New with HAWK problem!

[leochickenmama]

Hello everyone,

I'm not new to chicken raising, but I had a 15 year gap inbetween raising flocks until my husband and I delved back into chicken raising this spring.

I have a flock of 23, that used to be 26, thanks to a hawk.

The hawk killed two hens before we put webbing above the open run. Since we did, it's still managed to snatch two more small, young hens (we have one roo, a Jersey Giant named Tiny), injuring one, and killing one just today. My kids chased the hawk away from the pen on Sunday just before it dive bombed in.

I don't know what type of hawk it is--it's fairly large, with a white chest and brown wings.

I want this thing to stay away from my flock and go back to eating mice and other rodents. Stay away from my pen! What else can I do? Please help! Thanks!

 

[Katydid2011]

Don't miss the obvious: you need to find out how the hawk is getting through your webbing and fix it immediately! Also, make sure that your chickens have plenty of hiding places either beneath low, wide shrubs or "made" stuff. I make teepees out of pallets that look rustic and nice and the hens dive under them whenever they feel threatened. They also like to sleep beneath them. It might also help to hang CDs from nearby trees. Crows are attracted to shiny things and crows chase hawks away! We live in hawk country and I cherish the crows because they make such a ruckus whenever they see a hawk circling and they invariably chase it away.

All that being said, I am truly sorry for your loss.

 

[leochickenmama]

We reinforced the webbing after the little one got hurt on Sunday (she's recovering very nicely, she's a Barred Rock), but the thing still found its way in.

We're going to put chicken wire above the pen. It's not a huge pen, but it has enough room for the chickens to roam. I might put a big wooden box in the corner for them to hide in.

Thanks for the help.

 

[taprock]

Sorry to hear about your hens. I asked the same question a couple months ago when we had red tails migrating through. Here's what I was told

netting
hanging cd's
hiding places, lawn furniture
owl or crow decoys
netting
whirly lawn ornaments

my run used to be covered in chicken wire but I enlarged it and now do not have all of it covered.

 

[bobbi-j]

If your pen isn't too large, you might want to consider something a little sturdier than chicken wire. Maybe welded wire or hardware cloth. Chicken wire isn't strong enough to keep out raccons or possums. Hardware cloth is more expensive, but will more likely keep out things like weasels and rats. Mine is covered with welded wire because that's what I could afford.

 

[Fritatta]

Quote:
X2. or at least put hardware cloth along the bottom half. Coons will climb it though.

How large of a hawk? Coopers or Red tail? thankfully i have never tangled with a red tail. our rooster actually killed a coopers hawk in the coop one night.

Chickens are just so darn tasty to so many things!

 

[leochickenmama]

Aren't red tails small? I know very little about hawks. I have a lot more Googling to do. This one is big; I think it's a Cooper's.

I'll take a picture of my pen and upload it tomorrow to show the webbing.

 

[bobbi-j]

Aren't red tails small?

No, they're actually quite large. We have them all over out here.