Weird Hawk Behavior...

[Sandy16]

I came home from errands yesterday and as I opened the back door to let the dogs out, there was a hawk swooping down into the back yard and the hens were scattering everywhere! Talk about scared! The girls were fine, no casualties, but now I'm afraid to let them free range. We saw the hawk a few hours later circling high up over the yard so I guess he/she will be back to see if there will be a chance to get a snack. Just a thought....if the dogs are in the yard would that keep the hawk away?

 

[Miltonchix]

Quote:
Probably not. The only thing that has kept them away for me is crows. Even Mockingbirds help if there are enough of them to mob a hawk.

 

[Lbrad7]

Quote:
I would find another vet! My bothers vet told him that his Malamute with sparkling blue eyes was a full blooded timber wolf.

Just because they are vets doesn't mean that they know everything. If he was serious when he told you that hawks won't bother grown birds he doesn't have a clue what he is talking about. It has been years ago but I had 5 Red Tails working my free range birds at the same time. The rep from the Dept. of Wildlife told me that it was impossible, that Red Tails were solitary birds and would never hunt together like that. I invited him to stop by and he could watch them in action. They took over 100 birds that summer and there wasn't a thing I could do to stop them due to the fact that they were protected.

I know keep my birds in covered runs now and only let them free range when I am able to actually sit in the fields with them. It's a shame that they can't rome free but between hawks and stray dogs they can't be allowed to do so anymore.

 

[sourland]

An adult pair will work together teaching their young how to hunt. I have seen adult red tails working together (probably a mated pair) while hunting rabbits. The female would fly low over the fields trying to flush a rabbit. Once one was flushed the male would dive down to strike and kill the rabbit. Just recently I saw an adult male circling while this years young mirrored his flight pattern from about 25 feet beneath. As the adult went up, so did the young hawk. The male started into a dive and so did the immature. As soon as the immature went into a dive the male released something from his talons which the young bird grabbed from the air. Another page in my "love-hate" relationship with raptors.

 

[rflagg2]

I have had hawks pick up my duck but thankfully drop them them back down (in the water) the two recovered and are perfectly fine. At the begining of this year I strung fishing line over my pond in every direction about 10 feet over the water. I believe that it keeps the hawks away because they are afraid of getting caught underneth of it. Because hawks have such great sight they can see it along ways a away. Last month I had a hawk sitting up in a tree over looking the pond but then left. I haven't lost any ducks to predators which is great!

 

[Kuvasz]

Lots of hawk nightmare stories here...I came to commiserate. Had my 8 week old brahmas out in their fenced play yard today...was out there most of the time with them...came in to make some lunch (coop not very far away from house)...... go back to lock them back in the coop and as I step over the fence, a hawk flies up and drops my favorite buff pullet limp to the ground! The others are terribly frightened, and I got them all back in safely..... miraculously, my little pullet is still alive. She's in a dog crate right here in my bedroom next to the bed. She's got two puncture wounds on her back/side, but no broken wings or legs or anything...and she's eating a little and drinking. She ate boiled egg like there was no tomorrow. But, she's clearly in pain, and is sleeping alot. She can stand, but prefers to lie down. It's been about 9 hours since the attack, and I think she's going to pull through...it was so traumatic, and I was kicking myself for not locking them in sooner.

What is up with hawks right now? I'm in southwestern VA. What's the migration thing I"m hearing about....are they extra active right now or something? I also have two tiny chihuahuas, and I always keep them on 5 ft. leashes when outside ...but today while up in the chickie play yard, I let the chis run and play with the chicks....now I'm scared to even do that! I've been reading a lot of stories here about hawks and their very bold behavior...I never knew they would attack with me possibly being right there!! Today, I know this one must've been watching me....it attacked the minute I went inside the house!!

 

[shesaredroan]

Kuvasc, Yes it's migration, hawk move north/south according to the seasons. As they move through they feed, spring and fall are when I usually have hawk attacks. You are dealing with a very intelligent raptor!!

Several years ago I saw something that made me question my own eyes..........fortunately someone else was with me, so at least the 2 of us were seeing the same thing. We were driving down a country road, a little before dark.......there was a plowed field on one side of this gravel road. As I looked over I saw a bunch of what I thought were LARGE dirt chunks........in my country that means the farmer plowed the field too soon, while it was too wet.........and I thought, hummmmmmmm, not a knowledgeable farmer, too bad. But as I looked more closely I realized the big dirt chunks close to the road were birds.........we stopped to look.........ALL the big dirt chunks across this field were birds!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There were hundreds of them, they were all sitting on the ground....no movement AT ALL. They were all hawks. I was SO glad I didn't see this when I was alone...........no one would have believed me!!!!!
A while later I was able to talk with a raptor expert and I learned what I'd witnessed was a hawk migration, and learned if I went back to the same field, at the same time, the next year I'd see the same thing. From the description I gave I was told the hawks were most likely red tail.
Hawk are not very fearful of humans. For centuries they have been used/taught to hunt WITH man,.........mockingbirds chase crow, crows chase hawk and hawk HUNT many kinds of prey, even small dogs.
You will want to keep your little ones protected, be they 2 legged or 4 legged. A chihuahuas doesn't look TOO different from a bunny rabbit if the hawk is hungry.
Having chickens means learning about all kinds of things!!! In my 10 years of being a chicken raiser I've learned a lot about coyote, hawk, neighbor's dogs and LOTS MORE.
Keep learning and keep your eyes to the sky..........and the ground!! I didn't even mention snakes...........AAACK!!!!!

 

[harveyhorses]

I wish they would just hit the road and get somewhere else. I lost one 3 MO Buff Orp, she was just a baby, but the Red Tailed hawk came THROUGH the neeting I had over the pen.
The other night, about 10:30 or so, I hear all heck break loose, I am pretty confident in my security, so they son't get locked in the coop at night, just in their pen. I go barrelling out there, flashlight in hand and there was a HUGE, I mean GINORMOUS owl sitting on the hardware cloth top. The girls got sent into their coop for the night. I had to actually poke it with a long stick to make it leave..
The girls don't wander out in the open too far, they tend to stay near trees, the house, etc. They have come down the basement stairs for shelter.

 

[Camelot Farms]

Quote:
I'm in SW VA too. Washington County. Hope your lil one pulls through!

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

I have watched hawks my whole life and never before heard of adult birds killing and feeding on the ground. I have seen dozens of juveniles do incredibly bizarre things out of hunger.

I guess there's a first time for everything!