- May 2, 2011
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I am shaking from head to toe because of what just happened! A hawk went after my chicken while I was about 6 feet way!!! Here is what happened-
I was outside with my six 16 week old chickens. I had let them out to play for a while while I walked around with them carrying my hawk stick. They were a good distance from the coop and I was standing about 5-6 feet away from them like I always am. I was watching them play when I thought to myself, "wow it sure is quiet". I started to look around and couldn't spot one bird or squirrel that are normally ALL OVER my yard. I couldn't hear any birds either.
As soon as I had that thought a shadow went over us. All the chickens popped up their heads and within a split second the alarm was sounded and they took off towards the barn. Before I even knew what was happening 5 of them were inside the barn but little Feetsie the second smallest chicken was running about 10 feet behind everyone. The shadow went over again and it hit me! HAWK!!!
So, I took off running towards the barn screaming out the alarm call I have done since they were 3 days old any time I see a big bird fly over head. (the noise you do with your tongue to make a drum roll)They all saw me coming and heard the alarm I made and they took off running out of the safety of the barn and towards ME! The 5 chicks got to me in a matter of seconds and smashed themselves underneath my flowy floor length skirt and FROZE.
Little Feetsie still hadn't made it to the barn at this point and all the chickens changing direction and running out of the barn all of a sudden confused her so she panicked. I looked over at her running towards me about 10 feet away and THERE IT WAS. Right behind Feetsie, about 6 feet off the ground was a swooping HAWK with its feet outstretched gaining on her FAST!!!
The split second I saw that hawk, it saw ME and it flipped out! It nearly fell straight out of the air and started flapping its wings like crazy tumbling through the air trying to change direction. It came about 5 feet away from flying right smack into me! The hawk eventually got it together and flapped itself up to a tree directly above the chicken coop.
Feetsie had finally gotten to me and had flattened herself out like a pancake at the edge of my skirt. I was basically just seeing red a this point and screamed a few obscenities at the hawk and threw my hawk stick and it flew into the neighbors yard.
Then I herded the chickens with zero effort into their run and sat in my chair. 5 of the chickens instantly hopped in my lap in a pile, wedging their heads under my arms and clothes as well as under each other doing the most pathetic "crying" type noise. Little Feetsie was so freaked out she ran up the ramp and straight into the hen house.
The hawk seemed pretty small to be going after chickens. Maybe about 18"-20" from it's head to the tip of its tail. It was mostly brown with a whitish cream chest, I think. I was flipping out rather majorly and I forgot to get a good look at it. It did have a rather long looking tail too.
This is the 4th time I have seen this type of hawk up close and personal in my yard. Normally they sit right above my coop in a tree and squawk over and over. I have seen it perched on my freakin CHAIR also. But I don't always see them, I hear them just about every single day.
I always stay right close by my chickens and I carry a long lead pipe I call my "hawk stick" because of the freakin hawks but I honestly don't think it would do any good after seeing how FAST and the force behind a swooping hawk. I panicked so badly and I was so scared I really don't think I could have reacted in a way that could have helped my chickens had the hawk gotten any of them. It was fine one second, then BAM hawk is RIGHT THERE the next second!
I think this is one of it's feathers-
I guess my chickens aren't safe unless they are locked in my run, regardless of whether I am standing RIGHT THERE or not!
I was outside with my six 16 week old chickens. I had let them out to play for a while while I walked around with them carrying my hawk stick. They were a good distance from the coop and I was standing about 5-6 feet away from them like I always am. I was watching them play when I thought to myself, "wow it sure is quiet". I started to look around and couldn't spot one bird or squirrel that are normally ALL OVER my yard. I couldn't hear any birds either.
As soon as I had that thought a shadow went over us. All the chickens popped up their heads and within a split second the alarm was sounded and they took off towards the barn. Before I even knew what was happening 5 of them were inside the barn but little Feetsie the second smallest chicken was running about 10 feet behind everyone. The shadow went over again and it hit me! HAWK!!!
So, I took off running towards the barn screaming out the alarm call I have done since they were 3 days old any time I see a big bird fly over head. (the noise you do with your tongue to make a drum roll)They all saw me coming and heard the alarm I made and they took off running out of the safety of the barn and towards ME! The 5 chicks got to me in a matter of seconds and smashed themselves underneath my flowy floor length skirt and FROZE.
Little Feetsie still hadn't made it to the barn at this point and all the chickens changing direction and running out of the barn all of a sudden confused her so she panicked. I looked over at her running towards me about 10 feet away and THERE IT WAS. Right behind Feetsie, about 6 feet off the ground was a swooping HAWK with its feet outstretched gaining on her FAST!!!
The split second I saw that hawk, it saw ME and it flipped out! It nearly fell straight out of the air and started flapping its wings like crazy tumbling through the air trying to change direction. It came about 5 feet away from flying right smack into me! The hawk eventually got it together and flapped itself up to a tree directly above the chicken coop.
Feetsie had finally gotten to me and had flattened herself out like a pancake at the edge of my skirt. I was basically just seeing red a this point and screamed a few obscenities at the hawk and threw my hawk stick and it flew into the neighbors yard.
Then I herded the chickens with zero effort into their run and sat in my chair. 5 of the chickens instantly hopped in my lap in a pile, wedging their heads under my arms and clothes as well as under each other doing the most pathetic "crying" type noise. Little Feetsie was so freaked out she ran up the ramp and straight into the hen house.
The hawk seemed pretty small to be going after chickens. Maybe about 18"-20" from it's head to the tip of its tail. It was mostly brown with a whitish cream chest, I think. I was flipping out rather majorly and I forgot to get a good look at it. It did have a rather long looking tail too.
This is the 4th time I have seen this type of hawk up close and personal in my yard. Normally they sit right above my coop in a tree and squawk over and over. I have seen it perched on my freakin CHAIR also. But I don't always see them, I hear them just about every single day.
I always stay right close by my chickens and I carry a long lead pipe I call my "hawk stick" because of the freakin hawks but I honestly don't think it would do any good after seeing how FAST and the force behind a swooping hawk. I panicked so badly and I was so scared I really don't think I could have reacted in a way that could have helped my chickens had the hawk gotten any of them. It was fine one second, then BAM hawk is RIGHT THERE the next second!
I think this is one of it's feathers-
I guess my chickens aren't safe unless they are locked in my run, regardless of whether I am standing RIGHT THERE or not!
