cockerel and finding his way to my flock. Great protector of his flock and really good with other roosters (we had 3 in the coop/run with the hens -- all for years and all got along). It was an ambush attack, so he didn't stand a chance. Swoop, grab, outta-here -- not a peep from the rest of the flock, not a feather left behind.

The Goshawk had taken a hen yesterday afternoon, so I assumed I'd have at least the day today to put up some new hawk netting over the run. We had a fallen branch absolutely decimate the last net, which obviously left them vulnerable. The run is otherwise like fort knox, nothing goes in or out unless I let them.

The hawk had killed in the past, but always juveniles with plenty of growing to do or small birds such as Duccles; never one the size of Robare.

 

[sourland]

I would guess daily on the eating - perhaps more than that if raising young.

 

[MickWithChicks]

I would guess daily on the eating - perhaps more than that if raising young.

That's how it appears. Just surprised it would eat its own body weight every day. Thought a whole chook would keep it satiated for at least a few days.

 

[MountainWoman73]

So sorry. That's a bummer. I wouldn't have expected that either.

My "pet" goshawk (who I fed once last winter and three times this winter) is a polite predator. He only seems to want one chicken a month, only in the winter months, and I've noticed he likes to hunt in the morning during a heavy snow. (I think the motion of a hawk swooping down from above is harder to see when it's snowing.) I started putting the hens indoors or shutting my guard dog in the run with them when it started to snow.

 

[MickWithChicks]

My "pet" goshawk (who I fed once last winter and three times this winter) is a polite predator. He only seems to want one chicken a month, only in the winter months, and I've noticed he likes to hunt in the morning during a heavy snow.

How good would an actual pet Goshawk be though. I hatch out about 6 dozen eggs a year - so about 3 dozen excess roosters. I'd be willing to sacrifice 3 roosters a month to satisfy his hunger (and obviously that'd mean I'd be choosing which roosters (no favourites)).

 

[ElizaMay]

Lol - just had an image of a rooster tied to a post like a fair maiden to a stake at a dragon's lair... If only you could get a hawk to pick the one you WANT it to have.

 

[MickWithChicks]

Wearing black and red hoods chanting in latin.

BTW, then hen ended up turning up; she'd fled and ended up in with my rooster flock. As you can imagine, they all fell head over heals for her(!!) and no fighting, thankfully.

Unfortunately, no Robare. He was definitely taken; I suspect that's why the hawk came back in such quick succession - his first meal was unsuccessful.

 

[Tacswa3]

I'm actually surprised the hawk was able to fly off with the chicken. Coopers hawk aren't big, and if this hawk is similar in size, I'm really surprised it can take flight carrying a full grown chicken

 

[ElizaMay]

I had a juvenile Cooper attack, he couldn't take off with the hen the first time he struck, just rode her around in the bushes till I chased him off. Second hen, he killed and sat to eat her, didn't move her.

 

[mcdze]

theyll kill just for sport if your flock is running around in the morning in the open free range and they got them sighted out ... they are seasonal though, at least here .. once you start losing birds a good strategy is not let them out of the coop before 10-11am .. that stems most of it ..