stupid hawk!!!

[brahmakid11]

there was a huge hawk swooping down trying to get my chickens and the chickens were going insane what should i do about this?

 

[FrenchToast]

Quote:
There is another thread going that you replied to about shooting hawks. I also replied in case you didn't see it. It is illegal to shoot hawks, owls, eagles and I'm sure others. As someone posted on that thread you may want to be careful what you say online etc, even at school, work or to your neighbors. You could end up with a huge fine, jail or both.
Even owning an eagle feather will do the same !! Just an FYI

 

[Stacykins]

Quote:
Shooting it with a pellet gun is considered harassment, and also illegal. And guess what? Even a simple pellet gun can be lethal. The pellets can break the skin and setup a massive infection. Cruel, if you ask me. Just calm down and pen your chooks up for a week or two.

Nature abhors a vacuum, so if you kill the bird, another will just take its place.

 

[brahmakid11]

i said if i was allowed to and i was talking about airsoft

 

[FrenchToast]

Do you have a cover over your run? If not you may want to put one on or if they are free ranging you may want to keep them in a covered run for a few days or longer if need be to see if the hawk moves on.
The other thread that you had replied to earlier has other ideas. Good Luck. I think even an airsoft would be considered harassing. Shooting scare shots away from the bird might be ok but all of that would depend on where you live etc. Best try other methods first.

 

[GatorChickenRanch]

Use bird netting. Put it up with some kind of poles over where your birds are free-ranging. If a hawk tries to swoop down on them, it won't be able to get through the netting. It's the cheaper option in my opinion, but you'll still want to have a good coop/run for your birds.

 

[six_eclectic_chickens]

I have heard that if you string fishing line across your yard randomly between fence posts and trees or shrubs for example, so if the hawks swoops down and stirkes the line, it will never come back.

 

[flashover1969]

It's frustrating but you have to use other methods. Hawks are raptors and are protected under the Migratory Bird Act, which makes protecting your chickens much more difficult. There are other post on the forums with ideas on how to frighten them. There is a way to get a permit to kill them, but it involves another federal agency, and there is so much red tape to go through, your whole flock would be eaten by the time you actually got the permit.

Personally, I think an amendment to the migratory bird act is due. Hawks are no longer endangered and when they become a nuisance, a flock owner should be able to easily obtain a permit to trap or kill pest raptor, or federal enforcement should have to get off their gluteus maximus and take care of it. Just my 2 cents