now what?

[MyTDogs]

Yesterday right in front of my eyes, a hawk, Red tail i think, swooped down at my birds. I think the attack was aborted because the hawk realized that one of the black and white birds was my border collie. S/he flew up around and disappeared. The chickens dove under a bush & the silly ducks & geese sort of clumped together out in the open.

I was surprised to see this right in front of me. My birds free range all day and are put up at night and so far i have been lucky to not lose any to the many BOP that live around me.

Short of penning my birds 24/7 is there anything else I should be doing to minimize chances of losing birds to hawks, owls or eagles? Also are vultures a threat?

 

[TXchickmum]

-have been buzzed by a hawk several times the past week as well. -hawk dives down to fence level and then back up and between the houses VERY fast. I'm not certain that there is anything you can do to avoid predators from the air besides the following: a) give the chickens plenty of cover to hide safely under b) have your trained dog out with them c) keep them enclosed in a covered run when you/dog aren't outdoors.
I think vultures are carrion feeders. -and as for owls, if they're safely in a coop (enclosed) at night, there shouldn't be too much of an issue.