There's lengthy back story to explain why I left my coop doors open, involving trying to get one rogue bantam momma to come home, but what I just saw was horrible!! I am so sad and frustrated right now. I was in the nursery, trying to get my little one to nap, when I heard a bunch of shrieking and angry cluckingclucking from the coop. I jumped up to see a GIGANTIC hawk perched atop a poor little bantam cockerel, who had been just venturing out on the ramp. I pounded the window and that **** hawk just took off with my little guy in its claws. Heartbreak. I KNOW I shouldnt have let them out without being outside, but its this stubborn bantam momma. She has been out in the cold for four nights and everytime I go out to entice her back in, she takes to the trees. I even tried putting one of her baby cockerels (not the one that got taken) and a big pile of scratch near the base of the tree she was roosting in. No luck. Now the coop is closed, the two birds are way high up in a pine tree. Sooo discouraged
So sorry! I imagine it must be heartbreaking to have had to watch the hawk in action. It sounds like you are doing what you can to get the other chickies down. Do they have a favorite food you might entice them with? Like meal worms, yogurt or banana? Good luck to you. If they do stay up there, I hope they stay hidden and safe.
X2 ,,,, I have hawk problems here also and this is why I feed the Ravens and do not bother them I guess I am lucky to have them around ........ Sorry for the loss and what you had to see !!!!!!!!!!!!!! gander007
Add me to your list of "hawk haters". I lost a 6 week old chick to one on Monday. The chicks were in an enclosed run (2" x 4" welded wire) and I left them unattended for less than 40 minutes to make a run to the grocery store. When I pulled in the driveway, I saw the hawk fly overhead at a very low elevation. When I walked in the backyard, the majority of the chicks were huddled up under the hanging feeder and one chick was pulled partly through the wire with major damage to his neck/skull. He was already dead by the time I had gotten to him. He had to have had his head/neck through the wire pecking at the grass outside of the run. I'm not sure how else the hawk would have gotten to him. I stretched mono-filament fishing string across all of the wire on the run in a zig-zag pattern, based on what I read online, in order to try to deter the hawks. I did see a hawk do a fly-by at a very high altitude today but he didn't come down for a closer look. The chicks all took cover underneath the coop which is what clued me in to the fact that there was a hawk in the sky. I will let you know if the fishing string seems to do the trick. Since it is illegal to kill hawks in Texas, I'm hoping that he will inadvertently fly into the path of one of my lead projectiles as I am trying to scare him away. I'm sorry to hear about your loss and know how discouraging it can be. It's all part of the circle of life but it sure as heck doesn't make you feel any better with an empty spot in your chicken line-up...
I feel your pain! I've lost 2 full grown hens. Have been posting and have gotten lots of opinions of which predator it could be, most likely a hawk. This morning I was going down to let the girls out for a bit of free range, I watch them very closely when I do this, and a hawk was evidently sitting on the ground near the pen. It took flight from what appeared a very low spot and flew up into a nearby tree, then eventually away. About 10 minutes later I saw it soaring above the yard. Haven't seen it since. Decided not to let the girls out, at least not yet. Not sure what I'm going to do. There is lots of info out there about how to deter these horrible predators, but the only sure things is leave the hens in a secure pen! I have a very large wooded fenced in back yard and love to let them out. But what can you do??? My sympathies for what you've experienced. Good luck in the future.
I've always found Raptors to be awe inspiring but I must admit to looking at them a bit differently since getting the hens. The tractor & hens are up close to house and their run is covered with bird netting but I'm about to move everything to the cover cropped section of the garden. I have some heavier netting in the mail. There has been a immature Cooper hawk hanging around for a while now, sometimes using my bat box for a perch but shows little interest in the hens. Perhaps because of the netting. We have a continuing drama going on here between the Hawks & Crows. Every February several species of hawks move in, do their aerial mating rituals & start nest building. Crows start arriving in March, as their numbers grow they start badgering the hawks, driving them out of their nests & away from the area. Haven't figured out all the rules at play here because I do get visits from hawks in the summer but generally the Crows control the skies March through October, Hawks November through February. Pretty amusing stuff! Now I gotta worry about the hawks stressing out the hens though. Sorry about everyone's losses!
Hen's new digs! Hopefully they'll enjoy the fresh grass & sunshine, of which there was none in the previous location. The new netting should keep them safe from the hawks.
