Rotten Hawks!

[stephhassler]

This one got one of my 4 remaining leghorn hens. What a terrible summer. I started out with 9 leghorns and I'm now down to 3. We live next to a river so we have tons of hawks and eagles but I've never had one kill a chicken before. Maybe I'll have to try one of the windsocks like another BYC posted.

 

[HarlansHollowFarms]

I use bird netting over the runs...if they are free ranging, I don't know what you would try.

 

[Bedste]

I am so sorry for your loss... what a horrible hawk. I am proud of you for taking this photo... I needed to see the reality of the ordeal. I have seen hawks flying around so I stopped FREE RANGING yesterday... I do not know what else to do...I cannot cover an acre with anything and they go everywhere

 

[stephhassler]

Yeah, I'm not sure what to do either. My only option is coop or free range - I don't have a run. I pelted the hawk with my son's bb gun and I haven't seen it since. I'm guessing it will be back tomorrow for another meal. I may have to keep the bb gun loaded!

 

[Country Heart]

Not sure that there is much you can do to stop a hawk. My birds survived a close call with one the other day. I quickly moved them to the covered pen.

I guess this is an unavoidable risk of free range.

 

[Bedste]

How many birds do you have and how did you quickly move them?

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I'm planning a cattle panel tractor to safely let my girls eat fresh grass and bugs.

The only time I let them out of their covered dog kennel run is when I'm sitting out there watching.

I have red tail, bald eagles, coyote and my own dogs who could possibly grab a chicken head if the girls stuck their head through the 2" x 4" no climb fence.

Is it possible you could construct a tractor of some sort?

 

[doublebow]

I am sorry about your leghorn. I've had a hawk doing fly-by's all week. My chickens are under trees and so far I haven't had any taken. I only have a small 8ft by 10ft coop for nighttime and they have a yard under the trees for daytime. I know it's just a matter of time before it gets one of my chickens but I can't possibly net a 100ft by 50ft yard! Someone told me that a great pyrenees or similar dog would help.

 

[Bedste]

or German Shepherd.... Once my German stops chasing the chickens I can let him run loose. For now he is on a chain in the middle of the yard when they free range... Maybe the hawk does not see the chain.. hnmm

 

[Redwood Forest Bantams]

Why are they rotten? are they not behaving the way nature intended? we are the ones invading their space... it sucks to have one livestock destroyed, but look at all we have done to nature...