Firefoot
Songster
Hey all,
I am going into my third year with my chickens and this is the first time red-tailed hawks have been a problem. I'm not sure if their food source is dwindling or if this pair has just moved to the neighborhood, but it's really a problem.
A few weeks ago, my husband was blasting music and working in the workshop while the 7 chickens including 1 rooster roamed the yard (2.5 acres). They typically stay close to the buildings and there are lots of trees and bushes to forage in and hide under. I left for a few minutes and when I pulled back in, a hawk was just flying away from the corner of the house by the back door. This thing was enormous. No one was seriously injured, it looked like the hawk tried to get one of my small Ameraucanas and my wonderful roo came to her rescue. They each lost some feathers and the roo had a small cut on his comb but otherwise was fine, thank god. Clearly the hawks don't care about people or noise very much.
The hawks have been back daily since then (it seems to be a pair). I don't usually see them, although my husband has shooed them from the tree overlooking the run three times now mid-morning, but I definitely hear them. Yesterday some crows chased the hawks out of some trees on my neighbors property that gave them direct sight of the coop but hid them from me.
Of course the chickens have been locked up since the attack, but we are all used to them free ranging. Is there anything I can do to deter the hawks, will they eventually go away, or am I stuck with my birds being locked up forever? They have a secure coop and covered run with lots of things to hide under in there so I'm not worried about a hawk trying to break in. I am going to buy some peanuts today and try to befriend those crows ... Will a fake owl help? And if so, where do I put it? I'm afraid of scaring my chickens.
I am going into my third year with my chickens and this is the first time red-tailed hawks have been a problem. I'm not sure if their food source is dwindling or if this pair has just moved to the neighborhood, but it's really a problem.
A few weeks ago, my husband was blasting music and working in the workshop while the 7 chickens including 1 rooster roamed the yard (2.5 acres). They typically stay close to the buildings and there are lots of trees and bushes to forage in and hide under. I left for a few minutes and when I pulled back in, a hawk was just flying away from the corner of the house by the back door. This thing was enormous. No one was seriously injured, it looked like the hawk tried to get one of my small Ameraucanas and my wonderful roo came to her rescue. They each lost some feathers and the roo had a small cut on his comb but otherwise was fine, thank god. Clearly the hawks don't care about people or noise very much.
The hawks have been back daily since then (it seems to be a pair). I don't usually see them, although my husband has shooed them from the tree overlooking the run three times now mid-morning, but I definitely hear them. Yesterday some crows chased the hawks out of some trees on my neighbors property that gave them direct sight of the coop but hid them from me.
Of course the chickens have been locked up since the attack, but we are all used to them free ranging. Is there anything I can do to deter the hawks, will they eventually go away, or am I stuck with my birds being locked up forever? They have a secure coop and covered run with lots of things to hide under in there so I'm not worried about a hawk trying to break in. I am going to buy some peanuts today and try to befriend those crows ... Will a fake owl help? And if so, where do I put it? I'm afraid of scaring my chickens.
