How to Keep Hawks Away?

[igorsMistress]

This is the only guaranteed way. You run the risk and pay a price if you let them free range.

 

[Aji Dulce]

Yes I have all kinds of bushs shrubs etc. The problem is that the hawk came out of the sky on top of the barred rock , she never had a chance . Some one mentioned tieing ropes on trees and stretching them accross the yard to another tree one going horz/one vert. Hanging dangling plastic pieces off the ropes. I would need 2 miles of rope to do this my trees aren't very close in the area where she was attacked.

My chickens are pastured inside 300 ft of poultry netting. On parts of that area I put wildlife netting draped with T-posts and they have a few low structures and tables. They seem to know and mostly hang out under the netting mesh or near the perimeter of it. You’re right, hawks need to be flying and swoop to grab on the go, an adult 7 to 9 lb chicken.

 

[Kris5902]

I thought you were in Canada where laws regarding raptors same as in States?

Right to Farm. Two hours, 5 lambs... $500-$700 per lamb, Triplets and twins. I’ve written and re-written this several times over. On this we will not agree. All there really is to it is “we are a registered farm with legal rights of defending our livestock”. 100% of our income is from farming. We are not hobby farmers. When they are actively mauling your livestock, it is not illegal for a farmer to shoot them here. Yes, we have checked into it, because they do actively maim and kill our livestock, with significant financial losses.

Our situation is not the same as the OP’s though, and last I checked, fishing lines and cd’s, netting over poultry runs etc, ARE legal. Which is what people were getting flack for suggesting. I’m still not going to feel particularly sorry for the bird that’s trying to kill someone’s chickens getting entangled, especially after what I got to bury this morning.

Free to good home... 10-20 murderous birds that like to eat babies alive slowly in front of you and aren’t deterred* by dogs or running at them waving sticks (they will dive at you). But I will keep the two pairs of Golden Eagles... they aren’t a******s and don’t come near the house or barns for lambing.

 

[Kris5902]

5 newborn cattle/sheep(?) in 2 hours?
Yikes!!

Sheep, cattle don’t usually twin so they are almost always fine. Between 5-6am between checks sometime, we lost triplets to eagles, then while they were being buried between 6:30-7 they got a set of twins. The last triplet and twins were both put down by us to stop their suffering. And the ugly buzzards were diving at us when we were putting down the twins.

We didn’t have the issues with DDT in the Canadian gulf islands (in the 80’s?, before my recollection anyway) that decimated the North American Raptor populations. They are a protected species, but there are also exemptions to that protection, for our Indigenous Peoples and Farmers defending their livestock. I don’t advocate illegal actions on the parts of other.

 

[Biggy]

Thank you for all the ideas. Just to clear some things up, I don't want to hurt the hawk or kill it at all. I am quite fascinated with birds of prey and don't want to hurt them. I just simply don't want him to use my hens as his source of food. I think he is young and inexperienced. From what I have seen, he isn't able to actually pick up my girls (I think they are too big and heavy). He is about the same size if not smaller than my chickens. But I am pretty sure he would just sit there and eat her if no one scares him off. I really wish I could get a rooster but they are not allowed in my town. Has anyone else had experience with shiny mylar balloons? Have the worked? Usually it is fine to have them free-ranging because they will be loud and I can run out and help them when I am home (which is most of the time). But we are going on a long vacation and the people watching our girls, can't be with them the whole day. Since the vacation is a few weeks, I didn't want them to be cooped up the whole time.

 

[centrarchid]

Right to Farm. Two hours, 5 lambs... $500-$700 per lamb, Triplets and twins. I’ve written and re-written this several times over. On this we will not agree. All there really is to it is “we are a registered farm with legal rights of defending our livestock”. 100% of our income is from farming. We are not hobby farmers. When they are actively mauling your livestock, it is not illegal for a farmer to shoot them here. Yes, we have checked into it, because they do actively maim and kill our livestock, with significant financial losses.

Our situation is not the same as the OP’s though, and last I checked, fishing lines and cd’s, netting over poultry runs etc, ARE legal. Which is what people were getting flack for suggesting. I’m still not going to feel particularly sorry for the bird that’s trying to kill someone’s chickens getting entangled, especially after what I got to bury this morning.

Free to good home... 10-20 murderous birds that like to eat babies alive slowly in front of you and aren’t deterred* by dogs or running at them waving sticks (they will dive at you). But I will keep the two pairs of Golden Eagles... they aren’t a******s and don’t come near the house or barns for lambing.

I call BS. Lambs not worth 500 to 700 in American or Canadian currencies. Right to farm does not supersede international treaties. You have never disagreed with me on this issue before.

 

[Kris5902]

I call BS. Lambs not worth 500 to 700 in American or Canadian currencies. Right to farm does not supersede international treaties. You have never disagreed with me on this issue before.

Yes, we have disagreed on this before. It’s ok... I still highly respect your knowledge on chickens and methods.

You can dispute my pricing all you want, but I’ve worked in this industry for two years now... I know our local markets, and pricing. My husband has been a “red seal” or “ticketed” butcher for over 17 years, a meat buyer at Whole Foods for 5, and a meat manager at their only local competitor for the three years before we “retired” (hah) to the farm. He has been working in the farm’s licensed abbatior seasonally since he was about 18. He is 46. I was a front end manager and ran tills, accounting, and sales reports. Departmental, hourly, item movements. We both were heavily involved in product margins.

Grass fed, local, organically raised (but not certified) lambs sell for $500-700, (That’s Canadian $), $375 -$525 US, average per carcass here (average pricing as there’s a range of weights). Cut, wrapped, and boxed... I know because we slaughter, cut, wrap, price and sell all our own animals. Swinging price, wholesale, or primaled would be a bit lower.

Lambs usually weigh 18-20kg dressed (we have some tiny ones @ 16kg Shetland x’s , with Suffolk and Arcotts being much heavier 20-28kg) dressed weight. I would have to go and pull the prices for you on the individual cuts. Or, you could take the fact I’ve been wrapping and pricing them for two years, August through December, two days a week, every week as a valid fact.

We culled an Arcott ram (1 year castrated) that was about 6 years old (because he got aggressive) he dressed at over 80kg that’s over 170lbs minus his internals, head (which was huge!) and lower legs. Live weight would be close to double that. He scared me, and when we were herding him into the chute to our holding pen the night before slaughter, one of our highly trained herding dogs actually hid behind my husband when it stomped in his direction.

It’s been over 7 years since anyone managed to hit an eagle (sadly), and that WAS reported (by us), and our Federal Agent (Parks Canada Warden) came and removed the carcass, because it is illegal for us to touch it. Farmers are allowed to defend their livestock, and our Indigenous Peoples are allowed to hunt them as well. Sorry.

Edit to add: lamb loin chops $46.35/kg... I forgot tomorrow’s dinner was in fridge. It’s a really small portion of the lamb and usually accounts for aprox $100 of the price, two racks adds about $80, leg roasts $120-160. Add in shanks, arm cutlets, shoulder roasts, You also get 2-4lbs ground, sliced neck, kidneys, liver, hearts, and tongue, sweetbreads, soup bones, and I know I’m forgetting several other actual decent cuts (2, but I’m not waking husband up to ask which!)

 

[Kris5902]

My apologies for the devolving of this thread into a heated “discussion”.

Fishing type line and cds, maybe some netting, if you really want some ranging... and areas of decent cover for your chickens. Create a hostile environment. Don’t worry too much about the hawks welfare... they will figure it out fast enough. Be ready, as you may have to disentangle one (see I’m not really “death to all birds of prey” minded here).

If you want 100% protection, a fully enclosed run or chicken tractor is the only thing that can gaurentee it. How you choose to defend your flock is up to you, and you’ve gotten good advice... some will work, some may not. Just keep trying until you find what works for you. Also, birds of prey hanging out low enough and long enough for you to notice them becoming an issue will (assuming you’re not using clear lines) probably be able to see them... especially when there’s a bunch of shiny things tied to them!

Best of Luck!

 

[CrystaBub]

We have had this problem and my husband strung about 10 strings of clear fishing line across the top of their large run. It's worked for the last 2 years! I still have all 40 of my girls.

I'm thinking about doing that - pic please!

 

[Shadrach]

We free range our flock of 60 hens during the day. We do lock them up during the night, but during the day it is the job of our 6 Roos to protect their ladies. Our Boys have a definite pecking order, but when a hawk flies over , they all call the alarm, the hens take cover and they stand out in the open crowing and flapping. Twice I have seen a hawk land on a hen in the open and then get attacked by my boys. It is a all out war on the hawk. Roosters are a very important part of a free range flock. I am not sure what I would do without them.

This is interesting. The roosters here will not take on a hawk unless it has landed on top of a hen. Unfortunately here, the main problem hawk is the Goshawk and just the impact of the strike is often enough to do irreparable damage to the hens internal organs.
I do lose roosters, but not because they've taken on the hawk, but because as you describe they are often the last to seek cover and they then become the hawks target.
I have a few theories as to why a rooster only attacks the hawk after it has struck a hen rather than put itself between the hen and the hawk.