I Need Hawk Proof Run Ideas-- Need Lots Of Room

[Germaine_11.20]

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Wow, I would never have thought of that! Thank you!

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I am sooo loving this, what wonderful ideas and best is that you have already tried them out!

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Great idea but for me it won't work. I live on 4 acres and those are backed up to thousands of acres of open land. Plus high prarie desert here and not alot of trees. But thank you, I am sure many others will use that idea!

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These I am still trying to visulize. I bet they work great, I just need some quiet time or maybe the DH to help me with this one!

THANK YOU!!!!

 

[kathyinmo]

Oh, I'm liking this thread! I just lost 2 little Silkies to hawks, one each day. One was so bold as to go right into the little coop door, where one was standing!

I remember reading Yard Full o Rocks wrote that 2 hawks got into his enclosure that was totally covered, etc. He had 2 pieces of chicken wire (or fencing) together, but had not yet woven them closed. The hawks entered through the opening between the 2 pieces.

I am liking the idea of the fishing line. I already have CDs and reflective pinwheels around the main yard, but none around the other areas I have. Maybe I will try the fishing lines there!

 

[The Sheriff]

I am whining constantly about the hawks. My birds free range on about a third of an acre in my backyard. It would be expensive and ugly to cover the whole thing with netting. We had expensive top flight netting over our first little run and at night the rats chewed big holes in it.

We live in a subdivision of 2 story houses and I can't imagine my neighbors having to look out over my yard with streamers, big eyed balloons, or chicken wire swags. I have tried all the things that others have suggested. I even bought two geese because someone said I would never have a hawk problem again. For the first two days the let out a warning every time they saw a hawk. Now they run and hide or stand at attention like everyone else. Lucky for them they are cute or we'd be having Christmas goose and New Year's too. What I have noticed is only once has a hawk just sat in the tree and watched the chickens since the geese joined us. They used to sit there for hours.

Once I let the Icelandic roosters out into General Population that may help as well. I also bought an old wooden fruit picking ladder. I cut the bottom few feet of to use as ladders up to the roosts in the coop. I am planning to use the top by cutting it in half and covering with shingles to make a couple of hide-outs to put out in the yard. I will make a small pop door which hopefully will allow the chickens a place to hide.

I'll be watching this thread looking for good ideas!

Mary

 

[Germaine_11.20]

It has been a couple days since I have let the chickens out and I still see hawks circling once in awhile but at least they aren't sitting on the telephone pole for hours now.

Even with the geese and the peacocks they just sat up there. DH says that the hawks have chicks right now so they are looking for food and lots of it. Hopefully in a month or so the hawk problem won't be quite as bad. I can't remember when they let up last year.

 

[AmCanyonStables]

I use bird netting over my large run, and built a frame out of PVC pipe to hold it up in the middle. I have hawks fly over all the time, roost near by, but have not lost any chickens. Here is the photo of coop and run. For more detail about the run, go to my page and scroll down to the bottom for directions.

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[Amyable]

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I want to do this too, with pallets elevated above the ground, so the chooks have a place to get under if they are far away from the coop. Like little chicken bunkers!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

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Very nice, I have been studying it thank you! I think that will be one of the ideas I use here, I just need to figure out where to put it.

 

[joletabey]

Rwoman, thanks for starting this- I got good ideas from this for the new run area I need to make for Ultrasuede and his harem - I never thought of fishing line- that's GREAT!!!

 

[featherbaby]

Has anyone considered making little Camoflage printed suits for each of the chickens? What about dipping each of them in
"stealth" paint? I'm going to try putting out signs that say,

"BEWARE - RARE HAWK-EATING-CHICKEN EXPERIMENT IN PROGRESS"
(are ya feelin' lucky?)

 

[The Sheriff]

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Don't laugh! I bought camouflage hen aprons. I'll try anything!