pointer chickens!

[RedfogsFlock]

We recently moved out to the middle of nowhere! Today we let our chickens out to free range while we were outside with them. So we're sitting there watching them scratch under the pine tree when all of a sudden they ALL go down to the ground, and start making a sound like a velhasa raptor!! At the same time they are like pointing with their beaks towards the bushes. My hubby & I immediately star looking! WE DON'T SEE A THING!! After about 5 minutes we figure they have gone nuts, and go about our business. Then suddenly TWO huge hawks come out of the bushes, and start circling above our heads! The chickens go back to making their noise and pointing. They kept coming really low to the ground. It took a good while to get the hawks to leave, but we were not going to leave our girls outside alone! Our roo is still only 13 weeks, so he's not big enough really to do anything!
After we got em to leave we quickly rounded the girls back to their coop and thats where they are staying tonight! Our girls are free range, and they ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT HAPPY right now.

so any suggestions?

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

If you let them free-range at night they will likely be decimated by predators...every kind and shape

We have LOTS of hawks too and our girls all free-range during the day, BUT they have plenty of placed to get under..like bushes, porches, the barn shedrow, etc...so when they see a hawk or owl, they run for the hills. When it gets to be about 5:00 pm they head for the safety of their coop where they roost happily all night, waiting for us to open their door in the morning.

They'll get used to the coop at night and will head for it knowing that they are safe there.

 

[RedfogsFlock]

Quote:
Yeah they were all under a tree at the time, and they looked like statues! They're used to free ranging, and will usually go in by themselves. This happened right in the middle of the day! It made me more nervous than the hens, lol. So they got put up rather early today. We have lots of trees, and other things for them to hide under. I was just so surprised at how bold the hawks were! So them hiding under something will keep them safe? That sounds so simple.

 

[NarutoTn]

build like a small safe house for them*.how many do you have?*then when predator is gone they come out.easy

 

[gsim]

Have read posts here that describe hawks landing inside of pens and walking thru pop doors or openings into other enclosures to kill and eat chicks. If they are hungry enough, a bush will not protect the hapless chicken being targeted. Only thing keeps the hawk from landing and going under the bush is that it does not like long exposure its own self to a larger pred while on the ground. Hawks are prey too when on the ground.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I have weapons loaded and waiting for the first hawk to actually land in the yard

My understanding is that when flying, hawks have to "swoop" to catch their prey...unless of course they land and walk around

 

[Ridgerunner]

Giving them something like bushes or sheds to hide under will improve their odds quite a bit, but it does not make them safe. I saw a hawk take a pigeon that was under a tree with fairly low hanging branches. It is amazing how fast that hawk was. The pigeon never had a chance. If you let them free range, it is a chance you take.

 

[chickletranch]

it will help if you have a coop or shed they have access to during the day if there are hawks overhead.
if they can get completely out of sight, their odds of being targeted as prey decrease.

dogs and livestock can help deter hawks, as well, if they are around your chicks. we've only had one
successful hawk attack, on a rainy day when the sheep stayed in their shed and a lone hen wandered
out for a stroll. 3 hawks came down and made a meal of her right there, since she was too large for
them to carry away. after that, we bought a few inflatable balls that look like big eyes (which are supposed
to ward off birds of prey) to put in the trees, and considered putting a scarecrow outside. i don't think the
balls really work, though.

best, lynn

 

[Oopoo]

have you tried netting? You could put it over an area that the girls particularly like. I have a snowfence pen that I throw netting over to keep out the hawks and I've seen the hawks just sit in a tree glaring, but not able to get my girls.