I am tired of this hawk (juvenile)

[scooter147]

I have a juvenile red tail hawk that is just tormenting my poor chickens.
He is constantly hanging out in the oak tree by the run or sitting on one of the run fence posts.
This morning, AGAIN, as soon as I opened the back door I heard the chickens raising a fuss inside the coop. I knew Mr. Hawk was probably sitting on the fence post again, he seems to be there about every other day.
Yesterday afternoon when I got home from work he was sitting in the oak tree. The chickens were all in the coop AGAIN. Heavens only knows how long he was sitting there.
He has stressed them out so that I am only getting 4 eggs from 32 hens, some are molting but most were still laying.
He can't get to the chickens as the run is a virtual Fort Knox.
I have a pecan tree in the yard and of course at any one time there are probably 6 or 7 squirrels in that tree feeding on pecans so that is probably one reason he is always around, and no in 15 years I have not gotten one pecan, the squirrels get them all
Any suggestions to get this guy to at least move on and sit somewhere else?

I am going to nail tin pie pans to the top of the fence posts so hopefully he won't land on them any longer.

I have never seen a hawk in all my years hang around like this and he has no fear of me, I can literally get within 6 or 7 feet of him before he flys off.

The SSS is not possible, neighbors too close.

 

[skyfires]

I'm with ya Scooter,,,I also have a hawk just hangin out around my backyard. He's tried three times that I know of, flyin in and slamin into the wire mesh covering. He falls over,,stagers around on the ground,,trying to get his head straight,,,me yellin and screamin to high heavens,,,then gets up,flies off,,and leaves for a day or two,,,then right back here,,,eyein the coop,,,eyein the run,,,lookin for a 'weak point'. In the mean time,,, my flock is on stand by,,,wantin to go out so bad,,,yet so afraid,,,doesn't anyone know of a way to stop this?? Here's a bump,,,,Thanks ahead of time,,,,,,

 

[horsejody]

Maybe you could put these, or something like them, where he likes to perch.

http://www.birdbgone.com/birdspike2001.htm

At least it might make him perch farther away from the run.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Can you give the chickens more things to hide under in the run, temporarily? That might make them a little less stressed, if they have cover. You may have some stuff laying around that would work. Visual cover tends to calm stressed birds.

Maybe you could put a tarp over the top of the run or part of the run, too.

Our chickens are temporarily in lockdown, due to a juvie red-tailed hawk in our woods and all the hawks flying through for migration. They're taking it pretty well. I take them out for a walk in the late afternoon.

Our dogs run around in the yard a lot and chase the squirrels, etc. Maddie always has a fit if she sees a hawk in one of the trees in the yard. She barks and jumps up at it, until it leaves. So, our temporary uninvited guest usually stays farther up in the woods.

Having one repeatedly throw itself at the wire mesh would freak out anyone! Yikes! How do you feel about guard dogs? Or possibly electric wire or electric netting? I would think any of those would be a possible deterrent.

The thing about hawks, is that even if you only have more of a problem in the fall, you can pretty much figure it's going to be a problem every year. So, you may as well plan for it.

 

[mgibbzzz]

Contact your local Department Of Natural Resource. If you are having that much trouble, they should be able to give you some tips on protecting your girls and scaring the hawk away.

Michelle

DMK Ranch

 

[cyanne]

What about a paint ball gun? Or a bb gun or something along those lines that would be painful but do no harm.

I've heard of people using bottle rockets or firecrackers, but that would probably scare your chickens, too!

There are also those water sprayer set-ups that have a sensor that causes them to shoot a spray of water whenever they are triggered. Maybe you could rig one of those near the run so he gets shot with water whenever he drops by for a visit? I think it's called a scarecrow.

 

[scooter147]

Thanks guys,

Here is what I am going to try.

1. nail the tin pie pans to the fence post.

2. hang wind socks in the oak tree on the branch above the branch he likes to sit on (someone at work suggested this)

I will let you know if this works.

 

[spook]

I hear you about the Hawks this year, I have lost 2 bantam chicks - well teenagers and my big girls and remaining bantam girl will not come out of the hen yard. If I am out in the pen itself, they will come out, but you know, there is plenty of food that I leave in the yard, like cucumbers, left over peelings and they will run for the hen house when I lock the door to leave.
Its sad. Today I let them out to eat grass and I heard the hawk calling from one of the trees behind the house on someone elses land. Its terrible.
Good luck to you folks that are dealing with it, me, I hope to put a tarp on over the yard until snow, give my girls so much needed time out and less stress.

 

[nnbreeder]

And it's about time for them to migrate too and it seems they all come in our area to winter out. There was one sitting on the Turkey's run the other day and as I watched from the window one of the Toms took offense to it and hit the fencing just below where it was sitting. Got the message and now hunts the field North of us. Less rats and mice means less problems with chewed equipment wiring and all the other things mice destroy.

 

[Toast n Jelly]

When I see any preds around including hawks... I hose them with a handy hose that I have around the chicken yard, with the jet setting..they really don't like that
and rarely come back. No law against that is there?