Look what I found hanging around my place here in the piney woods of East Texas! I had a guinea with it's throat ripped out last week and figured it was a hawk because a momma hawk has been raising her babies on my place but today I found a pair of Bald Eagles. The stay down this way in the winter. I guess there is nothing you can do about these guys(and I wouldn't). I guess that's why the turkeys have been hiding in the barn. Here is one of the hawks I snapped in the yard today also.
I have hawks nesting at the back of my property. The chickens are aware of them and I have had no hawk losses (yet.) There are a few eagles in this area but I've never seen one from my property. I agree, with an eagle around, I doubt hawks are much of a threat for you.
That eagle is a beautiful bird! But much as I've always admired them, now that I've lost two of my girls (including my favorite Judy) to a hawk I just don't have the same warm fuzzy feelings for raptors. I see them now and think "Don't you even CONSIDER having a chicken dinner tonight, you big taloned bully!"
My poor girl was eaten by a hawk a couple weeks ago. I miss her so much and since I only had two hens......now I'm left with one. I saw the hawk the next morning looking for its kill (but we had already disposed of the remains). We have since built a big enclosed pen so he won't be making a meal out of the other chicken. I feel so badly though. I loved being able to let them run around my yard as they pleased.
If a hawk is eatin your chickens or other livestock like rabbits or something, dont that give you the right to shoot em?
Quote:In some states it does, but not at the federal level. So the only legally safe way to "shoot" them is to use a camera.
The chickens are helpless and it is our responsibility to keep them safe. Hawks and other predators are doing what they do naturally. We don't need to let our chickens be bait, we need to keep them safe. One attack is not the last. Chasing them is not going keep them from coming back. Again, it's nature. The best thing any chicken owner can do is to create a safe space for day or night time predators. After eight years of hawk-free attacks, suddenly everything changed. I had a hawk attack, then another. I had the challenge of enclosing a large "chicken yard" with five tall fruit trees and multiple other trees and bushes. I did it because otherwise I was going to lose all my chickens. We can never be present enough to keep hawks away all the time. They are great hunters and not afraid. Again, it is my job as their "steward" to keep them safe. Hopefully this is a picture of the yard BEFORE it was covered. You can see what a job this was, but it was necessary and right. My chickens have been "hawk free" for two years now.
I know these birds are doing what they do and my guineas will get smart or be dinner! I can't shoot a hawk and wouldn't even think about the pair of bald eagles. My chickens are all in coops and the turkeys are too big so I am down to only some pearl guineas that are targets. My lavenders and royal purples are also in coops. After the 1 guinea was killed last week, the others run for cover when a big bird flys near.
