Terrorizing my chickens.

[Big Head Boy]

 

[GitaBooks]

YIKES! Can it reach through to them?

 

[Big Head Boy]

No he can't get to them. I have had them locked up for a week. Cause two came up missing,In last couple of weeks. My neighbor seen a fox this morning too

 

[tjo804]

Wow that is weird like he is watching his favorite tv show or picking a lobster at red lobster.

good luck gettin rid of that guy! Maybe the fox will do it for you

At least I think the fox can be shot.

 

[JanetS]

Wow! What about spraying it with the hose? I guess you don't have a dog? I've never seen anything like that.

Poor chickens. Good luck.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

I've never seen anything like that!

Spraying it with a hose sounds like a good idea. That is one brazen hawk, I think you will need to completely terrify him before he even thinks about leaving.

Another thing you could do- get some old dvds or cds that are broken or you don't use anymore. Tie them to the wires there so the shiny side faces out. Hawks have very sensitive eyes. I do not think it would stick around when the discs reflect the sunlight.

 

[ExBattChicks]

Try the water spray or the DVDs or something of this sort. I"m rather shocked at how quickly people are ready to do away with wild animals that are just doing what they do naturally. Really, we have chickens that we love and protect, but when it comes to predators, we're ready to shoot them? Surely there is a solution to deter this bold hawk even if it means borrowing someone's dog for a while and letting it scare the hawk away! I agree, poor chickens...but that hawk is just wanting a meal just like we do when we go to a restaurant and look over a menu....

 

[Folly's place]

It's a federal offence to kill or harass any raptors here in the USA. If your birds are kept in their safe coop and run for a couple of weeks, he'll give up and move on. We had a Coopers hawk behave that way a couple of years ago. It was actually sort of funny; "Come out and play, little girl" He gave up after about three weeks, the longest time ever. The only good thing about hawk predation is that the bird only does take one at a time. I lost ten nice hens one afternoon to a fox! You could set up electric wire around the coop too. See if he sits on that! Mary

 

[HeritageGoose13]

I don't think anyone mentioned killing the hawk, unless the post was deleted. I do not think using a hose counts as harassment, as the hawk is free to leave. It is more of a deterrant, same as scaring it with a dog or something.

 

[ExBattChicks]

No, no one talked about hurting the hawk. I was, however, a bit shocked about the comment: 'At least I think the fox can be shot...'. I can't blame any wild animal for doing what comes naturally to it and eating is definitely natural! And if you think about it, nature also has a food chain: the fox and the hawk also have predators (usually MAN!) that they need protection from, too!!

We have a family of hawks flying over our house all the time (we live in a very forested area) since they have their nest nearby...though they have always been around, only this year do I see and hear them every day. At first I was worried for one of my cats because she is so small, but I have been told that they probably won't go after a cat as they prefer other kinds of prey. With all there is around us, I am hoping they will leave my sweet kitty alone. As for chickens, their run is covered and I would never leave them unprotected!! That would be unfair to both sides as I would hate myself for exposing the girls and hate myself for tempting the hawks into action.

But if ever I do have a situation like the one in the photo, I will for sure hook up a good garden hose and try to humanely convince the hawk that a chicken of mine is not worth getting all wet for!!

I think we can live with wild animals..we just have to understand their likes and dislikes and use them to help us find natural ways to distance them from the objects they think they would like to have. (Just like I wish I could find a way to distance myself from that bar of chocolate loitering in the kitchen!! haha!!)

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