Trying to Foil a Red-Tailed Hawk

[ellend]

I'm so sorry for your losses. Some parts of life really do suck.
You are traumatized. Please seek assistance from a local Grief Support group; you can find them by contacting your local hospital. You are suffering grief and guilt (even irrational guilt hurts!) over the loss of loved ones, as well as the loss of your former healthy, active life. If there are no specific grief support groups close enough, general counseling (consider it an ongoing, lifelong aid, not a short "therapy") is widely available, and is often pro-rated by income (sometimes free) if that is a concern. I don't know what kind of pain your are experiencing, but know that major hospitals have specific pain clinics; some types of pain can be reduced by "blocks," a steroid injection into specific nerve areas. Only "Pain Management Physician" specialists can do this. Insurance does cover it in most instances.
I know it's hard to make the calls when you are hurting and depressed; maybe your wife or a friend can help get you set up with some appointments that might help ease your life a bit.
Best wishes to you, friend. I hope you find relief here on Earth.

 

[tn_artist]

I think you mean abhorred...ie "ticks are abhorred" "I abhor ticks (something like that)

Have you looked into the migratory pattern of red tailed hawks in your area? That might give you an idea if they will continue to hang around or if they are just passing through. I wish you much luck with your new found predator and was sorry to read about your BO

ETA: Maybe you meant abomination? I don't know why I'm stuck on this...don't mind me!

Abhorrent. I get fixated on these things too. Ticks are one of the few creatures that truly ick me out! I hate them. (Fleas, bedbugs and mosquitoes aren't far behind)
Edited to add: yep, I commented before I finished reading all the other comments.

 

[JoCoKS]

I'm so sorry for your losses. Some parts of life really do suck.
You are traumatized. Please seek assistance from a local Grief Support group; you can find them by contacting your local hospital. You are suffering grief and guilt (even irrational guilt hurts!) over the loss of loved ones, as well as the loss of your former healthy, active life. If there are no specific grief support groups close enough, general counseling (consider it an ongoing, lifelong aid, not a short "therapy") is widely available, and is often pro-rated by income (sometimes free) if that is a concern. I don't know what kind of pain your are experiencing, but know that major hospitals have specific pain clinics; some types of pain can be reduced by "blocks," a steroid injection into specific nerve areas. Only "Pain Management Physician" specialists can do this. Insurance does cover it in most instances.
I know it's hard to make the calls when you are hurting and depressed; maybe your wife or a friend can help get you set up with some appointments that might help ease your life a bit.
Best wishes to you, friend. I hope you find relief here on Earth.

I have been suffering like crazy because of my very damage spine and the hospital I was going to would not increase the medication from my pump planted in my back so my primary doctor was furious at the lack of care and got me to a new hospital were the doctor plans to help me. My new doctor was surprised today at how little medication I was getting from the pump so he increase it 15% today and will keep increasing to give me relieve since there is a lot of room to increase the medication that the other doctor would not give me since the first of the year. My IQ was 156 before the accident and with the pain and lack of sleep my short term memory is gone. I was better off taking Opioids every six hours then suffering with this pump until now. I am hoping my life will be getting better and my fabulous sweat girls have carried me thru the worse of it. I wish they were still her so I could really spoil them for being my hens. I am raising meal worms to give them and I have a lot coming on line shorty.

 

[centrarchid]

This thread as titled is directly relevant to what I will be attempting in the coming days. Three mobile coops will be setup in an open field where during winter it is nothing to see half dozen Red-tailed Hawks at a time within easy human eye-shot of the chickens. An exceptional set of perimeters will be in place. Inner perimeter will by electrified fencing / poultry netting. Outer perimeter is a six-foot chain-link fence. Dogs (actually pups) at ready, but they are far from vetted so we will not be able to have them confined with chickens. We have a couple adult dogs I have been working with on chickens, but their primary job is to protect a hundred or so nanny goats. We have no cover and zero rooster action. Roosters in my experience not good against Red-tailed in the open, better against Coopers Hawks.

The hawks frequently perch in the chain-link fence. Pictures can be posted to show how we will be fighting the wind. We even have Bald Eagles regularly because of proximity to Moreau River and my fish culture ponds. We may be in a situation where the CD approach can be tested. We have the option of using a hoop house as a backup location to protect hens. Either way this mess will be fun.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

This thread as titled is directly relevant to what I will be attempting in the coming days. Three mobile coops will be setup in an open field where during winter it is nothing to see half dozen Red-tailed Hawks at a time within easy human eye-shot of the chickens. An exceptional set of perimeters will be in place. Inner perimeter will by electrified fencing / poultry netting. Outer perimeter is a six-foot chain-link fence. Dogs (actually pups) at ready, but they are far from vetted so we will not be able to have them confined with chickens. We have a couple adult dogs I have been working with on chickens, but their primary job is to protect a hundred or so nanny goats. We have no cover and zero rooster action. Roosters in my experience not good against Red-tailed in the open, better against Coopers Hawks.

The hawks frequently perch in the chain-link fence. Pictures can be posted to show how we will be fighting the wind. We even have Bald Eagles regularly because of proximity to Moreau River and my fish culture ponds. We may be in a situation where the CD approach can be tested. We have the option of using a hoop house as a backup location to protect hens. Either way this mess will be fun.

Hopefully it all works out well for you and the chickens. I can't imagine having that many hawks around

 

[BigBlueHen53]

@Admin, @JoCoKS needs a thread of his own. I am sympathetic to his situation and his suffering, but he will get more help elsewhere. It does sound like Predators and Pests, but this thread is about hawks. Can you help him, please? Thank you.

@JoCoKS , I hope you find the relief you seek. I am sorry for your losses and for your pain. God be with you.

 

[Rooapalooza]

How are your birds?

I have an unbelievable new hawk story, which changes my thoughts on your situation a bit.

The past week or two a small hawk has been stalking my chickens, but mostly fixated on my quail. Almost every day when I got up in the morning or got home in the afternoon, this hawk was sitting on top of my quail coop, with my poor quail all huddled up and hiding. The cage is covered in hardware cloth so I thought it was an annoying, but not life threatening situation. Then this morning when I went outside, the hawk was INSIDE THE CAGE. I have no idea how she managed it, she definitely needed help getting back out. She must have somehow wedged the door or wire open enough to squeeze in. The good thing is she only killed one quail, the bad news is she wasn't able to carry the whole thing away. I have never seen or heard of a hawk being a persistent as this one.

If your hawks are like this, I'm sure they'd have no problem getting through bird net.

 

[Double Yolked]

How are your birds?

I have an unbelievable new hawk story, which changes my thoughts on your situation a bit.

The past week or two a small hawk has been stalking my chickens, but mostly fixated on my quail. Almost every day when I got up in the morning or got home in the afternoon, this hawk was sitting on top of my quail coop, with my poor quail all huddled up and hiding. The cage is covered in hardware cloth so I thought it was an annoying, but not life threatening situation. Then this morning when I went outside, the hawk was INSIDE THE CAGE. I have no idea how she managed it, she definitely needed help getting back out. She must have somehow wedged the door or wire open enough to squeeze in. The good thing is she only killed one quail, the bad news is she wasn't able to carry the whole thing away. I have never seen or heard of a hawk being a persistent as this one.

View attachment 1990959

If your hawks are like this, I'm sure they'd have no problem getting through bird net.

Wow, most raptor handlers or rescuers I know consider hawks, owls and eagles (especially owls) to be fairly unintelligent. That's amazing.
Mercedes Lackey, the author, is also a bird enthusiast, Hawk and raptor lover and bird rescuer and her comment regarding raptors was. "I love them dearly but owls are dumb as a bag of rocks. Hawks are slightly smarter"... She didn't mention how stubborn they might be!

 

[Rooapalooza]

Wow, most raptor handlers or rescuers I know consider hawks, owls and eagles (especially owls) to be fairly unintelligent. That's amazing.
Mercedes Lackey, the author, is also a bird enthusiast, Hawk and raptor lover and bird rescuer and her comment regarding raptors was. "I love them dearly but owls are dumb as a bag of rocks. Hawks are slightly smarter"... She didn't mention how stubborn they might be!

I know! I was so impressed I wasn't even mad! Poor thing must have been very hungry. Although I have like twenty free range chickens of all ages so I don't know why she went to so much trouble for a quail. I'll let you know if she comes back tomorrow!

PS I left the rest of the carcass out for her today, but she didn't come back. Will they only eat animals they catch alive?

 

[jspeese]

You're a better person than me. Many years ago I once had an owl fly into my duck pen with a top right at dusk, while the door was still open to let the ducks out to pasture, and kill a Rouen duck right inside the pen. Let's just say the story ended there.