RIR vs Redtail Hawk

[queenbeezz]

My vote would be with the hawk. Billy may be a bad a$$ but the hawk is MR BAD A$$. Between that razor sharp beak and those talons he has the advantage. He also has the advantage of agility.

We are currently having a problem with several hawks who harass my free ranging chickens. What the roosters seem to be good for is an early warning system that sends everyone scattering for cover. So far the only thing they have gotten has been a few doves that hang out around my feeders.

 

[JD4570]

Quote:
X2 A raptor on the ground is rather clumsy. If the raptor misses one well placed spur shot will do him in.

 

[OC closet chicken fan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4iC6E5RNpw

i dont know what kinda hawk this was but as soon as it was grounded the chickens just pounced it.... however i did see the hawk's defensive game on the ground with its talons and beak upwards... just my 2 cents

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Hawk appears to be a subspecies of Coopers hawk or a close relative to the Coopers hawk, therefore an acciptor (bird eating hawk). Coopers go after my juveniles not tended by rooster and chicks not defended by hen (and sometimes rooster). It is against hawks that roosters defending offspring really make difference.


Red-tails are considerably larger than Coopers but once the hawk's advantage of flight is lost the outcome is likely to be same. Notice even hens attacked hawk on ground so rooster will get backup. I have seen 5-week old juveniles do same against American kestrels so not a fluke. The hawk might be able to latch onto one chicken while on its back leaving other flock members to attack un-impeded.

 

[JD4570]

Back in April a peregrine falcon attempted an attack on a hen and missed. It ended up under a low hanging liveoak branch and my rooster mortally wounded it.Next day I found the falcon about 80 yds. south of the tree along a fenceline with one puncture wound just left of center in the breast dead as a door nail. My rooster is a 8 1/2 pound Production Red with 2 3/4 inch long spurs. My rooster did loose some feathers and had his comb punctured by a talon but no serious injuries. He seems to wear the scar on his comb with pride.

 

[Lbrad7]

I am guessing that you have never seen a Red Tailed Hawks killing equipment up close. Your RIR would be dead in seconds....Attacked from the air or on the ground face to face...your roo would be dinner!

 

[cravenchx]

My brother had a red tail fly in his run, and between the roosters and hen
he left quickly!

 

[VI KING RANCH]

the hawk would win this battle! But I have had a old english game BANTAM killed a hawk before...the roo died hortly after from battle wounds he did his job his hens and legacy live on.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I have had red-tails (male and female) perch on my arm and do their darndest to keep me from picking them up when trapped. They have lots of sharp points but are delicate as well, so keep guessing.

 

[Moonkit]

The main issue is that hawks, like most birds of prey, are ambush predators. Sharp talons and beak, aside.. they aren't really equipped physically for fighting. They don't have the physical strength or flexibility for it. Yes, the rooster is doomed... unless the hawk misses that initial attack. Then the playing ground is leveled. Once the hawk looses the elements of speed and surprise (which is the stoop and dive then impact), those are its most powerful weapons gone. If it lands in an awkward spot, like the ground or a low hanging branch.. or worse, under an overhang, a brave rooster can take it on with a decent chance of winning.