Natural hawk protection

[chickengeorgeto]

Greetings to a Fellow East Texan!

..... I would like to add a couple of things to the conversation. First let me say I have had my battles with a red fox .... Second, before you take any drastic measures please remember that fox currently has young who will slowly starve to death without the adult.....

That is why I would recommend taking drastic measures AT this time. When keeping chickens remember that at this time that a dead fox in the hand is worth 2 dead foxes in the brush. The same math is not true of chickens. Also I have yet to see either a fox or a vixen adopt an orphaned clutch of chicks and raise them for you.. You must decide which you desire most, chickens or foxes.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

That is why I would recommend taking drastic measures AT this time.  When keeping chickens remember that at this time that a dead fox in the hand is worth 2 dead foxes in the brush.  The same math is not true of chickens.  Also I have yet to see either a fox or a vixen adopt an orphaned clutch of chicks and raise them for you.. You must decide which you desire most, chickens or foxes.

I think the point is that you CAN have both. Secure your run, use guardian dogs, add dusk-to-dawn lights to your buildings, urinate around your property boundary, and you can protect your chickens without having to kill the fox cubs' mother. Win win.

 

[szmclean]

We had Carolin Jessamine which our chicken ran into all the time when a hawk was near. It is evergreen so it protects all year long and the deer don't eat it. All parts of this plant are very poisonous. The sap may cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals. Children can be poisoned by sucking the nectar from the flowers.
https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/...l is ideal, but,for fence or trellis climbers.
Good luck.

 

[centrarchid]

I agree, hawk not only problem.


Below is something I posted back in 2019. I also do not like the plantings butted up to woods or property I do not control. I am also making extensive use of fencing and dogs. I can free-range chickens over about 8 acres where predators are excluded.

On this site, cover patches is a term of my making. Cover patches are usually densely vegetated area that birds the size of a chicken can use as a refuge from predators and the elements. The location provides a good view of surroundings while enabling chickens to be relatively hidden from prying eyes, Ideally, the vegetation is arranged such that aerial predators can not fly or at least sustain flapping flight when penetrating the patch in pursuit of a chicken. The patch forces a raptor to operate on ground at same level as the chickens. Some chickens can turn around and fight back in such patches. I use the patches extensively and always trying to make so they are more visually appealing.

I like patches to be at least 6 feet wide and 4 feet tall. Some plant communities that have tried that appear to work.

Brambles
Sumac
Buckbrush
Blueberries (high bush)
False Indigo
Cedar tree
Osage Orange
Rose of Sharon
Dense stand of cool season grasses
Dense stands of warm season grasses