How to scare away hawks?

[Doug Goolsby]

Hey there
You can buy crow decoys that can sit on the ground or tie to a post or tree limb the 12 GA, shoot gun works out here in the woods for my ladys the rootser is four months younger than my hens ,its very hard to keep pedators away after they get a taste, have a good weekend
Lamar

 

[Galaxy_rules]

i can say that having black chickens doesnt work, at least not for me. Hawks kept carrying off hens from our all black flock a couple years ago and our mixed flock with a couple black ones has been hunted a couple times too. I'd just keep them inside an inclosed run until it moves on.

X2

 

[Galaxy_rules]

Hi!
Having your run fenced over top tightly and hanging cds around can definitely help.

 

[PaigeWells]

I went with the “pay off the mafia” approach: I noticed that in my area we have several red tailed hawks AND a local flock of about 7 crows that harass the hawks en mass until they leave. I am in Western NC at 3700 feet on the side of a mountain, and we have everything that eats chickens. So I started randomly putting peanuts (whole, in the shell) out on our road uphill a ways from my chicken run and yard. I also call all the crows Dante since I can’t tell them apart, and when I see them perched in the trees I loudly call out “Hey Dante!” And go put out peanuts. Now they consider my yard part of their territory, and frequently come by. They will spiral out of the sky if I call to them, and wait until I put out some nuts and then head back toward the house. I throw out like 6 peanuts about every day randomly and the crows just pop by often to check. I also yell encouragement when they are chasing a hawk, and put out peanuts. They have never stopped chasing to come get the nuts, but will swing by after the hawks fly far away or over the ridge. They also sometimes gather in my yard and yell a lot, I take the hint and call them and throw more nuts. I have also noticed that if a hawk is around and I yell loudly for the crows, they sometimes show up and start chasing. Now I’m hoping that when I yell “hey Dante!”, maybe the hawks will think that means the crows are coming and will bug off? I mean, it could happen.
Ps I have been doing this for about 6 months. Can’t say I haven’t seen a hawk near my girls but I have seen a lot of on duty crows earning their peanuts!

 

[jayeohio]

I saw a demonstration of someone who strung cord/line/rope across the open parts of their yard to deter hawks. Hawks calculate the space available to 'take off' after landing and grabbing prey. If they don't have sufficient clearance, they don't attack. The cords don't even have to be all that close. Good luck!

 

[Tristeli]

we have a lot of construction-farms and fields being bulldozed for hundreds of homes, townhomes, and strip malls. Less hunting grounds means more arial predators. A young hawk tried for my maran few years back. Missed, traumatized her and her witnessing flockmates. Lost my sentinel hen and 2 precious young roos. My yard is now dirt Knox. It’s completely fenced and lined with trees, berry bushes and vine wrapped pergolas. They have a covered run under the apple tree and an omlet metal run in the center of the yard-halfway between cover and barns. The open space is zigzagged with shade sails.
In the front yard is a sanctuary for the wild birds. Built to keep them away from my chickens and provide a last outpost in the sea of construction. A lot of nesting birds enjoy the natural habitat, water and trees. They serve 2 unexpected roles. The hawks I’ve seen prefer to go after songbirds given the choice. (Not my intention!) but the birds also cause a ruckus when one’s nearby, alerting nestmates and my chickens of danger. When they hear certain birds they either freeze or run to cover. Just a thought, nature often provides…

 

[DLA]

If you go to a run that is uncovered, make the run long and narrow. That makes their "swooping" more difficult.

I lost a couple of roosters (free-ranging bachelors) to hawks. What worked after that was "scare tape" - it's a shiny metallic tape like "Police Line - do not cross" tape. I got some cheap plastic electric fence poles and put 3 foot pieces folded in half attached to the top of each one, placed around the yard. I can see the hawks circling, or watching carefully from high in a tree. But a little wind, the scare tape moves and they take off. I've heard from others that CD's hanging from tree limbs that catch the sun can also scare them.

Search "scare tape bird repellent" on Amazon to see what I mean.

I know other homesteaders who use "attack geese" with their chickens and they seem to like it. I don't know how effective it is. My issue now is raccoons and snakes.

Attack geese are a fearsome thing.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I have witnessed many hawks circling above my flock
I have the garden hose ready on blast and I yell a lot ( my neighbours must think I’m crazy yelling
HEY HEY GET )
I have black ducks in my flock and it doesn’t stop them from circling sometimes very low
I did have a young one a few times dive down this year and fortunately I was not far under the covered deck as one of my girls was about 5-6 feet from me. She ran towards me and the hawk hit the ground missing her and flew up as I ran towards it yelling
The other time my daughter was watching my flock
I haven’t had one come down to swoop with me out there yelling and clapping loud where they can see and hear me
Under a week ago I had 4 at the same time
2 younger and 2 larger
I’m not going to lie I was actually scared
How will I take on 4 of them and keep my flock safe
Somehow I managed to get all my birds into their pen
That same night before those 4 came
First I had a single red tailed adult
Then not long after 2 black ones
Never seen a black one before
Was the largest hawk I have ever seen and it’s youngster
Then the 4 came and they were grey / brown
All 3 sets were different looking but they all had an interest in my flock
I have 1 Goosewith my 19 ducks and my husky stood guard as well
A hawk if desperate enough will try no matter how many things you put out
Only really safe method is a covered run
But we can’t all set up like that ( myself included )
So I do what I can and make sure I’m out with my flock in the evening
I couldn’t get the 4th in the picture but this was 3 of the 4

 

[Krugerrand]

Attack geese are a fearsome thing.
View attachment 3647788

 

[Nellzmom]

We live out between farms and have multiple hawk families that live around us, so we use a covered run and hawk-proof netting over fenced foraging areas.

One day I walked out toward the covered run and saw one of my chickens standing stock still in the run. Usually when I approach they get animated and start talking, but this girl wasn’t moving. When I rounded the corner of the run I discovered why: a red-tailed hawk was sitting on the ground staring at the chicken in the run, and took off when she saw me. What a thug!

We love them for rodent control, but never underestimate their taste for chicken!