Relentless Hawk...Help!!

[aoxa]

So glad to hear this

A goshawk got a hold of my sizzle last week, picked him up.. dropped him and was scared off by my FIL. Rooster is remarkably unscathed. We call him Lucky now, and he is not visually missing any feathers, though there were a lot of them where it happened.

My silkies are all penned up since. They can't see above them, making them easy targets. Silkies don't care for free ranging anyway. They don't go more than 10-20 feet from the barn. I'd rather them be penned and safe than dead. However, all my other birds free range with no issues. They can see the predators coming, and find cover before it happens.

Yeah, this is what I've been doing now too, which is causing a little trouble as I have to keep the run shut now, and so daytime access to the coop for everyone else. Gonna have to devise a plan B soon.

Can you make shelters for the others? Someone mentioned taking pallets and setting them on cinder blocks to create little bomb shelters for the other birds who can't hide in the coop.

 

[Lacey1988]

I had a hawk kill one of my full grown Dutch Bantam Roosters just today...Kind of a blessing and a curse...on one hand I needed to get rid of a roo (had six roos well five now) but on the other I have a hawk around here....It ate all the meat off the neck and half of the breast and back

 

[Gardeningmama]

I had a hawk kill one of my full grown Dutch Bantam Roosters just today...Kind of a blessing and a curse...on one hand I needed to get rid of a roo (had six roos well five now) but on the other I have a hawk around here....It ate all the meat off the neck and half of the breast and back 

So sorry to hear that! The feeling is awful when you first realize it won't always just be tranquil pecking and scratching in the backyard. Hawks are scary and mean business! I have decided after some research to start getting darker chickens from now on. My Lavender Orps are soo light. They must look like a flashing dinner sign from the air. Hmmm, maybe I'll just go with all Australorps....

 

[Moonkit]

Call a Fish and Game warden.. that'll answer your legality question right there. Otherwise.. do you have a dog? Perferably a herding or livestock guardian breed? My border collie loathes any wild things in our yard, but she's been trained not to touch the chickens. So far, she's run off 3 hawks that came calling. She even stopped one mid-stoop.

My little silkie was foraging in the middle of the yard, away from cover. Suddenly, I heard an alarm squawk from my arucana hen, and looked up to see a hawk mid-dive, aimed for my silkie, who only looked around in confusion when I screamed her name. I swear, Diamond (my border collie) was standing beside me one moment, and the next moment she was in front of the silkie, legs braced and mouth open, ready to catch the hawk. It was hilarious to see the hawk frantically aborting its dive and flying up again.. Diamond then proceeded to run around the yard, barking at the hawk and daring it to try again.

That was the closest one thus far, the next closest was one that hovered about 50 feet above the yard, again, she ran around barking her head off at it and staying right under it while the chickens ran for the bushes (they use the Boxwoods and Knockout Roses for shelter).

 

[Vamvakas]

Get either a gun and scare it off or get excalibur canister fireworks that will make his pants drop.

 

[Gardeningmama]

Call a Fish and Game warden.. that'll answer your legality question right there.  Otherwise.. do you have a dog?  Perferably a herding or livestock guardian breed?  My border collie loathes any wild things in our yard, but she's been trained not to touch the chickens.  So far, she's run off 3 hawks that came calling.  She even stopped one mid-stoop.

My little silkie was foraging in the middle of the yard, away from cover.  Suddenly, I heard an alarm squawk from my arucana hen, and looked up to see a hawk mid-dive, aimed for my silkie, who only looked around in confusion when I screamed her name.  I swear, Diamond (my border collie) was standing beside me one moment, and the next moment she was in front of the silkie, legs braced and mouth open, ready to catch the hawk.  It was hilarious to see the hawk frantically aborting its dive and flying up again.. Diamond then proceeded to run around the yard, barking at the hawk and daring it to try again.

That was the closest one thus far, the next closest was one that hovered about 50 feet above the yard, again, she ran around barking her head off at it and staying right under it while the chickens ran for the bushes (they use the Boxwoods and Knockout Roses for shelter).

Oh, that story is too funny! Unfortunately for the time being I only have 2 Pom/Yorkie's that I also have to worry about the hawk flying off with. But maybe in the spring I will get a chicken guard dog. Heck, I want your dog, LOL!!

 

[Moonkit]

Oh, that story is too funny! Unfortunately for the time being I only have 2 Pom/Yorkie's that I also have to worry about the hawk flying off with. But maybe in the spring I will get a chicken guard dog. Heck, I want your dog, LOL!!

I will say that it took a good deal of training to teach her not to attack my birds.. I nipped the issue in the bud when I brought them home as chicks. It didn't take long before she understood that the chicks "belonged to momma" and were not hers to play with or eat. It was funny, after that, whenever the chicks started chirping that they needed something in their brooder (normally they kicked over the water or something).. she'd come whining to find us and lead us to the brooder.

 

[ellend]

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.

In northern Ohio, our Red Tails and Coopers are not migratory. They attend the chicken coops much more often when the migratory songbirds leave, for obvious reason--HUNGER. Illegal to kill, for good reason; they don't reproduce quickly. We lost one sweet banty to a Coopers; my fault--lack of proper supervision out of pen. Can't blame the hawk--bet you hawk-haters ate something today...

 

[ellend]

I had a hawk kill one of my full grown Dutch Bantam Roosters just today...Kind of a blessing and a curse...on one hand I needed to get rid of a roo (had six roos well five now) but on the other I have a hawk around here....It ate all the meat off the neck and half of the breast and back

He'll be back. Keep the others closely protected until he gets frustrated. Even then, he'll remember the site of a meal--they can't afford not to.

 

[ellend]

A raptor can see a mouse from 100 feet up. They go for the bird that is straggled away from the others. The coopers snagged one of mine last month, but didn't get a good hold, and between her screaming (Her name is FayeRae for good reason) and my bellowing and charging, and Faye's struggling against the poor hold, she got away. He waited for two hours trying to get in another shot. It's winter, he's hungry--it increases dedication. He did NOT go for my one all BRIGHT white bird; Faye is a bit of a loner, and was a number of feet away from the others.