Red Tail Hawks!

[ChickyMomm]

Hi everyone! For about a week now, I've been dealing with everyone's least favorite visitors... These hawks seem to have made a nest somewhere in one of the trees in the woods near my chicken run! They fly around a lot in the general area above my ladies, and I'm concerned I might come home one day to see a missing chicken. I have a net over our large run, but I just want to be extra safe! I've heard that getting fake crows might work? I'm not so sure about the fake crow thing, because they're not exactly alive, so they don't move around and eventually the hawks might catch on? I would try CDs, but we don't have any and my hens are already spooked enough by the hawks, they'll probably have a heart attack with some floating shiny circles waving around! Would a fake Owl work? I want something that will make Mr. and Mrs. Hawk think twice about swooping down to steal one of my hens.
Any feedback is welcome!

 

[Free as a Bird]

I lost a hen to a hawk.
I have found that the only way to keep the hawks out is to completely cover the run. Netting has worked well for me so far. I tried pie plates instead of CDs once. They definitely didn't work alone, but they might help for extra protection...

 

[maranfarmer563]

I had one attack this morning.my little Wyandot rooster gave his life to save momma and chicks. Mom lost her tail and one chick. I think young hawk are learning how to hunt now

 

[CKN]

I have heard fake geese work but never tried it. I've used fake owls, hawks, CDs, I even bought real geese that free range with my chickens. It works at first but it seems the hawks get used to everything I try. I have a great pyranese who does a pretty good job but those hawks are so fast that they still hit my chickens.

 

[WthrLady]

It's not Mr and Mrs hawk..... it's the young from the last brooding. they are out on their own wings learning to stalk and hunt.... our neighbor just lost half his racing pigeons when to coop auto door failed.

How about penning them in a free range cage until the hawks move on to other prey? you're basically running a chicken buffet.

 

[CKN]

Yeah I've been catching some and penning them. I hatched over 150 so I had to free range birds. My great pyranese will run them away if he sees them flying over. He will bark and run in the direction they are flying over untill the hawk moves on. But unfortunately he can't stop them all cause he sleeps a lot in the day and runs predators all night.

 

[maranfarmer563]

I keep most of young stock in 8 chickens tractor cages. I leave a few bantys loose to clean up any wasted food around pens. That way we have no rats. It's always something,we just have to practice prevention to keep them safe.

 

[Folly's place]

Yes. When I have a hawk attack, my flock is locked in their covered run for a week or two, or however long it takes for the hawk to give up and move on. Mary

 

[Free as a Bird]

I have had mine in a enclosed pen for a year (with no chickens for a while anyway) and the hawks are still around. There are other chickens close though so maybe they check mine out while they are in the area (?).

 

[Folly's place]

Hawks are everywhere, but the individual who focuses on the chickens can be pretty obvious; that's what I'm talking about. If one bird is lost to a hawk, it's time to confine the rest. Mary