Remember i was wondering why no attacks? Well....Hawk

[CMV]

Sorry for your loss.

Hawks are my most successful predators. I haven't lost any birds yet this year, but it is only a matter of time. I lose one about every 6 months- late fall after the leaves have fallen and early spring before the leaves come out. My chickens are fully protected, but my waterfowl have a less than ideal run that I can do nothing about until spring.

 

[woodmort]

I went for 24 year without losing a bird to a hawk--then this fall a Cooper got a young EE. "Just when you think it safe to go back in the water."

 

[Beekissed]

Sorry, JMC!

You DID jinx yourself.....

We have many, many breeds of hawk here and bald eagles as well....I'm actually surprised I haven't had more losses. We had a very unusually hard winter last year and resulted in my first hawk predation of the loss of two hens.

We had a horrible drought this summer and the winter is shaping up to be another bitterly cold and deep snows type of winter...I expect I will be having more problems. All the predators are really hurting for food right now as a lot of the small game has been depleted around here. Batten down the hatches.....

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I always worry about my chickens free ranging during the summer months because of foxes and coyotes hiding in the thick brush. I thought they would be safer when the leaves fell, because they could see farther in the woods. But for the last two years when the leaves fall off, I lose a chicken or two to a hawk attack. My chickens won't even leave their covered pen anymore.

 

[MD Chicken chic]

I looked out my kitchen window one morning a couple weeks ago to see a huge hawk sitting on the post of my chicken run and it's mate perched in the small crabapple tree next to the coop! They were definitely casing the joint! That's exactly why my run is covered and secure. I'm hoping they decided it wasn't worth the work and went elsewhere. Haven't seen them since.

 

[svalentine]

I have what I refer to as the "twine-light zone". The run and orchard both have twine running from post to post in such a way that it is a huge deterrant to hawks. Before doing this I had several hawk attacks. Fortunately unsuccessful. The area is 20' wide. So I put eyes on top of each post and got busy with the blue twine. I ran it from post to post in every possible direction and combinations. Think of Jacobs Ladder with string. Physically, a hawk could get down between the twine, since it isn't solid. But several have made a fly over and scare the bejeezes out of the chickens, but keep on going.
One morning I saw a hawk fly over and land in a tree overlooking this area. I was pretty sure what was on his mind. So a couple shots with a well aimed rifle made him change his mind about getting breakfast at my house.
The area is running over with squirrels that would take no effort to catch. Why not go for them?

 

[jmc]

Quote:

 

[CrazyerThanAverage]

I feel your pain. I just lost 6 of my 7 chickens to a 4x Harris hawk attack. (I had to drive them off so I could clean up before my kids got home from school.) I think the sole survivor was not with the rest of the flock when the attack happened. They had been free ranging the yard since June with no problems. Now the survivor won't even come out of the coop into the run. I think my visiting Mother-in-Law brought the (poor, abused) dog into the house while I was at the grocery store and the hawks saw an opening. George is normally very protective of HIS chickens! We had just set up a TrailCam and discovered we have a bobcat that was showing interest (at night), but fortunatly, can't get into the coop/run. Looks like I need to do a better job of expaining to the local wildlife that my chickens are not an all-you-can-eat buffet!

 

[dandelionheart]

Quote:
Do you have a photo of this? I can't really picture it in my head... is it kinda like overhead strings just run helter skelter or is it more a grid? Is it in the trees too? This sounds like something we would like to do down the line... We have Coopers Hawks - and the reason they like homegrown chicken is because they have good taste.

Our hens are in a covered run, so they aren't at risk... but those hawks like to sit in a tree where they can see them and worry/stress them out (probably reduced my egg count too).

 

[kristen2678]

Hawks here on the north shore too. Rough legged and Red Tail. A Red tailed dive bombed the girls free ranging twice. Then stalked them from a tree. I have Orps and EE's. I think the hawk realized they were too big to take off with. He hasn't been back in a while. I'm nervous though. I keep the dogs in the yard as much as possible and have noticed the girls being more careful. They scurry from one place to another keeping as much overhead protection as possible.