our first loss to a hawk

[Crabman]

Quote:
I had some thin plastic bird netting over my run and the Redtail went right through it. I replaced it with chicken wire today. You need something substantial to keep them out, learned this the hard way.

 

[crtrlovr]

I was able to score some trawl netting from my husband's cousin (a shrimper in Louisiana) which will cover a substantial portion of the run, and I have some of the heavier black mesh netting to go with it. It may not win me any prizes from Better Homes & Gardens or House Beautiful, or Martha Steward Living, but if it keeps my girls & boys safe, I'm good with that...

I had just finished completely covering the run (BIG, IMHO!) (approx. 250' x 75') about 2 weeks before our record-breaking ice storm of 2009-10.

Brought every speck of it down, along with some enormous limbs out of all the trees. Hopefully that won't happen again for a VERY long time (if ever).

 

[HathawayHens]

Thanks all... it helps to know that others are going through this as well. Our coop and run are quite secure, at least... we knew hawks and coons would be an issue so the entire thing is sealed with hardware cloth... but the run is not "the entire yard" with all of its plants and bugs and fun stuff, so the girls were not happy today!!! I let them our for just a while and stood right there... saw 6 hawks and one came down right in the trees to get a look. That was all it took for me, and I quickly lured them back to safety with some BOSS and locked them up again.

My four year old son is still pretty bummed about losing ONE, so we are going to keep them safe for now, I guess. I hope some bird netting in the hiding places of the yard will work to buy them some time so that eventually they can range again, but I am realizing that ranging comes with its risks.

 

[cabot]

It's hard to lose them. They quickly become pets! I lost a fully grown buff orpington and easter egger 2 weeks ago to a hawk one week apart. Both hens were quite large and the BO was much larger than the hawk (redtails in my area...). After 2 weeks in lock down in an extra horse stall, I put them back out in their grassy paddock. Unfortunately , I can't cover it, it's huge... They were so miserable locked up so I decided to take the chance. It's hard to know what to do.... DH agrees that it may be a good idea to get a roo (got to love him!) so that may be my next plan. I'm hoping it was a migrating hawk that has moved on!

 

[Crabman]

Quote:
I have two fairly large Ameraucana roosters and that did nothing to deter the hawks from killing two of my birds, an Ameraucana hen and a bantam rooster. Maybe they are just big wimps?