Raptor migration season - watch out!

[BloominOrchid]

So how do I keep them away short of locking up my chcikens?
Had one kill 2 of my chicks....Im thinking of getting bird netting and netting the yard in, its only like 16-20 feet wide...
Ideas?

 

[AlbionWood]

I'm trying the fishing-line deterrent. Bought 2 spools of 15-lb-test monofilament, 170 yards each, for $2 each. The chicken yard is fenced with T-posts and plastic deer fence 6' high, so I strung the line from the tops of the T-posts back and forth across the yard, criss-cross and diagonal. I threw the line over the branches of a tree to pull it up high enough so it doesn't get me when I walk into the yard. Because the posts are 10 or 15 feet apart, the pattern has holes plenty wide enough for a hawk to fit through, but we'll see. Coopers Hawks attack laterally, so the fishing line should look pretty dense to them. Even Red-Tails aren't likely to strike straight down, so I think it's OK to have fairly large gaps as long as there's enough line up there to distract the hawk from its pursuit. I might hang some CDs from the line to add to the distraction.

Netting would be a more certain solution but it's not available locally, and a lot more expensive. The yard is a little more than 50 feet across and irregularly shaped, which would make netting difficult to use. I really hope this works!

 

[deerman]

Here's my favorite story concerning Harris' Hawks: A woman in Arizona was tossing heads of lettuce into her back yard. When asked why, she replied: "For the Harris Hawks."

"Harris Hawks don't eat lettuce!"

"No, but Rabbits do."



Like the joke , about two campers when a black bear was coming into the camp. one camper started putting on his running shoes. other camper said...you can't out run a bear. Don't have to, just have to out run you.....

 

[hallroyal]

This beauty was sitting outside checking out the chicken tractor for weaknesses. What a rush to have such a predator around checking on my coop and run design!

 

[AlbionWood]

Nice photo of a Cooper's Hawk, the classic "Chicken Hawk." Just like the one that took our NH hen a few days ago. Bold as brass, aren't they!

 

[palochknldy]

Quote:
We are near Cedar Rapids and yesterday a Coopers Hawk tried to get one of our girls. We heard a squak and looked over and the hawk was next to her. I yelled, went running towards it and it flew off. Only lost 3 butt feathers and scared me more then the chicken(I think). We are now keeping a close eye on them and putting up scarecrows tomorrow.

 

[mistyfeather]

Quote:
Harris' Hawks are the only social North American raptor (maybe the only one worldwide). Fascinating birds indeed! Their social behavior makes them ideal for falconry, as well, and they have wonderful personalities.

this is not true ,coopers hawks form hunting groups of 2-4 birds. if you watch them hunt rabit it is the coolest thing ever, also alittle unnerving if you have seen the velosaraptors in jerasic park

one will fly straight into brush to flush out hidding rabits while the others perch near by, when the rabits run out they soop down with extream accuressy. they are amoung my favorite birds and have seen them catch road runners with amazing speed ( and those guys are fast when darting around like crazy )

 

[floridamel]

Thanks for this post. I am still fairly new to chicken ownership, and my full grown girls were harassed/attacked by a hawk or falcon today. I heard them making their alarm sounds and ran out just in time to see it fly off - I just got a glimpse of it, but it was grey and white, and maybe the length of my RIRs. The chickens were huddled up between a rubbermaid bin and the sliding glass door, and there were feathers everywhere (not sure why they didn't go into their coop). Now I am worried that it will kill one of them, or grab my 4 pound dog. The chickens free range (they sleep on their perch at night, which is safe from predators), and the dog spends a lot of time in the yard in the daytime.

As a newbie, I don't know anything about netting. If I were to use fishing line, can anyone give me some tips? I would have to somehow attach it from the roof to our wooden fence. How far apart do the lines need to be? Is there an ideal height? Our yard is about 30x55 feet - is this a reasonable solution for my case?

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Harris' Hawks are the only social North American raptor (maybe the only one worldwide). Fascinating birds indeed! Their social behavior makes them ideal for falconry, as well, and they have wonderful personalities.

this is not true ,coopers hawks form hunting groups of 2-4 birds. if you watch them hunt rabit it is the coolest thing ever, also alittle unnerving if you have seen the velosaraptors in jerasic park

one will fly straight into brush to flush out hidding rabits while the others perch near by, when the rabits run out they soop down with extream accuressy. they are amoung my favorite birds and have seen them catch road runners with amazing speed ( and those guys are fast when darting around like crazy )

Coopers are bird hawk, they don't prey on rabbits. Now redtail are the hawks that prey on rabbits.

 

[Sphinx]

I saw two red tailed hawks in my yard yesterday.

It just seems funny to me because they don't seem that big, but I guess they really would take off with my hens. Lucky for my hens they are in a totally enclosed run, so unless the hawks can open latches, the pullets are safe.