It worked!

[leochickenmama]

After the tragedy last week (lost a Golden Comet to a hawk), we reinforced the webbing over the pen until it looked like a soccer net.

The hawk has come around twice since, but got tangled in the web, started to choke, and flew away.

It'll try a few more times before giving up and going back to hunting mice and rats.

(I can't let my folks free range, though there would be a lot of places for them to hide if I did. I'm too close to a main drag. Someone a couple of miles away from me, who's actually on the main drag, had free rangers, and at least three or four of them were hit by cars.)

 

[chicmom]

Glad your webbing worked! Very smart! I let mine free range, but I'm nowhere near any busy roads. I usually lose one per year to a hawk. I'm still glad I can let them free range though.....they enjoy it so much. I've got a roof over my chicken run, plus I've got a woods surrounding my house, so they do stay undercover alot. Especially with this hot Ohio weather. The woods are alot cooler and shadier than the yard.

We do have some dangers though...One neighbor has a dog that has grabbed one of my hens before (he came right into my backyard), and the other neighbor has a chained up dog, but so far, they haven't gone near him. I think they know he's dangerous.

Anyhow, so glad your webbing deterred that hawk!