Red tail hawks are toying with me and terrorizing my flock!

[MichelleKing]

Ask me anything - I am currently going through the process of applying for a permit from the US FWS for depredation. I have a swarm of red tail hawks that have moved from the farm down the street to the woods in my backyard. Its only a matter of time. I have a steel wire covered run and it is secured from all sides, with one side being a 6 foot tall wooden fence. The hawks perch on the fence and torment my poor ladies. I have it on video. I run out there screaming at them and flailing my arms but they just fly away and perch on a branch in my backyard that's JUST close enough to infuriate me and to make my hens scared. I throw rocks at the trees to make noise (obviously not AT the stupid giant hawks because those birds are protected). It doesn't matter what I do. These giant predators seem to laugh in my FACE! I feel like they're just biding their time and making evil plans for my flock.

They keep getting closer too. I free range my chickens three times a day and then keep them in their large run the rest of the time (we also have coyotes). It used to be that after 20 minutes, one hawk may circle my area from high above. After some time, 2-3 hawks would circle. Next, about 5-6 hawks did a fly over,; and I didnt even know they flew in hunting parties together! Then, I discover them harassing the ladies from about whilst perched on their coop and run. Thank gosh for my run. It is a FORTRESS.

Today, however, while having the ladies do their afternoon grazing, WHILE I WAS OUTSIDE STANDING THERE, a red tail swooped down super close, swooped back up and perched in the trees above my hens. My heart jumped out of my chest. I got my hens safely in their run and carried my 8 month old baby bantam silkie to safety. The hawk was a giant. It watched me the whole time. After the ladies were safely in their run, I threw rocks at the tree trunk to make noise and yelled profanities at the offending giant hawk. Profanities I am SURE my neighbors could hear.

That hawk just stared at me. Like, didn't move at all. STARED ME DOWN. Rocks and all. Profanities and all.

Needless to say I printed out all the paperwork for a US depredation permit immediately after going back inside AND doing about 2 hours of research on what I can and cannot do.

I am a GOLDMINE of depredation legal information, especially for NEO. To heck with these hawks!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Good gravy. So much judgment on a forum about chickens (and other poultry/fowl). Respect others' decisions and try to see things from their perspective. Express your own thoughts to invite changes of heart, ask questions to prompt reflection, and then move on knowing you've done your part. Insults and assumptions often just derail the conversation.

 

[AsaDotJava]

This is probably the unpopular opinion here, but...

If you love your animals so much, why not build them predator-proof enclosures and don't let them out? It is so incredibly frustrating to me to hear/read about people wanting to kill predators for taking livestock that is essentially thrown out to them. The Earth is not yours and yours alone - One should try to find a way to cohabitate with the creatures who share our land. I wish more people had compassion and respect.

 

[Folly's place]

When we have a hawk visitation, we keep the flock in their safe coop and run for at least ten to fourteen days (once for three weeks) until those raptors move on elsewhere. Easy!
No running around screaming, no death threats, no more dead chickens, and no illegal activity on our part.
It's great to be able to free range the chickens, but there are times when it just can't happen, and this is one of those times.
Good livestock management!
Mary

 

[bobbi-j]

While you’re waiting for your papers to go through, you may want to consider not letting your birds out.

 

[Howard E]

It could be what you are seeing is not a local population of red tailed hawks, but rather migrating hawks like broad winged hawks ......in which case, they may just be passing through. They might well be desperate enough to attempt an attack with you there.

Best bet is to keep the chickens in for now. As long as hawks can't get at em, they will be safe. Frustrated hawks will quickly move on.

Frustration can be a horrible revenge.....and far less worries from Imperial entanglements for shooting one. I know a farmer who could tell you a horror story about that one.

 

[AsaDotJava]

You are of course aware that different people have different levels of finance. You regard a half dozen coops as inexpensive, perhaps you would be willing to assist OP financially in predator proofing their enclosure as you have?
If your not willing to do this, i dont think you should question OP's morals for doing what they can to protect the birds they love.

p.s im not advocating shooting hawks, i actually dont free range due to local red tails, your original post was about predators in general and that is what im referring to

First off, the OP stated that they have a secure, predator-proof coop. The problem is that the birds are being let out rather than remaining IN that coop.

You misunderstood me completely... We are very poor mountain folk that get by largely on a trade/barter system and believing in the old saying that "one man's trash is another man's treasure." I was in NO way implying that everyone should be able to construct elaborate, expensive coops... which is why I mentioned that we use free wooden pallets to make ours. One of our coops is a little pre-fabbed one from Tractor Supply that my mom got us last Christmas... Another is a stall in our barn that we enclosed completely with disgarded lattice from someone's garden project. I was trying to offer inexpensive ideas that we have utilized and that work for us, because we know ALL about working on a basically non-existent budget.

 

[bobbi-j]

No you have a great point, in a perfect world we all have predator proof grazing areas. In reality that is quite expensive to do for any sizable space. The alternative being keeping the chickens in smaller spaces that are easier to secure, which diminishes quality of life for the birds.
Both chicken and predator have a right to exist, however you as a chicken keeper have a responsibility to protect your birds. For most people that translates to predator removal instead of a costly coop/run upgrade.

A secure run is a good idea even if you don't plan on keeping your chickens in it full time. I have a fairly inexpensive, secure run attached to my coop for the times we have predators lurking about or visiting family brings their dogs. They're not locked up forever, and they don't seem terribly traumatized when they are kept in. It's impossible to remove every predator, and illegal to remove birds of prey. So denying access is the next best option in my book.

 

[AsaDotJava]

No you have a great point, in a perfect world we all have predator proof grazing areas. In reality that is quite expensive to do for any sizable space. The alternative being keeping the chickens in smaller spaces that are easier to secure, which diminishes quality of life for the birds.
Both chicken and predator have a right to exist, however you as a chicken keeper have a responsibility to protect your birds. For most people that translates to predator removal instead of a costly coop/run upgrade.

But who says absolutely that it diminishes quality of life? I think being ripped apart by a predator is what diminishes quality of life. Not everyone even lives in an area where they have the option of free ranging, and their birds do just fine if given proper care.

I have half a dozen coops and runs right now, because I have a lot of cockerels... And I have never lost a bird to a predator. It really isn't expensive to build an area for grazing... You can use netting over a larger fenced area (and for fencing, we use wooden pallets picked up for free at any number of places!). It doesn't have to be pretty (at least, not for me) - It just has to keep birds safe.

Grazing/free ranging is not essential to the life of a bird, and may very well result in loss of life... It isn't worth it to me. I WISH all my chickens could run free, grazing in the livestock manure and whatnot... But it isn't safe for them.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good on you for seeking a legal course of action.
What breeds do you have? Things like silkies and polish will always be vulnerable to aerial predators no matter how you deal with them.
We have lots of hawks but I haven't lost any of my several flocks of free range birds to hawks in about 10 years. It takes the right breeds and preferably with a good rooster running with the flock. Calm, docile, friendly breeds don't work.
While it isn't legal, I've heard that bottle rockets aimed at the roosting hawks help.