I usually don't have a problem with predators but when I stepped outside yesterday afternoon I noticed my best rooster, Bucho, standing right next to what looked like a cookies-and-creme colored chicken. Imagine my surprise when it flew off at the sight of me revealing a 5 foot wingspan and a red tail. Unfortunately it had killed and eaten one of my 9 week-old pullets first. But there's no options for dealing with hawks other than keeping the chickens in a covered run, etc. This was the first hawk occurrence so I'm not freaking out yet.
Anyways, I told a neighbor about it when he shared a story concerning his flock last year. He kept his chickens penned up 100% of the time in a coop/run combo. Fantastic construction. Solid walls, concrete foundation, welded wire exterior fence, with chicken wire interior. Had his birds "Alcatrazed", as he said. Somehow though he lost four chickens in four days and couldn't figure out why. It wasn't until his 3 year-old son asked when he had bought a new chicken and he took a closer look at his flock he realized he had a hawk in the pen (how it got there who knows) which casually walked around with the rest of the flock during the day and fed by night. I thought it was amazing he didn't notice it and he said he just wasn't paying much attention to the birds themselves. There were about 20 and he'd had them for about a year and a half. I thought it was a great story so figured I'd share
Anyways, I told a neighbor about it when he shared a story concerning his flock last year. He kept his chickens penned up 100% of the time in a coop/run combo. Fantastic construction. Solid walls, concrete foundation, welded wire exterior fence, with chicken wire interior. Had his birds "Alcatrazed", as he said. Somehow though he lost four chickens in four days and couldn't figure out why. It wasn't until his 3 year-old son asked when he had bought a new chicken and he took a closer look at his flock he realized he had a hawk in the pen (how it got there who knows) which casually walked around with the rest of the flock during the day and fed by night. I thought it was amazing he didn't notice it and he said he just wasn't paying much attention to the birds themselves. There were about 20 and he'd had them for about a year and a half. I thought it was a great story so figured I'd share
