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

[bobbi-j]

i have had 11 of my chickens killed by hawks in the last 6 months. we have 8 or so red tails living around our place that will happily dine on chicken... i would absolutely LOVE to shoot them all. my poor hens are nervous wrecks.

Might be a good idea to pen them up for a while.

 

[AsaDotJava]

I dont think you have ever met very poor mountain folk, they do not share your opinion.

Shoot, did I miss the "Monthly Meeting of the Very Poor Mountain Folk" where they decided everyone was going to share the same opinion? You don't know me. You don't know my community. I have no need to falsify our way of living out here. Just because I have the novelty of a phone (that was gifted to me) with internet access doesn't negate the fact that we a) are very poor, b) live in the mountains, and c) have a very close relationship with nature.

 

[My Chicken Friends]

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 a$$holes 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. Like a smug little bast*rd. 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. F*ck these hawks!

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.

 

[My Chicken Friends]

That’s what they make a .22 for.
Good luck

Out here everyone knows it is illegal, but they also would shoot the raptor and leave it out for the vulchers. Nothing left - not even bones. I had my hen mauled, and I wouldn’t let my better half shoot the hawk. Up close it was a beautiful bird.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I agree, ho

And yet I see you've called me a derogatory word!

 

[Eggscaping]

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!

I understand your frustration and alarm. However - and this is just my feeling about the matter - hawks (and other predators) aren't "evil". They're trying to survive. It's not like they can go to the drive-through window of Burger King and order some chicken strips to go. They also tend to have territories. If you kill the resident birds, others will come to the now-open territory and take their place. Far better (IMHO) to protect your chickens and teach the residents that your place is a poor option to get a meal. Perhaps by not letting them free-range for awhile? A hawk has to eat...it can't sit above a non-producing yard day after day. If there's no food, it will have to go find somewhere better to hunt. Hawks (yes, they are predators and I understand why some people want to kill them) are beautiful birds, and completely necessary for control of rodents and other small critters. As far as I know, the only type of hawk who actually cooperate fully as a 'pack' are Coopers Hawks...you can see some pretty cool footage of five of them working as a team in the desert to catch a hare. The junior ones do the ground work to flush the rabbit and then the senior ones pounce down from above - then they actually share the catch!
Anyway...no, they aren't evil, they're just trying to live. I wish you the best in keeping your birds safe, and hope you can take a deep breath, and calm down a bit.

 

[sourland]

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...

Do a Google search on 'Operation High Roller' before trying that. Some Birmingham Roller fanciers tried that method resulting in mega fines and jail time.

 

[Miks]

Several years ago I started with Guineas to help reduce our tick population. I was naive and purchased a lovely prefab coop and run. Thinking my babies were safe we moved them to the new coop. Placed the coop on pavers and attached a base of 2x4s. They seemed comfy and would retreat to the coop at dusk each night. We would go and close the coop door, though the pen was attached to the coop.
One night I came home late. My husband told me they were out there making a bunch noise. It was dark but I had my phone with me. One was down inside the pen and puffed up when I walked up. I laughed and asked what was wrong with my sweet bird. Why would he puff up at me? I turned on the light and it was then that I realized the horrific scene before me! It was not one of my sweet guineas that was puffed up at me. It was a cooper hawk that had flown into the side of the pen and the remains of one of the guineas was all over the pen area. The other two were in coop hollering for me when they heard my voice. I quickly closed the door and called a removal crew who identified it as a cooper. They warned me in advance their options would be limited depending on the type of predator my coop had trapped. They were great and even cleaned up the remains of my guinea he had ripped apart. My other two were traumatized and had put up a good fight working together to keep the cooper out of the coop. One had a broken beak and both had wounds on their heads. I nursed them back to health but they hated being in the coop.
I have a friend who has a farm and many places to hide. She adopted them and they have been happily free ranging for several years. She too has hawks around and has suffered some losses. But my two definitely pay attention to the skies and reluctantly go to their coop at night.
I believed the prefab coops were safe. But they had staples in soft wood and the hardware cloth was stapled to the inside of the coop. It allowed that Cooper to fly in, but it could not get back out.
Before this experience I was of the mindset that I could not kill another animal if it threatened the life of one of my birds. Upon seeing the horror in that pen and the wounds my other two sustained I decided immediately that I didn’t care what happened to the cooper. But I still couldn’t take the life of the creature staring back at me that night while standing over the remains of my beloved bird. I write this and share because the experience changed me forever. I no longer have guineas, I have hens. I built a fortress and brand new walk-in pen and coop to prevent this from reoccurring. My hens get to free range but only while I am present and watchful of the skies. They are handled frequently and prefer human interaction to free ranging. They don’t stray far from me. And yes, I do understand that nature is simply trying to survive and to feed their young.
I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind. I do understand both sides. But after experiencing this event, I realized I was responsible for providing a safe place for my handful of hens that give me breakfast everyday. They love to snuggle with their humans and one launches herself onto my arm every chance she gets. I still get to visit my guineas and am so grateful to my friend who adopted them and gave them what they needed.

I was naive and learned some hard lessons. Thank you for allowing a safe place to share.

 

[pennyJo1960]

At least you had sense and courage enough to do something there are also
poultry nets on amazon not horribly expensive to have have, some used fishing line heavy test tied with ribbon or yarn birds are afraid of both

 

[DaWookie]

And yet I see you've called me a derogatory word!

haha sorry i dont know how that got included when i hit reply, im a young man but i have no idea how computers work somtimes. I wish nothing but the best for you and yours, and everyone else who keeps chickens!