Jersey Hen--Wow, that is a lot of hawk losses. Do you find that it is seasonal or do you have a problem year round?
The main hawk I see here are Red Tailed. I may have seen broad wing or cooper's hawks as well. I dont think I have seen the goshawk and see that they are not supposed to be in my county. Bald Eagles are now being sighted locally (I finally saw one!). But the hawks I know have attacked our chickens are red tail. One got caught in a pen so we had a good look at it and the one who made the kill hung out for a while, so clear look at that one as well.
I will spend more time closing up the gaps in the netting--not enough connectors I guess. The hen was right next to the coop and I did see a gap when I looked up to try to figure out how the predator got in. While nothing looked like it was broken, there was a place where the netting edges didnt meet. These birds are definetly smaller than the layers and the rooster is smaller too. The pen targeted in the spring were the young roosters--small at that time. I wonder if the barred rock roo stands out more so the hawks have stayed away from his pen. He is very attentive to his girls and always gets them under cover fast. The AM roo was funny yesterday--he originally had his girls under the coop and then as I came out, he was ushering them into the coop. Smart man!
Those videos are impressive. I had no idea that hte hawks go feet first through small gaps. I guess that protects their faces, makes sense. Thanks for posting them!
The main hawk I see here are Red Tailed. I may have seen broad wing or cooper's hawks as well. I dont think I have seen the goshawk and see that they are not supposed to be in my county. Bald Eagles are now being sighted locally (I finally saw one!). But the hawks I know have attacked our chickens are red tail. One got caught in a pen so we had a good look at it and the one who made the kill hung out for a while, so clear look at that one as well.
I will spend more time closing up the gaps in the netting--not enough connectors I guess. The hen was right next to the coop and I did see a gap when I looked up to try to figure out how the predator got in. While nothing looked like it was broken, there was a place where the netting edges didnt meet. These birds are definetly smaller than the layers and the rooster is smaller too. The pen targeted in the spring were the young roosters--small at that time. I wonder if the barred rock roo stands out more so the hawks have stayed away from his pen. He is very attentive to his girls and always gets them under cover fast. The AM roo was funny yesterday--he originally had his girls under the coop and then as I came out, he was ushering them into the coop. Smart man!
Those videos are impressive. I had no idea that hte hawks go feet first through small gaps. I guess that protects their faces, makes sense. Thanks for posting them!
