Is this suddenly hawk season

Can you use bird netting over the top of a run to prevent hawk attacks?

I think I had one yesterday afternoon - I heard the girls doing their danger/egg song over and over and went out to find them all in one corner of the run, where there is bamboo for cover. One of my runner ducks was looking up. Then I noticed in the other half of the "L" some feathers in two places - some obviously from my golden campine, the other, I'm not so sure, they were blue/grey and I have several chickens that color. No one appeared to be missing, but they were definitely scared of something.

We do have hawks in the Ptld area, in fact there's been a raptor cam in downtown for several years on a nest that a pair uses. So it's not completely unlikely that one may have tried to grab a meal. I think if it had been a four-footed creature, either the dogs would have gotten it, it would have gotten a chicken, and/or it would still have been in there.
 
I will tell you the biggest secret to a hawk problem. But the only way this is effective is if you live in a rural area with no neighbors close. KILL THEM! Yes it is illegal and no I do not kill them, but TONS of people in my area kill hawks and they just seem to multiply that much more. You wouldn't believe the amount of hawks people kill in my area and it is very illegal, but I couldn't imagine the over population if these outlaws didn't do this. In my neck of the woods, wild quail and rabbits have taken a toil from Red Tail Hawks and people do shoot every time they see them if they can get away with it.
 
It is the risk we take if we want to free range. I was extremely anti-hawk at the beginning of the fall, due to them wiping out my Marans chicks. I have now realized the only control we have (since they need to eat too) is to risk it or lock them up. I choose to let my girls free range, the difference in eggs and their happiness is 10 fold. I did lose a bird today to hawk, Man can little D'Uccle's fly. It got a cornish-x/ duccle mix. My girls have a lot of hiding spots, she just seemed to hang a lone. My little Silkie ran in the door when I opened it to see what was going on. Please don't think I'm cruel or don't like my birds, because I do. I just can't see leaving them in a sand 50 x50 run, when there is 2 acres to range around. Just me i guess
Michele
 
I for one think that the hawk population has grown way out of control. They have taken this bird of prey thing to the extreme. I can see not being able to shoot an eagle, but hawks and other birds of prey are no longer endangered as far as I can see. With the exception of the California condor. All of this started with the big DDT kill off of birds of prey. The birds have rebounded tremendously and I think the laws should be changed. In my opinion, a person should be allowed to protect their domesticated animals from them. I read a FBI / Dept. of Conservation report on a man in Floyd Co. Kentucky that shot a Bald Eagle that was going after his pullets. He told the officers that he thought it was a hawk. No charges were filed and he had to pay a small fine. I am going to do some digging and see if you are allowed to shoot a bird of prey if it is threatening your domesticated animals. You should be able to do something to protect what belongs to you. There have even be instances where hawks have taken small dogs out of back yards, while the owner just has to sit there and look horrified. There are to many hawks around to have these out dated laws in place. Would I shoot a hawk that was after one of my chickens? Yes. I would. Haven't done it yet, but I would. My grandfather was caught shooting squirrel out of season once. He told the game warden that it was his property and he would do as he pleased. The warden said that it may be your property, but the squirrels belong to the state. My GP then told the warden to have the state remove all of the squirrels off of his property by 5:00PM or he was going to shoot every one he saw. Funny story that actually happened a long time ago. The game warden left and never came back. LOL. You didn't mess with grandpa. Come to think of it GP didn't tolerate hawks either. :)
 
Found out that state law allows you to kill an animal that is threatening your livestock. Unfortunately it is against Federal law to do this with birds of prey. Hawks and owls are no longer endangered but they are still protected. You can be fined up to $10,000.00 and up to six months in jail for killing a bird of prey under Federal protection. Kind of darned if you do, darned if you don't situation.
 
if you want to get that law changed start a petition I am sure every person that keeps chickens will sign it along with about every farmer.

after looking at your pics that bird looks more like an owl than a hawk and it looks like he claimed your coop as his lunch box.
 
if you want to get that law changed start a petition I am sure every person that keeps chickens will sign it along with about every farmer.

after looking at your pics that bird looks more like an owl than a hawk and it looks like he claimed your coop as his lunch box.


I thought owls only came out at night? We do have some owls nearby but I don't know what kind. I'll try to take a better picture of them next time - if there is a next time - although personally I'm hoping there won't be.
 

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