How to get hawk away from backyard?!?

[henplusrooster]

I was in my kitchen and I was looking out the window and I saw a hawk. The hawk was flying over one of my hens. But my hen was hiding under a bush. But my rooster started flapping his wings and screeching and all sorts of things to get rid of the hawk. But the hawk only moved from my backyard to the fence. So I had to go out there and scare it off. How do I get rid of it. It only happen one time that I know of. But i don't want it to ever happen again.

 

[BlueBaby]

The hawk will be back looking for dinner. That's the chance that you take with predators and your flock when you free-range. When the chickens are free-ranging, there is nothing to protect them.

 

[Folly's place]

When we have a raptor visitation, my flock is locked in their safe coop and run for at least a week, and usually ten days or more, until the bird gets discouraged and move on. Your hawk might have been scouting your birds, or rodents and rabbits, which would be a good thing, but don't take chances!
Having a safe coop and covered run are essential for keeping your birds alive!!!
All raptors are federally protected, and generally flashing objects won't work for long to discourage them. A dog might help, as long as it's large enough to not be on the menu too, and will leave the chickens alone! Mary

 

[Zoomie]

You can't make hawks go away from your backyard, except by perhaps erecting a huge bubble over everything. Hawks go wherever they want to in search of food. If you are really worried about losing a bird, you could keep your chickens in a covered run. That's what I do. I lock them up securely at night, and in the day they are in a covered run. That works best for me. Everybody has a different situation and different feelings about it.

 

[henplusrooster]

When we have a raptor visitation, my flock is locked in their safe coop and run for at least a week, and usually ten days or more, until the bird gets discouraged and move on. Your hawk might have been scouting your birds, or rodents and rabbits, which would be a good thing, but don't take chances!
Having a safe coop and covered run are essential for keeping your birds alive!!!
All raptors are federally protected, and generally flashing objects won't work for long to discourage them. A dog might help, as long as it's large enough to not be on the menu too, and will leave the chickens alone! Mary

What do you think I should do if have a run. I just have chicken coops.

 

[henplusrooster]

What do you think I should do if have a run. I just have chicken coops.

If I don't have run

 

[Folly's place]

If I were you, I'd be out there adding a covered run. I started with chickens roosting in my barn rafters, because I was told that it would be fine. After many night time deaths, I learned, and set up a coop. Then a run. Then a covered run, and a coop addition. Then another coop addition, and a roofed run.
Free ranging chickens in your back yard is wonderful, but you will have deaths, and injuries, some very ugly. Mary

 

[Sara Ranch]

My pastures are open on top. I have added sheets & scrap pieces of fabric to offer shelter/shade for my guys as well as to discourage the overhead predators. There's also 40 gallon "buckets" on their sides as well as tall foliage that my guys can hide in.

I go out often and discourage the overhead predators.

And my groups have the rooster relay. When one spots or senses trouble, they sound the alarm for the other flocks. The other roosters pick up and relay the message.

 

[Folly's place]

I also have roosters, and lots of trees and shrubs as cover, and a barn some of the birds like to visit. It all helps. I've also had times when very determined hawks sit out there waiting for unwary chickens to come out, and they are then way safer in their run and coop! Mary

 

[Chickassan]

Make yourself a scarecrow, they aren't just for crows and they work really well. Move him around every so often so the hawks don't get wise. Scarecrow dosent work on crows at all BTW but that's ok you want crows they irritate the heck out of hawks.