Near hawk experience.

[JessyJess6]

So, my husband and I were in the run today doing some finishing touches, when a hawk swooped down and picked up one of my 3 week old chicks!! Luckily the hawk flew right into the chicken wire fence and dropped the baby. Needless to say, we decided to try and make the run a little safer for everyone. We ran wire over the top of the run back and forth, but should we do anything else?

 

[RAsChickens]

So, my husband and I were in the run today doing some finishing touches, when a hawk swooped down and picked up one of my 3 week old chicks!! Luckily the hawk flew right into the chicken wire fence and dropped the baby. Needless to say, we decided to try and make the run a little safer for everyone. We ran wire over the top of the run back and forth, but should we do anything else?

You need hardware cloth, not chicken wire.

@aart

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Oh no! Is your baby chick okay? What we did with the run is make a chicken wire roof. I hope this helps!

 

[imnukensc]

You don't need hardware cloth on top of the run to keep hawks out. Chicken wire is fine for that, but it will keep little else out.

 

[JessyJess6]

You need hardware cloth, not chicken wire.

@aart

It is actually hardware cloth. It's just a habit to call it chicken wire.

 

[centrarchid]

Based on your description of what hawk did where it flew immediately with a live 3-week old chick, the hawk is a Coopers Hawk. They are good at finding gaps. Adult standard sized rooster in with chicks would be one way to stop that. Likely a more practical approach would be to install deer netting over the run. It is cheap, easy to install and effective. Soon it will be season when Coopers Hawks are migrating and I will have lots of vulnerable youngsters. Deer netting is part of cure. It also works with Great-horned Owls.

 

[JessyJess6]

Oh no! Is your baby chick okay? What we did with the run is make a chicken wire roof. I hope this helps!

She is fine. Just a little hesitant to leave the coop now.

 

[JessyJess6]

Based on your description of what hawk did where it flew immediately with a live 3-week old chick, the hawk is a Coopers Hawk. They are good at finding gaps. Adult standard sized rooster in with chicks would be one way to stop that. Likely a more practical approach would be to install deer netting over the run. It is cheap, easy to install and effective. Soon it will be season when Coopers Hawks are migrating and I will have lots of vulnerable youngsters. Deer netting is part of cure. It also works with Great-horned Owls.

We had just let the adults out to free range. My husband and I both think that if they were in the runs still the hawk wouldn't have tried to grab a girl.

 

[RAsChickens]

Ya'll need HARD. WARE. CLOTH. I cannot stress this enough. Hawks and many other predators can rip through chicken wire as easy as opening an envelope.

 

[RAsChickens]

It is actually hardware cloth. It's just a habit to call it chicken wire.

Oh! Ok, I get it.