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

[jspeese]

I don't (or very rarely) free range my birds because of this. The best solution is a strong run with a top, even if it means having fewer birds. I've occasionally had a hawk do like those redtails you talk about and have done the things you said. Usually, when they find that they can't get anywhere, they give up. My daughter's idiot dog runs at the run barking when he's here, which used to send the chickens running. Now they don't even pay attention to him. If chickens could laugh, they probably would say ha!ha! you can't get us! Hopefully yours will do the same once they realize they are safe in the run. I hope you can solve the problem. I'm not an advocate for killing something for no reason, but when it attacks livestock on one's own land, then that thing is a varmint in my opinion. Some people say hawks have to eat too, but so does a mosquito and I don't know anyone who wouldn't swat one!

 

[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.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

We have 160 acres of woods in a holler. (Canyon type property for those of you who aren’t hillbillies.) We have loads of raptors, up to and including golden and bald eagles. My flock only free ranges in the yard and woods when I am with them, but we’ve still had three very-near misses. The third happened last week when a golden eagle dive bombed the girls as they were out behind the coop. Luckily, no one was injured, but they’ve been really skittish since then. Now even the pileated woodpeckers scare them...

We have eight hens in a 10’ by 10’ coop attached to a 10’ by 26-ish’ run. The majority of the run is covered by a metal roof, but an eight foot section is just fenced (including over the top). This time of year, the run is wrapped with plastic and the “open” area of the roof has a clear, plastic tarp over it. I let them out (with me) twice a day and they don’t always want to move further away from the door than ten or so feet. And I did bring a bunch of dry leaves into the end of the run for them. They spend a lot of time just scratching around and at least they get to see the great outdoors through the doorway!

(Their first adult molt looks like the aftermath of a pretty wild pillow fight!)

(The ladies love the sand and the sunshine!)

(Before the plastic went up)

That said, I don’t feel too badly about not letting them free range as much as they’d like. I’m hoping to build a chicken tunnel out to a secured area right behind the run in the woods. That’s a favorite area for them to scratch for bugs, but it’s also a favorite area for the hawks, owls, eagles, coons, yotes, possum, and fox... Not to mention the neighbors’ dogs and cats. Sheesh, it’s no wonder they don’t always want to come outside!

 

[hayley3]

Mine love a bale of hay or straw to dig through. It's funny how they run toward it and it keeps them busy for hours.

 

[ms match]

Show us the video.

Please

 

[Artistanniekay]

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.

 

[Artistanniekay]

I had problems with a hawk earlier this summer and came home to it eating my rooster in front of the ladies. They were very traumatized. What helped me is buying an owl decoy. I have it on a moveable post and I move it every day. I also took several old cd’ and hung them with string from the trees. The hawk never came back again after I put my deterrents in place. It might be worth a try.

 

[minaayindra]

I know many people have not had success with shiny objects hanging but I can tell you, when you put out enough and they are of different types, the shining and moving can be a good deterrent... I didn't believe it either but it's worked well for me. The hawks might fly over but they will never come close to the ground- they do make me crazy but that's not their fault, they are just being who they are. I also got 2 owls that respond to motion and also turn their heads and light up when disturbed. They work as long as you move them around frequently. Hawks are very smart but with a little effort, you can bluff them. I bought some very inexpensive scarecrow decorations from Walmart and put them in a different place every time I am going to let the hens out, another tool that seems to work.

They truly don't like loud, sudden noises but they don't care if an old lady is yelling at them! lol Bottle rockets can cause a lot of problems, including hitting the bird (see what I said further down) and setting your area on FIRE, even if it isn't dry. If you do own a gun, of any type, they will flee rapidly if they hear a gunshot. If you are comfortable with firing one, just shoot into a hay bale or something else that can catch the bullets. You would be surprised how fast they will flee.

I keep my hens in closed runs attached to their coops and they have solid roofs. They enjoy the sunshine since it comes in from the side. I also use sand bedding which has been far easier to clean and they seem to really like it for dust bathing. Any treats and all food and water are only available in the coop or run. Because of this, they love to stay put and are seemingly quite content. I do let them out for about 10 minutes per day just to have some grass/bugs and scratch around, with me walking right alongside them, and they return to their coop on their own (but rapidly if I make the magical cheep-cheep noise that indicates snacks).

I now have some guinea hens who have been invaluable with warning if a hawk is nearby, even if I can't see the hawk yet. Some people hate the noise guineas make but they only make it in response to something unusual or a predator- I could put up with that small amount of noise for all the benefits they give (including eating every tick that comes down the pike). Since they are wilder birds they tend to be far more adept at avoiding hawks and every other kind of predator in the daytime, but they also come into their coop after a while and respond to the specific sound I use for their snacks.

Sometimes it's tempting to get angry or scared and think about killing them but you don't know the kind of ongoing legal nightmare you could face, that can go on for years. Try to deter as much as possible. I liked what a previous writer said- your hawks might actually be a group that is migrating since Red Tails look like many other hawks. While they may seem evil, they are just doing what comes naturally and I have to respect that. My job is to make that as difficult as possible. I hope any of this helps, it has been a lot of trial and error to get the results I have now.

 

[rachelsflock]

All these solutions are great, but people forget that hawks are smart and vary from bird to bird, region to region. 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. Others are afraid of CD's and deterred by wire across run tops. Mine weren't. They still test the hardware cloth several times a week and ripped up fence wire tied together with baling twine and took out half a dozen chickens in half an hour (and I wouldn't have believed if if I didn't see them).

My livestock guardian dogs are also looking forward to the day one of the raptors is off guard or gets too brazen. Those "air chickens" do not belong and must be eliminated and are "poultry" they are allowed to kill and they know that. Killed predators of any kind=steak dinner for them and less stress for me.

If the OP thinks it's worth doing the paperwork, they've probably tried everything. Their farm, their choice.

Personally, I'd like to know if they get their permit and how hard it was. Good luck!

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

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.

I advize adding "fws" to the search, the name was reuse for some bank fraud recently, which drowns out the one we know about.