Huge red tail

[cmom]

I've tried a lot of different things too and they didn't work. I finally covered my pens with good heavy duty netting. I haven't free ranged for a few years due to losses from predators so all of the birds have nice large pens. When I stopped free ranging I extended all of the pens out 10 more feet.

 

[SegiDream]

On the deterrent topic.... I still "free range" mine occasionally in the uncovered fenced back yard but I recognize that any time I let them out they are absolutely vulnerable to a sky attack. Even with supervision and hiding spots. Someone gave this advice once, I forget who sorry, but they said they improved their odds by keeping the chickens secured in the run on cloudy stormy or windy days. Bright sunny clear days they let them out to free range. Keeping in mind they still had occasional losses. I add to that and don't free range near the hours of dawn or dusk or any time that just doesn't feel right and I don't clip their wings. I have three young brahma roos to help protect the flock. One of them has done a very good job so far for not having any experience. I also have two crow decoys, my attempt at attracting crows IE extra alarm bells.

Today is a bright sunny day, crows hollered and alerted everyone to a cooper hawk resting in a tree in the back yard around noon. I don't know if it's the time of year, if they migrated in from somewhere else, if they're more desperate, if the leaves falling off the trees gives them a different hunting strategy or what but one or two cooper hawks have taken a persistent interest in our yard. It's very annoying. I saw a cooper hawk flopping around in the grass after making an attack on one of the crow decoys the other day, guess he wasn't expecting it to be fake and staked into the ground....