Temporary hawk proofing. Will it work?

[Raccoonrider]

So a couple of weeks ago I realized that I had a predator problem. A couple of days later I found out it was a hawk. Seems to enjoy coming every few days around 8:15 for a snack. 2 chicks down I knew I had to do something. I have a roughly 12x60 pen that they have had since early spring to run around in but its uncovered. The shape of the pen makes it near impossible to use any deer netting or even the large 25x25 bird netting. Its not an odd shape and its on a slope. So reading another post I read about using twine. My pen is half t posts and half cedar posts that stick out 8ft in the air. So i have wrapped twine around the posts and basically made a huge mess over my pen.
There are still gaps of maybe a foot and a half at most in a few places. But thats the largest. Would a hawk be brave enough to fly down into something that size where theres really no guarantee that he will be able to get back out? I have a 10x10x6 dog kennel that i plan to combine with another 10x10x6 kennel and use for their future pen but waiting for a deal on craigslist is leaving my flock vulnerable. On a side note it is a smaller hawk...his wingspan is maybe 2 1/2 feet at most. He seems to only be targeting my chicks that are between 5-8 weeks old. The 6 month olds are ignored.

 

[Birdlover 13]

I read that you can hang old CDs so that they reflect sunlight which keeps the hawks away. Hope it helps!!!

 

[aart]

So a couple of weeks ago I realized that I had a predator problem. A couple of days later I found out it was a hawk. Seems to enjoy coming every few days around 8:15 for a snack. 2 chicks down I knew I had to do something. I have a roughly 12x60 pen that they have had since early spring to run around in but its uncovered. The shape of the pen makes it near impossible to use any deer netting or even the large 25x25 bird netting. Its not an odd shape and its on a slope. So reading another post I read about using twine. My pen is half t posts and half cedar posts that stick out 8ft in the air. So i have wrapped twine around the posts and basically made a huge mess over my pen.
There are still gaps of maybe a foot and a half at most in a few places. But thats the largest. Would a hawk be brave enough to fly down into something that size where theres really no guarantee that he will be able to get back out? I have a 10x10x6 dog kennel that i plan to combine with another 10x10x6 kennel and use for their future pen but waiting for a deal on craigslist is leaving my flock vulnerable. On a side note it is a smaller hawk...his wingspan is maybe 2 1/2 feet at most. He seems to only be targeting my chicks that are between 5-8 weeks old. The 6 month olds are ignored.

It might work....many hawks can cruise thru the branches in the woods tho, so maybe not.
It might get tangled or bounce off enough to make ti look for dinner elsewhere.

How big is your pen?
Are there hiding places inside it?

 

[dekel18042]

I read that you can hang old CDs so that they reflect sunlight which keeps the hawks away. Hope it helps!!!

What you've done and this can help. You can also hang wind socks and wind chimes around or on your pen.

 

[aart]

Hanging shiny or noisy stuff might work for a few days, but they will soon get used it and it won't deter them in the least.

 

[MistyMountain]

We bought some of this two years ago and zip tied them together to cover our run. Not a hawk loss since. It's not Fort Knox quality, and other predators can certainly chew right through, but it has held up and done it's job here. In fact, I will probably do the same thing over our new run until we close it all in. It also keeps chickens in

http://www.lowes.com/pd_510603-23132-208575___?productId=50119483&pl=1&Ntt=bird+net

 

[Raccoonrider]

Yeah i guess pictures would help. Like I said this is a temporary setup because
A. Im waiting to get another 10x10x6 kennel to attach
B. We have some large electric lines behind our property and the electric company is coming in within the next few weeks to take down ALL my trees in my back yard due to some new federal standards. With all the work thats going to be done im sure that they are going to destroy the current pen with all the falling limbs and whatnot.

80% of my pen has been under a nice canopy of trees and pretty soon they will be out in the open for all to see. Which actually brings me to another question. I went outside yesterday and found not 1...not 2. not 3. But 6 hawks flying around probably an area the size of a football field. I see them all the time but I have never had the chance to count them like that before. I mean..we have a ton of them around here. What happens when a species of bird goes unchecked? Why are they protected at all they seem to be doing juuuuuuust fine.

 

[dekel18042]

Hanging shiny or noisy stuff might work for a few days, but they will soon get used it and it won't deter them in the least.

Perhaps if you have hawks permanently living near you, but this time of year is hawk migration and most are just passing through and won't stay long enough to become accustomed to your detriments .
For permanent hawks, even semi covering seems to help along with hiding places for the chickens, roosters with the flock, activity near the chicken area, and encouraging crows and blue jays to live nearby.
A while ago I read on this forum of someone encouraging the smallest hawks by hanging lots of bird feeders. He claimed the smaller hawks were not a threat to his chickens and they discouraged the larger ones.
I've tried everything I have mentioned (except for encouraging small hawks) and we haven't had a chicken killed by a hawk in many years (Had no roosters then.) and in the past over two years have witnessed only two unsuccessful hawk attacks and they were on younger smaller chickens.

 

[Raccoonrider]

I had 2 roosters. One was very agressive...Even as a$$hole. Attacked the kids and me every time i came up there. He was a bantam and no attacks occured while he was here. He has been gone about 4 weeks now. Now its just my barred rock and a 8 week old BCM rooster. I noticed this morning the BCM rooster was the only one to alert the flock that the hawk was even near. The much larger and more mature barred rock did nothing. Starting to question how useful he even is. We have no crows in the area I have literally never seen 1. I do know that these are not temporary hawks. Their nest is approx 1/3 mile from my house. And yes I do have a few places for shelter. There are a few hiding places in the pen for them to go but judging by the size of the hawk i have seen twice now he is able to fit in these hiding places. Recommend buying another rooster? I only have 9 hens 4 of which are under 12 weeks.