It's trying, but no dice.

[kcult]

The image may not be the best, since it's a pic of the monitor for my cameras, but I think you may be able to see the hawk staged in front of my quail enclosure.

First time this has happened, as far as I know.

 

[dawg53]

I like your avatar. I'd be yelling and screaming at the hawk too!

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

There was a hawk earlier this year that would perch on my back fence daily watching my chickens and a few times we caught it on top of the enclosed run. After a few months when it realized it couldn't get in, it left and hasn't been back. I do wonder if it picked off the squirrels that used to live under the shed cause they disappeared too. It was a ballsy bird too, would come land 6-8 ft away from me. I never tried to chase it away cause I didn't want to get injured but I told it all the time "you won't get an easy meal here so move along". It was patient but never got any of my birds.

 

[kcult]

I said no dice, but it came back yesterday and killed two of my quail.

My wife and I were both working. I came home for lunch at 11 and found the hawk perched on an empty water container. I snapped a pic, then let my dog out, who promptly chased it away.

When I finished my lunch, I stepped out there to gage their food and water and found my roo dead. He had a chunk gone from his neck. The hawk was actually able to grab him through the hardware cloth and nibble on him. I guess it was too much work, so I assume he just let it go, but the damage was done. I also noticed another bird acting listless, so I assumed it was injured.

I had to return to work, but when I got home that afternoon, I chased him off again, but this time, he had eaten half of the injured quail. There's a section of the coop that doesn't have hardware cloth, so I'm guessing the injured quail was bed down near it (not sure why these birds congregate at the edge of the enclosure), and that's how the hawk was able to get to it.

 

[Krugerrand]

I said no dice, but it came back yesterday and killed two of my quail.

My wife and I were both working. I came home for lunch at 11 and found the hawk perched on an empty water container. I snapped a pic, then let my dog out, who promptly chased it away.

When I finished my lunch, I stepped out there to gage their food and water and found my roo dead. He had a chunk gone from his neck. The hawk was actually able to grab him through the hardware cloth and nibble on him. I guess it was too much work, so I assume he just let it go, but the damage was done. I also noticed another bird acting listless, so I assumed it was injured.

I had to return to work, but when I got home that afternoon, I chased him off again, but this time, he had eaten half of the injured quail. There's a section of the coop that doesn't have hardware cloth, so I'm guessing the injured quail was bed down near it (not sure why these birds congregate at the edge of the enclosure), and that's how the hawk was able to get to it.

View attachment 3283414

So sorry to hear of your losses.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

I said no dice, but it came back yesterday and killed two of my quail.

My wife and I were both working. I came home for lunch at 11 and found the hawk perched on an empty water container. I snapped a pic, then let my dog out, who promptly chased it away.

When I finished my lunch, I stepped out there to gage their food and water and found my roo dead. He had a chunk gone from his neck. The hawk was actually able to grab him through the hardware cloth and nibble on him. I guess it was too much work, so I assume he just let it go, but the damage was done. I also noticed another bird acting listless, so I assumed it was injured.

I had to return to work, but when I got home that afternoon, I chased him off again, but this time, he had eaten half of the injured quail. There's a section of the coop that doesn't have hardware cloth, so I'm guessing the injured quail was bed down near it (not sure why these birds congregate at the edge of the enclosure), and that's how the hawk was able to get to it.

View attachment 3283414

I'm sorry to hear that. Just from the angle of this picture, I wonder if your birds are staying near the edge to get some sun and the hawk pounced when the opportunity presented itself. You could try mounting a large plastic owl on the roof of their enclosure to deter the hawk.

 

[Krugerrand]

I'm sorry to hear that. Just from the angle of this picture, I wonder if your birds are staying near the edge to get some sun and the hawk pounced when the opportunity presented itself. You could try mounting a large plastic owl on the roof of their enclosure to deter the hawk.

like these?

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

like these?
View attachment 3284245
View attachment 3284246
View attachment 3284247

I've never put out owls so Idk how effective they are or aren't. Maybe something motion activated that'll move and make noise when the hawk lands?

 

[kcult]

I'm sorry to hear that. Just from the angle of this picture, I wonder if your birds are staying near the edge to get some sun and the hawk pounced when the opportunity presented itself.

That's exactly what happened.

The enclosure is 8x10, but the birds like to bed down along the edges.

My dad ripped an old 4x8 piece of paneling into 1ft tall strips. I have those laid around the edges. I'll probably attach them with small screws, after painting them white, you know, to match the rest of the coop. Lol

 

[aart]

The hawk was actually able to grab him through the hardware cloth and nibble on him.

I don't see hardware cloth I see chicken wire.