One unhappy newbie

[InMySanctuary]

Whoa! That is one fancy chook house!! I hope those babies love it - which I am sure they will

The turkeys sound like a great idea. Keep us posted over time about how you find them yourself - pleeease? I guess the turkeys act a bit like lookouts or watch dogs. I have noticed that our girls really pay attention to the native bird calls hear and start scanning the sky when the native birds makes certain noises.

 

[Mattemma]

I agree sweet coop. Will estabished roos attack the turkeys? Just one fight to secure their position?Now I want soon,but I REALLY want that coop.

To the OP so sorry for your losses. I would atleast do a run with plastic netting to discourage the hawk.Might get it to move on.Just put the netting loose so the hawk does not break through. It worked well for me,but ofcourse not 100% secure like a real run.I was working with what I had.Sound like you will be cooking up some roos soon.Oh and my roo had his leg broken.The lady I got him from said he got kicked by a horse.She called him limpy.We call him jackie chan now.He doesn't limp anymore!

 

[Daviszero]

I don't want to kill the hawk, but it's cut my flock in half, we bought two geese to help (dog killed my pick out of the two, hence why I gave him away) I think raptors are amazing animals and I hate the thought of killing an animal that I won't use for meat or leather or hide. And I don't have the materials for a run, plus I just got laid off >.<, so idk what else to do, but I think I will try the turkeys thanks for the advice and btw beautiful hen house

 

[Cetawin]

I don't want to kill the hawk, but it's cut my flock in half, we bought two geese to help (dog killed my pick out of the two, hence why I gave him away) I think raptors are amazing animals and I hate the thought of killing an animal that I won't use for meat or leather or hide. And I don't have the materials for a run, plus I just got laid off >.<, so idk what else to do, but I think I will try the turkeys thanks for the advice and btw beautiful hen house

Don't kill it....see below! Protect your flock with proper cover, runs and coop.

Someone told me it was illegal to kill a hawk in my area so you might want to check your area before you get the gun out.

Please take note of this FACT. in the United States it is illegal to kill hawks, owls, kestrels, falcons and eagles and other migratory birds. To do so is a FEDERAL CRIME. These birds are protected by the Federal Government. Hawks are protected as migratory birds and also the Raptor act. Fines start at $5,000 if you are caught.

Therefore, it is UNWISE to discuss killing them in a public forum.

 

[heidihas2ducks]

No offense meant, but shooting hawks because the chickens are not provided with a properly protected run is TERRIBLE.  We had some neighour's who shot hawks because they couldn't be bothered going to the effort of protecting their flock. Or... now get this... because they ate their puppie's dog biscuits!!!

Our chicken run was covered on the top and when the hens had their chicks outside of it, I always stayed outside to keep an eye on them.  Our flock were the only ones in the neighbourhood that had a covered run, with a coop that can be shut at night, with a fence that was buried into the ground with logs on top.  In 10 years we never lost a single bird to hawks, foxes or goannas (Australia) but our neighbours did lose birds regularly to these predators.

Hawks are magnificent hunters and it is our fault if they eat our stock not theirs.  PLEASE do not shoot those hawks as you can live in harmony with them. Like I said, no offense meant but it makes my heart bleed to see diminishing populations of wild life slaughtered needlessly.

No offense is taken at all...as you can see in my post I now keep my babies in a covered enclosure or I am with them if they are out of it. I also suggested he do the same as a responsible owner. I just know first hand the pain of losing a beloved pet to that majestic hunter...they are beautiful but ballsy in the same note...I have had to chase them away as the swoop so low as we are outside with the babies...so its a bitterness I can't shake. My duck I lost last year was a gift and I knew NOTHING about ducks and had no clue a hawk could even get them so it was gut wrenching when he was murdered...but with that said...I have learned sooo much in one year...

 

[Oregon Blues]

[[[[[........as far as killing the hawk I was told if they are harming your livestock (ie chicken flocks) you can legally shoot them,.....]]]]]]

You were very badly misinformed.

Hawks are protected by federal law, so that means that in Texas, you are not allowed to shoot them any more than any of the rest of us are allowed to shoot them. Fines are in the tens of thousands of dollars. It's a bit silly to shoot a ten thousand dollar bird to protect a $2 chicken.

It is your responsibility to keep your livestock safe and you keep your birds safe from hawks by keeping your poultry in covered runs. If you allow your birds to run free, then it is your responsibility when they get killed. If you allow your birds to run free, then you are going to lose some of them. If those loses are acceptable to you, that's fine. If the loses are not acceptable to you, pen your birds up in safe housing.

 

[SilkieBantams]

My question is do Hawks have natural predators besides humans?

 

[Nambroth]

My question is do Hawks have natural predators besides humans?

Yes and no. Larger raptors rarely will prey upon hawks (very uncommon but it does happen that an eagle will take a hawk). Peregrine falcons have been known to kill hawks that are in their nesting territory (peregrines pose extremely little threat to poultry). Owls have been known to occasionally prey upon hawks (especially great horned owls, which are very powerful raptors). When eating their kill on the ground, land predators such as foxes, coyotes, etc, will take a hawk if they can do so with minimal risk.
Other birds have been known to kill young hawks and/or take eggs, such as ravens and crows.

So, not much preys on them, though it might happen more commonly than we observe. You are probably wondering what keeps them in check, then?

The answer is simple: hawks have an extremely high mortality rate in their first year of life due to starvation. I know you are probably laughing and thinking, the hawks taking my chickens are not starving! But those are probably adult and established hunters. The mortality rate of most hawks in their first year is 80-85%... that means that on average, 80-85% of baby hawks will never make it to maturity. Hunting is hard for them, they are clumsy and inexperienced, and most of their hunts end poorly. Obviously mortality rates are lower in areas with a high density of prey-- depending on the species, this means that hawks raised in areas where there are an abundance of mice, rats, and other small mammals will have a higher chance of reaching adulthood. Hard winters, drought, etc... all have impacts.

Then there is man; a lot of hawks are illegally shot of course. Some are shot with permits by government official culling programs. Believe it or not-- a lot of hawks meet their demise from motor vehicle impacts. Raptor centers and rehabbers yearly get many, many birds that are injured this way. Most do not survive. One center I talked to said that more than 75% of the dead and injured birds they receive are just from motor vehicle impacts.

 

[SunkissedChicks]

Thanks so much, man we have been busy!!!
Shingles are done, painting is done... I even painted the school house bell red lol.

I ordered some really cool nesting boxes and we are just figuring out how our perches are going up.

We have to install the linoleum flooring yet.

I hope by the end of the week the project is done.
My Turkeys are so sweet, they have really taken a liking to me... I fed them some hard boiled egg yolk they loved that.. for the extra protein they need.


I will post photos when coop is completed.
I really love it and feel very blessed to have it.

Hope these turkeys live up to what has been promised to me. Regardless they are super cute and really smart. I have read that the Bourbon Reds are the smartest Turkeys.

 

[brandislee]

No offense meant, but shooting hawks because the chickens are not provided with a properly protected run is TERRIBLE. We had some neighour's who shot hawks because they couldn't be bothered going to the effort of protecting their flock. Or... now get this... because they ate their puppie's dog biscuits!!!

Our chicken run was covered on the top and when the hens had their chicks outside of it, I always stayed outside to keep an eye on them. Our flock were the only ones in the neighbourhood that had a covered run, with a coop that can be shut at night, with a fence that was buried into the ground with logs on top. In 10 years we never lost a single bird to hawks, foxes or goannas (Australia) but our neighbours did lose birds regularly to these predators.

Hawks are magnificent hunters and it is our fault if they eat our stock not theirs. PLEASE do not shoot those hawks as you can live in harmony with them. Like I said, no offense meant but it makes my heart bleed to see diminishing populations of wild life slaughtered needlessly.

I actually agree with this. I lost a young bird to a hawk when I first started (as above- no adult to warn them). I went out as soon as I had the means to do so and bought some light vinyl fencing (I don't know what it's called exactly but I got it at the farm store and it was cheap- I covered my entire 30x30 run for $20) to cover the run. I strung wire back and forth between all the fence posts so it criss crossed the whole run, then laid the fencing on top and secured it where I could. I have never lost a bird since. Now that my chickens are adults they go outside of the run quite often, and while I have seen no fewer than 5 hawks per day circling, they are larger now (less of a target for most hawks, but that depends on the type of raptor you have) and I have tons of tree and shrub cover for them. I can tell a hawk is around before I see it because almost instantly all the chickens will be crouching motionless under a bush. But I now know that I have to cover any pens I have chicks or juvies in. I'm not anti shooting- I just think it should be a last resort, like if a covering doesn't keep the hawk out. But we have to remember that the hawks are an important part of our environment- if we kill all the hawks to protect our chickens we would start being overrun with mice, rats, and other pesty little rodents (some of which eat chickens...) that are the typical hawk's meal. It's like when you get rid of all the moles in your yard (I know that's impossible, roll with me here) and then your lawn dies from a grub infestation. There has to be a balance.