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

[ChickenCanoe]

Poster does not appear to have been back since making original post. On op's established posting pattern, the initial post was it.

Perhaps we were trolled.

No paperwork required, trespassers will be shot. Once the hawk lands on that tree, harasses your flock, and stares you down a #7 bird shot shell in a 12 ga takes care of THAT problem. Then take some twine and string that bird upside down from that same tree branch. Other hawks WILL NOT return...

One must have lots of money to invite the monster fines that would incur.

...0 Some people have hawks that either need to be shot and killed, or have pain inflicted on them a few times and allowed to live so they can go teach others what to fear and avoid. ...Good luck!

An invitation for more jail time and fines.

 

[bfc chicks]

if they swooping on you can you use beebee gun?

I'm from Pennsylvania, are you going to federal when state game commission is in charge of hawks and all other wild animals. In PA, if a hawk, raccoon, opussum, fox, coyotes, or deer are creating a damage or taking your ivestock and you have pictures or evidence you can SHOT, trap, those animals out of season. To save your live stock and crops. I had something killing my hens and thought they where diseased. Talked to a friend and he said weasel. Called game warden, he looked the hen over as I had, no sign of anything but said I could set a trap if I wanted to. Had my fur bearing trapper teach me how to set a weasel/mink trap. Set it at 10:30pm, next morning at 4:00am checked the trap and there was a dead 1 foot body length weasel in the trap. When asked the warden why it was so large he said no one is trapping them anymore. Why couldn't i find marks on the hens? When the dogs which sleep in the house would hear a noise they would rush outside and scare the varmin away. Check with your state agency it's easier to get results. As for hawks, I have bald eagle and redtails flying around my place. Never had problems with the eagle but had a small flock of Ohio Buckeye pullets and a cockerel which I was hoping to start up to hatch eggs. All at once they started to disappear as I was rounding the corner of the house a large I mean LARGE redtail swooped down after a pullet fortunately that time it saw me but if those chickens would ever get out it was by by. By the end of summer they where all gone. Needless to say so is the hawk. 22.

 

[MissouriDogMom]

Are you absolutely sure, without doubt, these are hawks? It's not common for hawks to hang out in groups. Could they be turkey buzzards or some other bird of prey? In any case, as you mentioned, hawks are protected and (unless the current admin has also removed protections from hawks as it has from so many other endangered critters) you could get yourself in a world of hurt for hurting them. You seem to know this, but those suggesting shooting them don't. Although I wonder if it would be helpful to shoot off (4th of July) fireworks to scare them as long as you didn't aim the fireworks at the birds? I have mine cooped up till about eleven every day because of hawks and birds of prey hunting early. I hear them go screeching by in the morning, stupidly screeching out that they are hungry hawks. I learned that they eventually pass on through and that it's safe to let the chickens out in late morning. They have all their food and water and room to run/peck inside, so it's not a problem. My husband built the chicken yard fence so that it's shaped oddly like a triangle rather than a rectangle, and it makes it a bit harder to land in there. A mesh netting across the top may help, along with slanted fencing at the very top. Some people use electric fencing (I don't), but I think that's more for 4-legged predators. Good luck, and I feel your pain. It's a heart-wrenching hobby and I may be giving it up soon due to raccoons and opossums myself. --m

 

[raymondlee]

I'd put chicken wire over the top so they are totally covered. Free ranging, well I would fir a couple shot gun rounds over their heads. They need to feel threatened. May take a couple times. If they don't feel threatened even with you out there they will become braver. They will act like a pack of dogs if you let them. They can not carry off a full grown chicken babies yes, but kill and eat on the ground. Fire a few rounds , not killing any, they will move on. I live in AZ near the mountains and had similar problems dusted their backsides, Still see them but elsewhere.

 

[MissouriDogMom]

I’m sorry you have to go through this. We have 8 acres, wooded, alongside our coop. The hawks and coons are horrible. Our 2 pens are fortress’s as well and recently a red shouldered hawk attacked one of my girls while out in their chicken yard. I have used CD’s along rooftops of pens. Also strung along fence. The bright reflection is NOT liked by the big raptors. It cut down our bird traffic. Also metallic ribbon streamers that can blow in wind. Has to be long enough and wide enough for movement and shine to irritate them. Problem is. None windy days if you don’t have fan, chickens that are out are still at threat as was mine. Though they have a rooster for protection, the hawk still got one. This pic is after a week of healing during her bandage change.

Interesting idea about the CDs and metallic streamers. I may give that a try some day.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Too true about everyone having different situations, set ups, predators. I'm in a semi-rural area. The only predators I've really had as problem with are Coopers hawks. There are Red Tails and Red Shoulders here, but my chicken yard is fenced and has a huge walnut tree in the middle of it. The soaring hawks are not super interested and rarely come down from super high up. I think the tree makes it too hard to swoop. Coopers, however, love that walnut and perch up in it to watch and stalk my flock, waiting for an opportunity. My run is very secure against hawks. I'm not worried about it when my birds are penned, but those Coopers are the reason they don't get to roam the chicken yard anymore unsupervised.

There is no way I could take out a hawk and get away with it because of neighbors. I could see it would be tempting to those of you who live in more isolated areas. Who would know? My sister is a rancher in Montana. She is surrounded by thousands of acres of people-less land. She could do pretty much anything, and no one would know.

And we may very well have been trolled, but it's always an interesting conversation.

 

[Cloudysu]

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!

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!

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![/QUOTE

Hotwire the top perimeter of your fence. Also, you can purchase hotwire panels, that you can install on the top of your fence cover. It works! Make sure that it is legal in your area, and that you post warning signs.

 

[minaayindra]

Too true about everyone having different situations, set ups, predators. I'm in a semi-rural area. The only predators I've really had as problem with are Coopers hawks. There are Red Tails and Red Shoulders here, but my chicken yard is fenced and has a huge walnut tree in the middle of it. The soaring hawks are not super interested and rarely come down from super high up. I think the tree makes it too hard to swoop. Coopers, however, love that walnut and perch up in it to watch and stalk my flock, waiting for an opportunity. My run is very secure against hawks. I'm not worried about it when my birds are penned, but those Coopers are the reason they don't get to roam the chicken yard anymore unsupervised.

There is no way I could take out a hawk and get away with it because of neighbors. I could see it would be tempting to those of you who live in more isolated areas. Who would know? My sister is a rancher in Montana. She is surrounded by thousands of acres of people-less land. She could do pretty much anything, and no one would know.

And we may very well have been trolled, but it's always an interesting conversation.

We also live on a huge property where we say we could bury bodies and no one would ever look twice (they can't see!). That being said, I KNOW it will be the one time I finally decide to break the laws that I will be caught. It simply isn't worth it for all the expense and aggravation that would be caused.

 

[Kazzandra]

I'm glad to see this thread was closed-- it got really uncivil and my jaw just kept dropping. One of the constant conflicts on this forum is attitudes and morals about doing harm to others. Some people seem like they just stepped out of killing the last passenger pigeon in the 1800s-- kill everything, let nothing wild stop you from protecting your invasive, pray species. And others won't harm a mosquito if it bites them, aye. These are personal decisions and I find it incredibly blithe and disrespectful when I encounter responses with people just being like 'lol a 22 will fix your problems' or 'Sounds like that chicken just needs a crock pot!' People don't typically come to chicken forums to ask questions about problems unless they're more complex than that. And in this case, these blithe solutions are illegal *if* the OP is correct about her problem being red-tailed hawks (and I, like others, highly doubt they are), so even less advised.

 

[aart]

I'm glad to see this thread was closed

The thread is not closed....or you wouldn't have been able to post to it