Red-Tailed Hawk Solutions?

[Aquatic_blue]

For quite a few months now, we let our chickens free range our yard. We live in city limits so all has seemed fine and dandy. Our chickens of course enjoy running around and scratching in the yard. Yesterday, my kids and I were squatting in the yard next to the chickens. The chickens started bobbing their heads funny and then went under our trailer. Soon, the chickens were so far back under there, I'm not sure where they were. I walked across the yard by our big pine tree and a juvenile red-tailed hawk flew out and sat on the neighboring fence. Eventually, it flew away. Today, I heard the chickens squabbling outside and they were all kind of hiding against some wooden pallets we had that we planned to use for some projects. I wondered why they were all hiding there, it was a bit odd for them, but I opened the door more and there was a hawk sitting right on our fence about 8 feet away, watching. I had to walk over to the fence to get the hawk to fly off to a neighboring fence. This bird is getting a bit brave and has tried two days in a row.

Is an enclosed coop the only option? We can shut them in their coop during the day if we must, but we hate to do it until we get a bigger one.

 

[azygous]

The hawk is going to keep coming back each day the chickens are out, and soon it will move on them. The solution is to keep them in for several days until the hawk moves on. This is the way I handle hawks coming around.

However, being kept inside is no hardship on my flock because they have a spacious completely enclosed run, and they spend as much time in their run as outside even on days they are allowed to free range.

This experience with the hawk should show you the need for a secure run for your flock. All chickens need cover. I've watched how my flock free range. They seem to revel in the freedom for an hour. Then they gravitate back to the security of their run to rest in safety. After the rest period, they are off outside again.

This seems to have a certain rhythm to it that I attribute to being on high alert for danger when out free ranging. Then the constant need to be on the alert gives way to fatigue and they come back to the safety and cover the run provides to rest.

Back to hawks. They have a large range. But when they spot prey in one area, they will stake it out for a few days. If they have no opportunity to score a hit, they will move on. For this reason, I don't let my flock out to free range every day. Because of hawks, I do it randomly and at different times of the day, preventing any pattern that a smart hawk could discern and take advantage of.

There have been times that the flock was out and I was right there with them when a hawk was flying over and spied the opportunity on the ground. I've had hawks dive at chickens standing right at my feet so suddenly that neither I nor my chickens saw it coming. Luckily, in thirteen years of keeping chickens, only one chicken has been killed by a hawk. They are a constant danger, though, and so far my strategy seems to be winning much more than losing.

 

[centrarchid]

Run at the hawk and scream like a crazy fool. It will leave area for a least a short time.

 

[azygous]

Got a handy video of you doing that , Jim?

 

[centrarchid]

No, but I will run off any predator that comes in.

 

[aart]

Why I built this, it has foiled dozens of hawks, and some four-leggeds too.

 

[centrarchid]

These images show much of how I keep most raptors away. Bigger raptors do not hunt heavy brush well. Same areas are very productive for chickens. Fencing helps with ground predators. Dogs do the rest. Traps and me also play a role.

 

[Aquatic_blue]

I think the hawk already took a dive at them because there was an awful lot of noise and some moved stuff on top of the pallets.

We have an enclosed run for them in the day, and a closed coop at night. We have kept them in their run today. I will probably let them out for a little bit when I go out in the yard but we would like a bigger one since they are so used to roaming the yard.

There are plenty of hawks around. There is a spot with hawk nests not too far from here. It probably won't be the only one, but it is definitely expecting a catch.