Red-tail hawk problems

[ChickenDavid123]

Have small flock, 11 hens, no roosters allowed in my neighborhood. 4 unsuccessful hawk attacks that I have seen. Since attacks started, I have been keeping hens in a closed run, but they have been free ranging until now. Red-tails are protected by the Migratory Bird Act. Not going to kill the hawk, but don’t want to lose any of my hens. Chasing hawk off when I see it, usually back the next day. Any non-lethal suggestions.

 

[kari_dawn]

I once read that hanging CDs around the yard helps with predatory birds...I had a hawk coming after my birds daily...it sounded silly, but I tried it, and it seems to have worked

Supposedly, the reflective nature of the back of the CD messes with the hawk's depth perception or something similar...oddly enough, I have not had problems with a hawk since I did this...I made it pretty. Put two CDs together, reflective side facing out, and hung them around my coop like ornaments, spaced evenly, and then around the yard, in the places where my birds spend the most time...wierd I know, and there may be another reason that the hawk isn't coming around, and it may just be coincidence that he stopped coming around when I did this, but hey, it won't hurt to try it!

Besides, now my coop looks like disco chicken central!

 

[jeepguy982001]

i've heard the hanging cd's thing too. Also i heard if you can attract crows they'll keep the hawk run off i'm sure your probly get some more answers shortly.

 

[ChickenDavid123]

THANKS! Don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself. Been using the same principle at cottage to keep gulls off dock and boat for years. I placed 8 of the disks in back yard, watched as hawk flared about 1,200 feet away from coop, Thanks again.

 

[LedgeWoods]

I've got the same problem - hawk took out 4 of my girls in the past 2 weeks. Poor things are scared out of their wits - a lot of them won't even leave the coop now & I can't blame them! Saw the hawk do a few "fly-bys" today, but we were around to deter it so the 33 girls are all present and accounted for. My question is, has anyone tried a scare-crow/hawk figure? Going to hang the cd's too, but since people seem to shoo off the hawk, wouldn't you think a "person-figure" would work too? They all free-range, so a covered run is not an option. So besides them going through a molt, being harassed by the evil hawk - my egg production is bleak...5-10 eggs a day.

 

[daniel-delarosa]

Same problem for me also, I think. Two hens and my big bad roo in two days. My roo was laying dead without a mark on him, kinda weird. I guess I will try the cd thing tomorrow. And how can you attract crows?

 

[kari_dawn]

Quote:
I would be skeptical about a "scare hawk"...they have excellent vision, and are extremely smart. As for attracting crows, probably a bad idea if you plan on having babies...crows will kill babies too.

 

[ccw2005]

Hi,

New to posting but have been reading and researching chickens for a bit now. I have heard that streamers, like the silver or shiny colored mylar (spelling) seems to keep flying birds wary of landing. I don't know the science about this but an actual chicken farm blog I read once said that it worked, but the draw back was on windy days their chickens were spooked by the streamers flapping in the breeze. A specific breed of chickens was mentioned and I wish I could remember, but they were of a breed that were startled rather easy to begin with. I will try to look through my old bookmarks to try to find the site. My interest at the time was due to trying to free range birds and was looking for a way to limit assaults from the air.

I also read about placing large beach type umbrellas in the pasture or field where the chickens were ranging. The theory behind this was that if the chickens saw the birds coming in they would run under the umbrellas for protection. I can only assume that hawks and such are not able to swoop under the umbrella to steal a chicken, but it would also seem that there would be a learning curve involved for the flock to know that they would be safe under the umbrella. Just something I read so please be kind with the wise cracks!

CCW

 

[kari_dawn]

Hi, Actually, I might be inclined to believe that beach umbrellas may work. My girls go scrambling to get under the 51 chevy out back when they think they may have seen a hawk

 

[ccw2005]

The only other draw back I can see with the umbrella idea is that my mother-in-law and my dad spoil my chickens. I can just see them with sun glasses and a fruity drink in a nesting box under an umbrella. The chickens....not my mother-in-law or my dad.