Stupid Hawks

[ladyearth]

Do those loud noise making cannons work for Hawks etc? saw ad on this forum. thanks

 

[greggooo]

@happyfrenchman
@greggooo @Talithahorse

I was stopped at a suburban northern ca stoplight today and watched a huge red tailed hawk make several bumble attempts to catch some type of burrowing animal. He was very...off in his attempts. Right off the side of a busy road.

Did he just dive and smack into the earth? Cause that would be funny. Saw one earlier today above my house. I'm gonna have to follow the chickens around with a baseball bat...

 

[greggooo]

The 3 S's work for me....Shoot, Shovel, Shut-up!

You know, I would have had such a problem with that until last week when a hawk tried to get my chickens. Now, I am considering applying for a permit to be able to shoot them. They are protected, but sometimes, if they attack your livestock, they can issue permits.... Or just 3S it.

 

[Mr Pink]

There is now and will ever be one viable solution to bird of prey attacks ...Covered Runs ! Your chickens may like free ranging more than being in a run but I'm sure they would prefer being alive much more then being torn apart by a hawk .

Covered run = chickens are alive - hawks are alive problem solved

 

[Star and eclipsa]

@happyfrenchman
@greggooo @Talithahorse

I was stopped at a suburban northern ca stoplight today and watched a huge red tailed hawk make several bumble attempts to catch some type of burrowing animal. He was very...off in his attempts. Right off the side of a busy road.

Red tailed hawks are my 2nd favorite type of bird, second only to the barn owl. Barn owls are such beautiful and interesting creatures.

 

[Latestarter]

Do those loud noise making cannons work for Hawks etc? saw ad on this forum. thanks

They are more effective on other birds as opposed to hawks specifically. They use them at airports to scare off geese and ducks, gulls, that sort of thing. Unless you're out there to fire it when the hawk appears, it's a lawn ornament. And if you ARE out there, waving your arms will be more than adequate to scare away any but a two legged predator.

 

[deepbluesea]

@happyfrenchman
@greggooo @Talithahorse

I was stopped at a suburban northern ca stoplight today and watched a huge red tailed hawk make several bumble attempts to catch some type of burrowing animal. He was very...off in his attempts. Right off the side of a busy road.

I had a red-tail take a hen a few weeks ago, and someone told me that there are young ones trying to make their way around right now. So they take desperate chances and are not super skillful yet.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Everyone has different experiences.... I have never had a problem with Red Tail Hawks. They are all around but I have never had one go for a chicken. Squirrels and rabbits but never a chicken. For me it has always been the Coopers Hawks that kill my birds. Young birds are definitely more reckless and perhaps desperate... but another thing to consider is that I bet you young Coopers could be mistaken for young Red Tails in certain plumage. If you don't know what you are looking at. I like letting my birds out. The hawks will have to take their chances same as any other predator. But this time of year, I do tend to leave them in more when I am not around. My wife would let them out in the spring (@10:30AM,... too early can be more dangerous) while I am at work, but now, I just tell her to leave them in. Mainly because I have young ones in the flock and I know from painful experience that the young ones are hawk magnets.

 

[happyfrenchman]

You know, I would have had such a problem with that until last week when a hawk tried to get my chickens. Now, I am considering applying for a permit to be able to shoot them. They are protected, but sometimes, if they attack your livestock, they can issue permits.... Or just 3S it.

You will never get a permit. You will only draw attention to yourself. And then, if god forbid, some hawk in your area, should suffer some totally accidental and untimely injury, ... you will get blamed for it.

 

[Kathy Golla]

Yeah @deepbluesea, there was a separate thread this weekend going about the young inexperienced red tailed hawks this time of year. This is my first year raising chickens. I never saw one hawk over my yard this year from April to almost end of November.
@happyfrenchman what is the "season" for this hawk activity? I havent quite put it together yet. They are migrating now? Are the young hawks yearlings from early this year that havent found mates yet and are hungry cause its winter? Are they young hawks migrating? What about when they nest (fledge), does the activity increase?
Im trying to figure out when it might be safer for free ranging. Once the trees leaf out? What time of day do the hawks hunt? The hawk attack I had was about 4:00 pm.