stupid hawks

[Lenis]

So just when I think I'm getting the hang of this chicken thing we add something new to the mix. I have 20 five week old leghorns. I've got a nice coop, but it's been super warm here and it gets to 100 degrees inside even with the screened Windows open on both sides. I let them out in an enclosed run, which they love, but it consists of chicken wire and netting on top. I finally found all the holes and we haven't had a Houdini escape in a while which is good because the kids go back to school and there will be no one here to babysit. So today I look out the window and see no chickens in the run and then I notice a massive red tailed hawk sitting on the picnic bench watching my babies hide under the coop. I have no idea what happened prior to this, but upon discovery the dog and I charged out the door screaming. The babies promptly went into the coop and refused to come out. They're all mouth breathing so I.keep chasing them into the yard and ive been sitting with them all day. It took a long time for their behavior to return to normal. What am I going to do when there's no one here to watch them? Can a hawk get through the netting? I'm ready to drop a small fortune on a massive dog cage to cover the run. Any advice besides quitting my job and becoming a chicken watcher?

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

Chicken watcher can be a fun job!

In a seriousness, unless there's a hole in the netting, I don't think a hawk can get through. However, other predators won't be thwarted by the bird net or the chicken wire. Raccoons and weasels can get through the chicken wire and grab your chickens, and raccoons will rip the netting above. Coyotes can rip the chicken wire with their jaws, and if they jump above, the net probably won't hold its weight. You might want to consider fortifying your coop with 1/2" hardware cloth above and on the sides. Note that predators (fox, raccoon, coyote, rat, you get the idea) can dig under a fence too, so you may want to take measures there.

For our coop, we used metal lathe (like for stucco) because it was cheaper than hardware cloth and we don't have that many large predators. We also sunk cement down and around the perimeter of the coop. We are in hawk migration path and there are plenty of resident hawks in around here too, so we hung some bird netting over part of our backyard. We let our chickens free range all day, and we know that eventually the odds are against us, but we want our chickens to be able to roam and forage as much as possible. The netting we stretch overhead has already bought them precious extra seconds to hide and duck from cover from some very sneaky and hungry hawks. We had several close calls. As for the cement perimeter, we have seen evidence of an animal trying to dig, but they kept hitting cement, so it hasn't returned.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I agree with adding additional heavier wire. 2x4 welded wire is not as expensive as hardware cloth but does pose a certain difficulty in installing. It MUST have the huge fence staples you pound in with a hammer. (note to the wise here use needle nose pliers to hold them so you don't mash a finger.)

Those few seconds the netting can buy are precious escape seconds. Hawks can be very determined as well. One nearly got my huge Delaware hen and then stuck around for several weeks. I no longer allow free reign of the back yard. If they are to be out I am right there. Not in the house to use the bathroom or grab a cold drink, right there with them the entire time. The one that tried for the Delaware came in seconds after I stepped into the workshop to cut one board. It was fast and caught my eye as it banked by the apple tree. That was last fall. That hen has not laid one single egg since. She is a freak about certain things now.

If they are panting hard from a fright it is best to let them calm down on their own.

One thing that has helped mine is adding shade cloth to the roof of the run. No see em no problem. Lowes sells it by the linear foot and it is about 6 foot wide. It lets the water through and keeps the visual the hawks have limited. They cannot see the chickens and the chickens cannot see them.
My run is covered in chicken wire and the shade cloth. Not secure against everything but being in town coyotes are not an issue. Hawks, fox, racoon, and dang mice are my biggest issues.

 

[Lenis]

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to get shade cloth tomorrow and work on a better plan from there. I'm not to worried about other animals. They are secured in their coop before sundown and I'm close to the city. Not much else going on. But I was surprised by the hawk so I guess I could be surprised again!

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am smack in the middle of town and we have racoon and fox running about. Yup you will be surprised by what pops up once they find chickens are there.

THEY have always been there just not so noticed before.

 

[centrarchid]

A low cost upgrade would be to apply a couple to a few strands of hotwire around outside perimeter of existing chicken wire. That can deny ground predators wanting to challenge the netting on top of the run. If netting designed for birds, then I suggest is be swapped out for deer netting. Weasels tougher but for me those are critters most likely to be an issue when near water / stream.

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

I'm in a suburban neighborhood, in a fairly densely populated region (on the border or LA and Orange counties). We have coyotes in the area, and they've become extra brazen with the California drought. Other animals potentially dangerous to our chickens/ chicks/ eggs in the area are raccoons, opossums, skunks, rats, red-tailed Hawks, Cooper's hawks, and peregrine falcon.

 

[123RedBeard]

Maybe add a box fan to one of the windows to move more air through it ...