Thought a hawk got one of my pullets

[EatMorSteak]

I woke up from a nap after hearing my roosters crowing around 5:00pm. I have 3 cockerals and 3 pullets and they have been free ranging since 9:00am. I looked outside and about 15 feet from my chicken tractor I saw a hawk just standing on the ground. I walked towards it and it flew away immediately. I didn't see any feathers or any signs of dead bird. I whistled for my chickens and they all showed up except 1. I thought to myself that darn hawk got one of my pullets. I decided to get them all back into their coop as I saw 2 hawks fly by. As they started going into the coop my missing hen flewdown from one of the trees and ran right into the tractor. Phew ... that was a relief.

I'm guessing the hawk attacked and this one hen got separated from the flock and just hid up in a tree. I'm just glad she's back.

 

[Frithest]

Yikes!
I have 8 babies (3 and 4 week olds chicks) and let them out intp a sort-of play pen in the back yard for supervised release a couple of hours a day, to get them out of their brooder box in the kitchen. One day I was sitting out there with them and a juvenile cooper's hawk flew over head and landed on a neighbor's backyard table. It watched me for about 5 minutes, then flew into a tree between our yards. Then it flew right by me and watched us from the other boundary of my yard. Then I went over and talked to it, and it flew away. I haven't seen it since but I know those chicks would have been a goner if I hadn't been there, and if the pen hadn't had a lid on it.
Good luck with the hawks. I hope they stay away!

 

[kareninthesun]

hummmm. Never thought about them migrating south. I'm within spitting distance of Mexico, so I'm speculating that many of the hawks to the north of the west coast may be taking up air space in my area. Or, how far south do they go? Will they winter here, or continue on? This is my first year with chickens, all under 6 months, the older ones free range during the day, those under 5 weeks I've started free ranging for a short period of time under very strict supervision. Yesterday a hawk brazenly landed and was trying to figure out how to get to the young ones in their pen outside. The top is meshed in hard wire, but boy, both they and I were not happy campers. Since their pen is intentionally built tall and wide, they could not have been scared into the hawks range. I also keep huge planters on their sides, with soft hay in them in case they want to use them, or in this case, all of them crammed into one, screaming their little hearts out.

 

[EatMorSteak]

I never really worried about them and have always let them free range all day even when I wasn't at home. After seeing that hawk so close to the coop I'm now a little nervous. I'm only letting them free range when I'm at home.

 

[chicmom]

Oh, that's terrific news!

 

[ryan820]

If you have any crows or ravens by, encourage they're protection by feeding them and keeping them around. Hawks and crows hate each other and crows are ornery enough to win the battle for the territory!

 

[Chicky Monkey]

Poor little babies!!!!! Those dadgummed hawks should stick to mice and snakes!!! Can a hawk take a full-grown chicken? Can night hawks grab chickens? I've had alot of night hawks flying around toward evening when I'm letting my 5-month-old girls free range for awhile before roost-time. This is my first year with chickens, too, and I can't believe how attached I am to each and every one of my seven chickie babies! I cried for days after a neighbor's ferrel cat got a sparrow I was raising....I can't imagine how heart-wrenching it would be to lose a chicken!

 

[EatMorSteak]

Interesting note about the crows. Didn't know that.

 

[openheartnp]

Quote:
Thanks! This is something I will try. A coyote got my beloved "Vengence". I have been overprotective since then. They get locked in when I go shower, let alone leave the house.