How to Keep Hawks Away?

[duluthralphie]

But secure confinement is the best way to lose none.

But not the best way to raise chickens on small farm...

I find the insect control abilities of chickens severely hindered when they are raised in confinement



And some of us have great aim...

And flying projectiles will stop a predator from getting a second bird.....

And I am tired of winter

 

[aart]

And I am tired of winter

That we can agree on!

 

[jolenesdad]

Lol I’m in Texas and even I’m tired of this wet, awful winter.

 

[wyoDreamer]

To the OP: This is just my 2 cents but you should really have an enclosed run available for your chickens. You may not use it often, but for instances like this it where you will be leaving town will reduce your stress and worry about your pets. It will also make it much easier for your chicken sitter to deal with the chickens.
It may not make for happy chickens to be occasionally locked up in the run, but it is better to have unhappy chickens than to come home and find they have been killed.

 

[duluthralphie]

To the OP: This is just my 2 cents but you should really have an enclosed run available for your chickens. You may not use it often, but for instances like this it where you will be leaving town will reduce your stress and worry about your pets. It will also make it much easier for your chicken sitter to deal with the chickens.
It may not make for happy chickens to be occasionally locked up in the run, but it is better to have unhappy chickens than to come home and find they have been killed.

Excellent point,,,I have several covered runs available to use, as much as I advocate free ranging, they are required, IMHO.

When you leave town for a few days, or if you have an attack by a predator it protects the birds while you take care of the problem and it can dissuade the predators from hanging around. if there is not an easy meal they have a tendency to move to the neighbors where it is easier and safer for them.

A couple years ago a neighbor a quarter mile from me lost 150 birds and trapped nearly 40 coons.... I lost 4-5 birds and trapped none. I just moved my birds to the runs and only let them out when I could be with them the entire time.... I did set some Coon traps but I got none, I think the covered runs where just too risky for them to try...and my dogs were forced off the couch and into the runs......(the dogs still hate me for putting them in the chicken coops...)

 

[Chickie pants]

I learned my lesson, I cannot leave my chickens out unattended. every time I've tried to leave them free range something kills them. I think in my state they're protected.

 

[centrarchid]

I have several neighbors within a mile of me with free-range chickens, at least starting in the fall. Two appear to have dropped out in their entirety and other clearly have fewer birds than they started with. One guy has his birds totally enclosed. I have had no less than 3 and upwards of 40 free-range birds and lost only three to predators (two to GHO and one to my pup) since roughly September. I am entering spring with too many. There is a pattern associated with who lost a large portion of their respective flock. I was not how much time the birds spent outside.

 

[RainForestBird]

what are the bars on the top of the structure and where do you get them? I'm assuming you're using 1/2" hardware cloth.

 

[aart]

what are the bars on the top of the structure and where do you get them? I'm assuming you're using 1/2" hardware cloth.

Whom are you asking?
Good to use the 'quote button' to reply when asking in a large thread with many posters.

 

[LulaBell]

Kind of off the subject but we had a barred owl snag a weasel that I’m pretty sure had intentions of getting to our hens. It perched in a tree just beyond the coop and looked right at me with the weasel in its beak. I was so grateful! At first I thought the owl was after a hen but it must have been taking advantage of the weasel going after the hens. A weasel attack can be downright horrifying!

We had either a weasel or mink get into our coop with my very first flock or 13, lost all but one. We have recovered since, made coop changes and added some new girls. But you are absolutely right, the attach was vicious!