roki
Hatching
- Dec 13, 2015
- 2
- 0
- 9
Hello,
I am a new member and new to raising chickens, I purchased my chicks the end of May and happy to say I am getting eggs from my sweet girls. Today, sadly I lost a beautiful Buff Orbington to a hawk predator. I am devastated because it is my first loss.
I have my chicken coop and roost enclosed in a barn and fenced in pastures for my hens but I don't have netting over the open areas. Now I'm afraid to let them out again. What ideas or suggestions do you have to make it safer without using netting over the top because my open area is pretty big.
Will this Hawk come back?
Scared and sad in The Pacific NW.
Roki
I am a new member and new to raising chickens, I purchased my chicks the end of May and happy to say I am getting eggs from my sweet girls. Today, sadly I lost a beautiful Buff Orbington to a hawk predator. I am devastated because it is my first loss.
I have my chicken coop and roost enclosed in a barn and fenced in pastures for my hens but I don't have netting over the open areas. Now I'm afraid to let them out again. What ideas or suggestions do you have to make it safer without using netting over the top because my open area is pretty big.
Will this Hawk come back?
Scared and sad in The Pacific NW.
Roki
( Unfortunately now that the hawk has taken one of your chickens, it will definitely be back for more. Predators always return to the scene of easy prey. And the only way to really protect your flock from birds of prey is by having some type of netting or covering over the area where your chickens roam. If you can't manage that with a free range area then you will either have to keep them in an enclosed run or else live with losing some of them to birds of prey. It will be up to you to decide whether or not the losses are acceptable. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Cheers.
I am so sorry for your loss. I would suggest either going to 
