(Possibly?) Hawk Attack

[EmilyChickens]

Sienna wasn't THAT small to thinking she was a bantam, I'd say height wise she was about 1 1/2 - 2 inches shorter than the others, and overall on the smaller side. I had another hen like her (Dark Brahma hen) that stayed small too, but was completely normal.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I thought perhaps she may have been a bantam. Hard saying what took her with her being a full size version.

Partridge Cochin is on my must have list of birds this year. Holding off on ordering until I have sent some of the older ladies to camp.

 

[wildocean]

It does sound like a raptor and red tailed hawks have absolutely no issue with full sized hens. I have personally witnessed them take even the largest breeds (I lost a light brahma a few months ago and have also lost Rhode Island reds, and cuckoo marans)

 

[kateseidel]

Our original coop had an 8 x 12 completely enclosed run (built with 4x4's and hardware cloth..

Then we built several light runs of PVC and chicken wire which we can move and arrange off of our original coop. We built ours 4' wide, 4' high and 8' long.

Hawk pressure moved us into a bigger permanent coop so the hens can stay locked up more - this one is 22 x 48. And I *still* lose hens every year if I let them free range without watching them constantly. Just had an attack last weekend. Hawk hit one of the hens just outside the run, the hen ran into a horse run-in, and the ****** hawk circled and was just heading into the run-in to finish her off when I arrived.

The original run and coop:


One of our portable runs (attached here to a little hen house I use for brooding hens or young chicks before they join the flock. right now this is sitting inside the big run serving as a hospital wing for the hen who has (so far) survived the last attack - still not sure she is gonna make it, but she is trying!!




The current coop:

 

[RAnst4038]

Weekly hawk attacks and loss of two Comets forced me to cover entire back yard with 2” net.
This stuff is very strong and well made. It was easy to put up with two people once the shingled roofs and trees were covered with tarp. I stapled it to cheap lath then screwed it to the neighbors wood fence. Tied the other end to the house rain spout.
I have to cut the second 50x50 in half to patch in the rest and put up a few bamboo polls.
This is the best price now on Ebay for 50’ X 50’ $54.95 http://www.ebay.com/itm/360668927005
The hawk population is out of control there are no rabbits or squirrels left but loads of hawks. And don't expect any help or common sense from our Fascist Government.

 

[latte510348]

F

Hello BYCers. I had a problem today with a hawk. I've never had hawk problems with the three years I've had my chickens. Or so I believe it's a hawk. I was out all morning until around maybe 3PM or 4PM, but my parents and little brother were home. My father checked for eggs before coming to meet me and a friend for lunch and he saw our hen Sienna (Was a beautiful Partridge Cochin hen...)  but when we returned I went out to check on my chickens (Our rooster is handicapped so I help him around the yard on nice days) and there was a huge pile of feathers, which were my Enna's silky soft, shimmery, iridescent feathers.. those were the only trace left of her. There wasn't any skin or meat on the feathers and no carcass laying around. I know when hawks attack they pretty much swoop and dive bomb it's pray, and with birds the feathers practically explode off of the bird, so we assumed it was a hawk. Although Enna was on the smaller side, would a hawk be able to carry her away? This is what's making us question if it's a hawk or something else that got her, as we have a black coyote roaming our woods now. But if it were a hawk, OR, the coyote wouldn't there be some sort of carcass or meat left somewhere? 

Another question I have is about building a run. (I have our remaining girls and Roo in their coop until I can put up a temporary covered run) I want to maybe have a mobile run so I can move it around, that way they'll always have a place to forage. The thing is, I have 19 chickens... so that's a lot to make a mobile run for. Does anyone have any tips or ideas for a run, or something else we can do? We are going to move our coop to a different place in our yard so that our dogs can get to it to protect the chickens a little more, all three of our dogs get along with everybody at my farm (Two German Shepherds and a Dogue De Bordeax, which is a type of french mastiff, so they can protect them without a problem) I live on 27 acres, and most of it is forest, but we have a lot of cleared yard space. So as far as room for a run isn't a problem, but structural is where we're a little stumped, stuff can be expensive and add up quickly with a project like this.


Thanks for all the help you guys have given me!

~Emily

I had a hawk terrorizing all my birds even the ducks but I recomend you get a rooster that's not handicapped but make sure it's protective or maybe a goose if that's a option my neighbors goose killed a hawk once and I also almost had one of my Ducks tooken off with' but luckly my big roo ran over to teach the hawk who is boss and he did what was necisary... Haven't saw the hawk since

 

[EmilyChickens]

Thanks everybody for all of the possible things it could be. I am 99.9% sure it was a red tail hawk, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_hawk , we have a HUGE one roaming around here. While we were building the run yesterday he was circling around our coop (Where he had attacked our Sienna, next to it). We also have a Swainsons Hawk (I think that's what it is, this is what it looks like), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swainson's_hawk , around here too, but he's much smaller. We are planning to get some Guineas this year (Most likely in spring, it's too cold here for chicks right now) and we've heard they're great "Watchdog" bird breeds. I'll have photos of our run up in a different forum (I'll look around and find one that suits it, I don't have the sections right off the top of my head) and I'll link it to this forum

 

[wildocean]

Emilychickens - you and I are tackling the same problem. I'd been looking into peafowl, geese, or straight old roosters, but this is the first I've heard of guineas. Do they just free range with your chickens??

 

[latte510348]

Emilychickens - you and I are tackling the same problem. I'd been looking into peafowl, geese, or straight old roosters, but this is the first I've heard of guineas. Do they just free range with your chickens??

they do range around they can fly really well and there great WATCH dogs they alert the whole flock probly the nighbourhood to but I don't think they would actually attack a hawk if threatened and they can be kinda mean to chickens and turkeys if they don't have a roost they will be terribly unhappy and everybody will know it!