I can't kill them :(

[ncCHICKS]

I never said I was going to kill them. I wish you could though. It's only fair. I have a 3 pound dog named Isabella and if the hawk grabbed her, what am I supposed to do (i'm not talking about the dog in purse and dresses, she's crazy) I don't understand. I'm not even supposed to scare it!

 

[heyeddah]

You say it yourself. Be the best you can be. Be smarter than the hawks. I am sorry your girl got attacked. We lost alot of ours to a raccoon. We had to get smarter than him and protect our next flock in fort Knox. Every part of the country has different predators. Unfortunately chickens are on the bottom of the food chain. I know what you mean by it seems unfair. This is a hard way to learn about life, but that is the beauty of having and raisng chickens. There is so much to learn. I feel for you. I hope things turn for the better from here on. Sending positive thoughts from CT.

 

[ChooksChick]

Definitely seek crows, as that's what's working for me here with the red-tailed hawks.

Th crows are happy to eat any stale bread and stuff I leave for them, and though they are loud, it keeps the hawks at bay.

Crows can steal little chicks, from what others have posted, so still be aware of that. Until you've got a murder of the attracted, how about covering your run with a netting?

Best of luck with your sweetie! I hope she gets better.:aww

 

[cmom]

I live in Florids. I have some crows around my place. They do chase off the Red Tailed Hawks. They also got into my watermelon field and started pecking holes in the watermelons. I also have gopher tortoises. They carried off about 20 of the nice ripe watermelon. I fenced it in and shot at the crows to scare them. I thought the gopher tortoises would dig under the fence. I staked the bottom of the wire. After shooting at the crows and fencing in the watermelon. I had a fairly successful crop. Sorry I kind of got off track.

 

[ncCHICKS]

My baby is fine! She is back in the coop today and they missed her. I had my G-ma watching them while I was at school. She snagged this pic!

 

[nnbreeder]

Since you are still in school you are too young to remember the time when the raptors were almost gone. The widespread use of DDT had almost killed them all out. When I was a kid spending summers on the family farm you would be very lucky to see just one or two all summer long.
They have made a wonderful comeback.
And a little caution about Crows, they steal chicks too!

 

[the1much]

paintball gun

and ya ya its illegal,, but its also illegal to do it if their after you.

 

[CrowinKing]

I'd go with the 3 S rule!!!

 

[redhead83402]

I highly reccomend a covered run. When you free-range chickens, you may expect to attract predators. It isn't their fault ~ they are doing what comes naturally. You, being the human with dominion over the animal, need to be responsible & take measures to protect them sufficiently. It's all part of chicken ownership.

I am so happy for you that your hen is feeling a little more chipper ~ aren't you glad you waited? :-D
~Red

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
I'd hate to go off topic and start a debate but that is not true. DDT saved millions of
human lives from basic diseases such as malaria. Now, thanks to misinformation, millions
are dying again.

Raptors were poached and overhunted, along with other environmental issues. Any
predator is a predator. Eliminate it, protect your flock, or accept that you will have losses
to predators. It's that simple.