Predator close call

[8isenough]

I came very close to losing one of my girls to a hawk this afternoon.

My husband and I were sitting out on the patio earlier this afternoon, while letting our 8 nine month old girls free range, when all of the sudden a hawk came swooping down and grabbed my Cuckoo Marans, Dottie. Needless to say we both jumped out of our seats to scare it away when it decided to let her go. A few hundred feathers of various sizes went flying all over the place. All the hens went nuts and hurried to find hiding places. Eventually they all came out and we mananged to get them back to the run. Fortunately for Dottie there was no permanent bodily damage. In time the extra large bald spots should fill in just fine (I hope).
A few seconds prior to the attack on my flock that same hawk tried to go for my next door neighbor's flock that was also free ranging.
For about an hour or two later that very hawk harrassed both flocks.
Boy, what a wild afternoon!!

 

[telehillco]

Wow! I'm glad you were there and able to intervene! We've had a number of hawks in the area and even have had one land in the yard, but our girls were able to send out a distress call and scatter to hiding places in the bushes or under the deck. I always thought that our 2 & 3 year olds were too big for a hawk to take off with, but at 9-mos it's obviously possible.

 

[8isenough]

You were very lucky that your girls had time to send out a distress call. This one just seemed to appear out of the blue. I have had one fly by before when the girls were in their run but it didn't do anything. (I don't let the chickens out when I know a hawk is around) I was quite surprised to see the hawk lift Dottie off the ground because she is the largest chicken in my flock...What a sight it was. I doubt if it could have continued to carried it off. I'm so happy that the hawk didn't do more damage. Surprisenly Dottie was one of the first chickens to come out of hiding. (what a trooper)

 

[duckboy123]

me and my brother were in the yard when a Coopers hawk attacked my call ducks and he was yeeling and luckliy the little girl was smart and dove in the water and hid in the tall marsh grass