Relentless Hawk...Help!!

[daoustaj]

Get an electric fence or shoot it

 

[Whimsy]

Hawks are migratory and this is when the move to warmer climates. I have found this is when I see the most hawks harassing my birds. Just keep the chickens penned for a few more weeks. It seems to me that the migratory birds are looking for a quick meal.

 

[Vinegaroon]

Ya about the rifle thing shooting hawks isn't legal anywhere as far as i know, migratory waterfowl treaty etc. but penning them up for a couple weeks and then back to closely supervised ranging should be doable probably just a seasonal resident anyhow.

 

[chickortreat]

Yeah, I lay awake at night worrying about the legality of dealing with a chicken-killing critter. So you'd kill a fox, a coyote, a bobcat, a weasel.....but watch a hawk slaughter your chicks?

 

[LissyB]

I'm sorry about your chicken! I read somewhere online that geese help just by being in the yard with chickens! But there is the problem of getting more birds. Especially big birds that honk at everybody when they come to your house! ( I have nothing against geese, I am trying to get a few myself

)

 

[Hannah hen]

It's terrible when a dumb bird is smarter then we are. Over the past week or so I have been loosing Quail in an enclosed pen. They are housed in a small flight pen completely enclosed, sides are a wood frame with poultry net, top is a full tarp. I was finding the birds decapitated but otherwise whole, no other injury. Yesterday while cleaning their pen, checking their feed and water I saw it happen right before my eyes. The Quail would stick their head through the net for whatever reason and the hawk swooped down plucking off the head, but unable to get the rest of its meal flew off. Of course me standing there in disbelief he wasn't going to hang around.
Now I notice my one little bantam hen is missing, Hope the hawk didn't get her too.

 

[centrarchid]

It's terrible when a dumb bird is smarter then we are. Over the past week or so I have been loosing Quail in an enclosed pen. They are housed in a small flight pen completely enclosed, sides are a wood frame with poultry net, top is a full tarp. I was finding the birds decapitated but otherwise whole, no other injury. Yesterday while cleaning their pen, checking their feed and water I saw it happen right before my eyes. The Quail would stick their head through the net for whatever reason and the hawk swooped down plucking off the head, but unable to get the rest of its meal flew off. Of course me standing there in disbelief he wasn't going to hang around.
Now I notice my one little bantam hen is missing, Hope the hawk didn't get her too.

Look into providing a different type of cover in run that will keep quail away from fencing.

 

[Gardeningmama]

It's terrible when a dumb bird is smarter then we are. Over the past week or so I have been loosing Quail in an enclosed pen. They are housed in a small flight pen completely enclosed, sides are a wood frame with poultry net, top is a full tarp. I was finding the birds decapitated but otherwise whole, no other injury. Yesterday while cleaning their pen, checking their feed and water I saw it happen right before my eyes. The Quail would stick their head through the net for whatever reason and the hawk swooped down plucking off the head, but unable to get the rest of its meal flew off. Of course me standing there in disbelief he wasn't going to hang around.
Now I notice my one little bantam hen is missing, Hope the hawk didn't get her too.

 

[Gardeningmama]

I was wrong about the hawk, maybe being gone. Today we have been busy outside getting ready for the storm, so I let everyone out. I walked in for water I think? Looked out the window, and it was there with my beautiful Silkie Clarabell (my avatar pic). That quick! It was horrible, my kids were flipping out. Before we could get the gun out, we realized she was still alive, so we chased it off and got her. I think it got her eye, but not sure, yet. The only other thing I can see is her comb got torn a little. She is acting half dead though, I just keep praying

. I have her and her beau Valentine in a brooder with a heatlamp. Time will tell. I should have known better. Starting today they are on lock down for a couple of weeks at least. After all of this, legality is just not important to me at all, I'd keep it legal and use my bare hands if I could.

 

[LissyB]

I'm sorry about the silkie! I hope she gets better. I know what you mean, when things kill your animals the guns come out. My Khaki Campbell ducks were killed a month ago by something and we stayed out all night with a shotgun waiting for the dang thing. It didn't come but it doesn't matter... when it does it won't be here for long...