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

[GodofPecking]

Cheapest solution to the problem is to share the chickens with the hawks in some cases. Oh if only society could work on the least stupid survive principle too. meh. I guess the stupid will go on getting promoted until Jurassic solutions come to the fore.

 

[Eggscaping]

I did not know this and have done it on numerous occasions to ward off not only hawks, but stray dogs running our horses. Oops! I mean just dogs, I just shoot em at dogs.

That sounds like a dangerous thing to do. Many fires have been started by the use of illegal fireworks.

 

[centrarchid]

OP, OP, where are you? It is like you threw a grenade into the outhouse and ran.

 

[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.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thread reopened. Just a reminder to please stay on topic and civil to each other. Thank you.

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

OP, OP, where are you? It is like you threw a grenade into the outhouse and ran.

My father told me once that cherry bombs were used where he grew up.

 

[Neggative]

ah so glad this thread was reopened... i was sorely missing it

 

[Aunt Angus]

ah so glad this thread was reopened... i was sorely missing it

 

[Qwerty3159]

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.

Harris's Hawks. Cooper's are lone bird specialists
https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/00000144-0a30-d3cb-a96c-7b3dafb80000

But you're right about them being the only ones. OP seems to be in a hawk migration hotspot for whatever reason. I haven't seen any red shouldered or broad winged hawks since the summer ended and just this past week I've seen at least a dozen of them and Cooper's moving through the area. Normally I just have one or two of each around. They should pass as long as there's no chickens out to entice them to stay!

 

[Eggscaping]

Harris's Hawks. Cooper's are lone bird specialists
https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/00000144-0a30-d3cb-a96c-7b3dafb80000

But you're right about them being the only ones. OP seems to be in a hawk migration hotspot for whatever reason. I haven't seen any red shouldered or broad winged hawks since the summer ended and just this past week I've seen at least a dozen of them and Cooper's moving through the area. Normally I just have one or two of each around. They should pass as long as there's no chickens out to entice them to stay!

Ooh, you're right...my bad! Harris it is, indeed. Pretty cool to watch them, though...until I saw the footage I had no idea that there were any hawks who hunted in a pack! We have our coop and run to build this winter, with our goal of getting six chicks next spring. Have you had much predation - either attempted or successful?