Shelter from hawks

[N. Virginia]

Even with chickens in a fenced pen with netting over the top, will hawks swoop in, break the nylon netting, and get chickens?
Tx,
N. VA

 

[centrarchid]

I'm going to have to disagree with you here. I've seen a red tail hawk with one of my hens before. They where free ranging and me and my son pulled into our driveway and I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a red tail with my hen looking like he was going to fly right into my tahoe. He was flying low and couldn't get enough height with the hen to clear my tahoe and dropped her. We have red tail hawks, black hawks and bald eagles here.

I am in agreement with Oregon Blues on this issue and have some experience with raptors as predators on chickens over many years with closer observsations made recently. I have also had to deal with a Ferruginous Hawk during the winter of 2010 and 2011. Normally my location is way east of this larger species range but last winter was harsh making some raptors move about more than typical. Birds I lossed that winter to hawks included two red jungle fowl cockerels at about 3 lbs each, dominique x American game hen (~ 5 lbs), and an American dominique cock at just under 6 lbs. Hawk flew with partially consumed yet freshely killed red jungle fowl maybe 100 feet but was unable to clear a 5-foot woven wire fence. The larger birds were consumed at sight of kill over several days before a hawk, possibly not one making kills took remains of hen. I policed dominique carcass once oppossum started working on it.

 

[centrarchid]

Even with chickens in a fenced pen with netting over the top, will hawks swoop in, break the nylon netting, and get chickens?
Tx,
N. VA

Use deer rather than bird netting and make certain no gaps are large enough for hawk to pick thru. Sometimes hawk may not see netting or recognize it as a barrier so netting needs to be in good shape and not photo-degraded where it breaks easily.

 

[AliceMae]

Well, I guess I'll have to think coyotes are slinking in and snatching my chickens.

Thanks for all the info on hawks. I was having a hard time believing a hawk could lift and carry a 2-3 pound chicken very far!

Never had any of these problems when my wonderful dog was alive. A neighbor has a 3yr. old black lab he'll give me but wouldn't a lab want to "hunt" the chickens ???

(guess I should ask that question, huh ? lol !)

 

[dixiegal62]

Thankfully we have 2 aw some guard dogs that keep possum, coons, skunks and coyotes out of the yard. The hawk doesn't have to carry the chicken off to a far away place, it doesn't have to carry them at all. Just swoop down garb and kill. But in my case I did see the hawk with my chicken, no it couldn't get enough height but it was carrying it until it dropped it., and it was a red tail. Believe it or not

Since I posted this I did a search and there are a number of people who agree a hawk can and will get chickens. Threes even an article under predators from this site. We cant all be making it up,lol. Why would we?https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...ators-how-to-protect-your-chickens-from-hawks

Well, I guess I'll have to think coyotes are slinking in and snatching my chickens.

Thanks for all the info on hawks. I was having a hard time believing a hawk could lift and carry a 2-3 pound chicken very far!

Never had any of these problems when my wonderful dog was alive. A neighbor has a 3yr. old black lab he'll give me but wouldn't a lab want to "hunt" the chickens ???

(guess I should ask that question, huh ? lol !)

 

[blueferral]

My neighbors lab killed most of my chickens. Labs are bird hunting dogs.

 

[dixiegal62]

Sorry about your chickens. I have a lab mix mutt and a pitbull/lab and both of them are wonderful with our chickens. But we had another lab mix that was nothing but a killer and she had to go. She couldnt get in our coops but our ducks are on a large pond and she got a few of them.

My neighbors lab killed most of my chickens. Labs are bird hunting dogs.