Ideas for protecting against hawks WITHOUT covering your run

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hayley3 said:
When I had goats I never had a hawk attack. My goats and chickens shared the same pasture for 17 years, until my goat got old and would not go out with them. Also we had red-shouldered hawks because I could hear them calling to each other, although I rarely saw them. One day after my goat was gone, a polish hen flew out of the barn while I was not home and was killed by a hawk.
Do you keep your ducks pastured separately or do they free range with everyone else?
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Right now the ducks are kept in a separate pen because I had one of them who was acting aggressively towards one particular hen. They would chase her senseless. But that was only when I had two ducks and they WEREN'T pen. Now I have 7 ducks and they are all kept together. Once the weather gets nice again, I plan to let the ducks free range during the day so they can go down to my pond.

I've been reading that most people have had problems with hawk attacks in early to mid morning. I usually put the dog outside around 7 AM until I feed at 9 AM. I really think that the dog is a good deterrent because my backyard is literally right next to both pens and so close that it would make a hawk nervous. But I could be deluding myself....who knows. Both times I saw the hawk recently it was late morning. I don't believe the dog was outside either time but I honestly can't remember for certain.
 
TJAnonymous said:
Right now the ducks are kept in a separate pen because I had one of them who was acting aggressively towards one particular hen. They would chase her senseless. But that was only when I had two ducks and they WEREN'T pen. Now I have 7 ducks and they are all kept together. Once the weather gets nice again, I plan to let the ducks free range during the day so they can go down to my pond.

I've been reading that most people have had problems with hawk attacks in early to mid morning. I usually put the dog outside around 7 AM until I feed at 9 AM. I really think that the dog is a good deterrent because my backyard is literally right next to both pens and so close that it would make a hawk nervous. But I could be deluding myself....who knows. Both times I saw the hawk recently it was late morning. I don't believe the dog was outside either time but I honestly can't remember for certain.
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My chickens do not get out until 8:30 mainly because of foxes. So a late opening would also work for hawks, I would think. I keep my ducks separate also for the same reason.
 
TJAnonymous said:
Given the size of my chicken yard, along with the fact that I have some giant oak trees that provide necessary shade to a good portion of the yard, I cannot/will not cover it from above. So I am looking for other ideas/options that can help persuade any potential hawks that my girls are not worth the effort.
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Maybe just put a bunch of tables and chairs out there for the chickens to go under? Of course I'm thinking of cheap/free ones, so it might look ugly, but I don't think a hawk would want to dive among table legs to get a chicken.

(Disclaimer: I have no personal experience with hawks, so I have no idea whether this would actually help.)
 
I'll offer what I can here. I had 2 hawk attacks and 1 attempted attack within a week 2 months ago. One time, the hawk got through our bird netting over the run (there was a big hole that it either made or it was smaller and they made it bigger to get in). It killed one of my chickens and was still inside the run when I saw/heard it and ran down there like a crazy woman trying to scare it off. My other 4 chickens were all huddled inside the coop in a corner scared to death. The hawk was not afraid of me and didn't want to come out of the coop or leave my poor deceased chicken. I had to get a stick and prod it out for like 10 min.

The next week, I was outside cleaning our sheep shed (my chickens free range within the sheep's fenced acre when I'm outside doing yardwork) and my daughter was also out with me. She commented, "Mommy, look how low that bird is flying!" Sure enough, I turn around and it's a hawk and it nearly got my favorite chicken! Luckily, as I ran over waving my shovel and rake, it eventually flew away. Chippy lost a lot of feathers but I checked her out and she was not hurt. I cleaned up her up real good and gave her some extra treats but it was a close one.

Those hawks are relentless! I now have all 3 of my daughters out there with me babysitting the chickens when I need to tidy the coop/run or the chickens need some freedom.

The next time a hawk showed up, it was about 1 minute after I locked the chickens back up. All FOUR of us were out there and it landed on the tree right next to the coop on the branch. It was so close to us I could have hit it with a stick. They are not afraid of us at all.
So, I don't know if an owl or something like that would work for me.

Now, my chickens are locked up in their run for most of the day. I don't really like that, but for the time being, that is the only way I know they are safe. The run is now covered completely with chicken wire, a tarp, and bird netting. All of that has obviously kept them safe.

I didn't have any issues in the summer or fall. I'm thinking the hawks are hungry since it's winter. I'd really like to have the chickens free range more when the weather gets warmer, but we will have to see. I'd love to try some of these suggestions. However, I can't feasibly hang string or cds to cover the entire sheep/chicken portion of our property.
 
I completely understand how you feel. I would LOVE to be able to cover my chicken & duck yards.....but there's no way my DH will support me doing that. He will say it is too expensive and a PITA for us to make changes to the yard & fencing to do it. While he indulges my love for my birds, HE still sees them as livestock and easily replaceable. There are times when he has to drive a mower into the chicken yard to trim the grass, etc... He isn't going to let me put up anything that will obstruct his easy ability to do that. He won't mind mowing AROUND objects, such as pallets, tables, etc...that I put up to give them something to hid under. But if I put something up, such as a web of string or netting, etc.., which he will have to duck under to go around the coop, it will never fly. That is just my sad reality.... So I am looking for things I can do to dissuade hawks without covering the yard. Something I can put up in the trees. Something I can put in the chicken yard which won't cause a divorce. That kind of thing.... The dog is a great deterrent but she isn't outside ALL the time. Especially in the summer when temps are high. She is a Husky/Great Pyrenees mix so she doesn't tolerate high temps very well and I live in the Deep South. I can put her outside until mid-morning and then she needs to come in. So I need something that can cover for the chickens the rest of the day....

I'm looking for advice that can fit within the boundaries that I have to work in. It isn't ideal, but it is where I'm at.
 
I have heard you can spider web fishing line across the top as a deterrent. IF your post were wooden you could drive long nails in tops to raise it up a tad more to make mowing easier. I cannot vouch for the effectiveness.
If it were me I’d probably try crow and or owl decoys but they could become habituated to them.
 

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