Show the hawk in action! Saved my hen.

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Lisa W

Lisa W

In the Brooder
6 Years
Oct 31, 2013
12
0
22
I've lost 2 girls, most recent one was most definitely a hawk. Found the bird dead didn't see the predator. General consensus on this forum was it was a hawk. I know we have a hawk in the area as we hear it daily. I kept my girls penned up for a while since the last kill, but have gotten more comfortable the last 2 weeks and have been letting them out to free range in my fenced in back yard for most of the day when I'm home. I set up a "baby" monitor where I can hear any activity in the back yard. I was sitting in my sun room about 3:00 when I heard the birds making a ruckus. I knew the hawk had been around today and had been outside frequently checking on them. They have been real good at running under the porch when frightened. Well, I heard their cries and ran outside without my shoes on. As soon as I hit the deck I saw one of my girls down on the ground with the **** hawk on top of her. I ran into the yard yelling and waving my arms and of course it flew away. The poor hen lay there motionless, head to one side, apparently already dead. I quickly scanned the yard for the rest of the girls and saw one running for cover, the others already under the porch. I then started towards the down bird and noticed she was still breathing but laying there motionless. My fear was she was gravely injured but barely still alive. As I got close to her, to my shock, she jumped up and ran toward the porch. I of course went after her to attempt to see if she was injured. All the birds went way up under the porch and I couldn't get to them. My husband got home not long after that and helped me coax them with meal worms and we got them all in. Henny, the one attacked seems to be OK. Aside from some ruffled feathers I can see no injury. I am so amazed that she "played dead" like that. Had she not done that, and had I not been here to respond so quickly she would have been dead in another couple of seconds. Not sure what I will do now. I have got to make sure my girls are safe, but I know how much they love being out. Good luck to all of you out there with similar situation.
 
We have hawks here too and I have lost a couple of birds to them. What I do now is during the day while I am at work or otherwise busy I leave them in a covered and fenced in run. Then in the later afternoon I will let them out to free range. So far i have had success with it. The hawks seem not to be around my place anymore at that time.
 
A word of caution from experience: Hawks are smart, very persistent, and they WILL return. They learn your routine and eventually figure out when your birds are vulnerable, then they strike. I would not let your guard down. Good luck to all...
 
Today I took one of my girls out to free range and get some sun.she loves laying in the sun. She was laying down all stretched out enjoying the sun and I was petting her. Then my husband ran out and screamed look out!! I looked up and 5 feet away was a red tail chicken hawk!! I scooped my bird up so fast and with her in my arms turned to face that hawk.it then flew back and away. That hawk was about to attack with me right there!! Whew that was too close! So crazy that it was not afraid of me at first. Too close for comfort.
 
This is ridiculous. This is the second thread in 3 days I have read about hawks coming into unacceptable contact with people! Sound like something really needs to be done, Hawks can & will attack people sometimes, especially babies & small children left unaccompanied. They don't sound like they have any fear or much understanding of people at all. Those talons & that beak do a lot of damage. I've worked with birds of prey, & no joke they are very powerful, especially the larger specimens.
This was the other thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/640501/will-hawks-attack-with-someone-right-there
 
My dad was attacked by a red tail. He was walking in the woods, apparently too close to a nest. The hawk swooped down and hit his head with it's talens. He was bleeding pretty badly and very shaken up. My pigeon landed on his head once when he came for a visit and he jumped in fear. It's quite sad as he's an avid birder, biggest bird lover I know. My rooster was killed by a red tail a few weeks ago, when my dad was last year we saw the hawk and both exchanged an, "I don't think I like these birds very much anymore..."
 

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