Well, finally happened--Cooper hawk --Up dated 9-17 page 3

[woodmort]

Quote:
Great observations. I've never had a problem with resident hawks(mostly red tails) but I think this cooper was a transient on his/her way south. Have been very careful the last couple of days and <knock on wood> haven't seen it around. I have seen a cooper chase a grouse through the trees--both going as fast as they could--very interesting sight. I have no idea how it turned out as they were gone in an instant. From what I've read these hawks can be very persistent, even to the point of chasing prey on the ground and reaching into bushes to pull them out.

My wood ducks--they stop on their way by in spring and fall--haven't shown up yet. They'll spend a couple of days on our pond then leave.

 

[centrarchid]

Following images show how great blue herons excluded from fish ponds.

First shows overall pond with deer neeting around perimeter.

Second shows bailing twine forming 2-dimensional roughly 6 foot squares.

System not affective against mammals but might be very cheap way to keep out avian predators, especially if string provide smaller openings and possibly more 3-dimensional.

I was thinking it could be setup so this does not obstruct critters, including chickens on ground, by making so bottom of deer netting 1 foot off ground. Critters coming from air would have to walk in making such a hunt very stressfull on predator if thoughts about getting out are considered.

 

[woodmort]

Last time I was at the fish hatchery in Caldonia NY they had fishline strung over all their outdoor ponds to keep out the herons. The main thing was to prevent aerial attacks, once the birds are on the ground they are fairly easy to avoid since they don't want to be in a place where they cannot take off quickly.

 

[centrarchid]

That logic might effect some raptors as well. I keep mulling over using a single sheet of deer netting stretched out horizontally approximately 1 foot above the ground as a sheet between 4 post. The chickens might treat it like a heavy bushes when the hawk comes calling yet enable them to see the hawk when they are under the netting. The hawk upon seeing netting during stoop might break off attack. If hawk does not break off, then it should bounce off netting like a trampoline. This scenario contingent upon chickens not be flushed from cover of netting. If hawk decides to pursue chickens under netting, then we need to see what chickens will do. Will they become aggressive to raptor on ground or flush and have hawk catch one of them out from under netting. Getting chickens to recognize netting as cover might require drapping black plastic strips over it. I thinking of adult chickens with at least one mature rooster that covers hens regularly. Defensive behavior of roosters attributed by some for hens might actually be rooster protesting his reproductive investment (offspring).

I am gonna field test this in week or so to see if birds will use it as cover.

 

[Lbrad7]

I gotta ask...what is the point of even having ponds or even chickens if you have to go to such extreme and unattractive measures to keep out herons or hawks? I keep mine in a covered run that looks reasonably attractive and let the birds free range when I am free to set out with them. Im not sure I could stand having ponds that were surrounded with fence poles and fencing with strings running back and forth across it. The reason you have them is for their beauty and the wild live they attract. (unless you are raising fish commercially)

think the main reason we all keep chickens is for their utility and their beauty along with their crazy antics. It seems to me that if you make a human spider web of fishing line and hanging CDs and pie tins along with a scare crow or two, you are making a landscape that would be more stressful than serene. Just my two cents...

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I have four ponds each stocked with 600 fish. Each fish has a PIT tag like used for pets that cost $5 each. When I do math, spending a couple hundred dollars in materials and a days laber is warranted. I am raising fish in commercial setting for research.

In the end, the fishing line / bailing twine not going to be practical, but might lead to something that is. We are just playing or should say experimenting.

 

[Lbrad7]

I mentioned that I totally get it if you are raising fish or chickens commercially. You have to do whatever it takes to protect your investment!

I was referring to people who build ponds for the zen feeling and cover them with netting or wire. I understand it because of the expense of some of the ornamental fish they stock them with but I would consider less expensive fish and think of dealing with some loss before going so far as to cover the pond with something that doesnt blend in. It just seems to destroy the whole feeling you are trying to convey.

As far as my birds go, I have a covered run and a secure coop. I also have a huge fenced in lot that isn't covered that they get access to when I get home from work and I let them free range only when I can be out with them until its time to go back to the roost. When they are on the open lot, I accept the risk of losing a bird or two from the terrors from the sky but its worth it for them to live a more fulfilled life. At least to me it is...

 

[centrarchid]

I am trying to get birds to reliably survive in a series paddicks flocks will be rotated over. Paddicks in total to cover about 6 acres. Ultimately want birds to free range in paddics to have more cover than a fence or mobile roost / bank of nest will provide. My situation has red-tail and red-shouldered hawk nest which will put heavy pressure on free range juveniles if precautions not taken. I hope a livestock guard do will enable free range when i am not present. I is also fun trying to outwit wild life and sometimes the chickens as well to get latter to thrive.

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
I assume the pond protection is for valuable fish, in the case of the hatchery the herons were killing breeder fish--not my call it was the DEC's.

Now as far as my birds are concerned I have 40+ that have a large yard and I refuse to lock them in a small coop or tiny run because I want them to have room to be chickens. However they are vulnerable to predators and I have a life outside of watching them 24/7 so I do what I have to do to make favorable odds for their survival--this includes locking them up each night in a secure coop and stringing mono-filament line--which is nearly invisible--over part of their yard to slow down aerial attacks. If I thought scarecrows would work, I'd use them but having live in the country for 70+ years I found they aren't effective unless you want to keep moving then around. BTW, the stuff like CD's, pie tins and scarecrows don't seem to stress chickens in the least and aren't in anyway as unattractive some cobbled together coops and covered runs.

Also, after you've spent 25 years carefully breeding a line of chickens only to have them wiped out by a predator then you can come back an tell me how much of a waste of time it is to try whatever you can to protect them.

 

[centrarchid]

I have same justification based on time, labor and material investment. My birds are not something acquired from some hatchery that can simply be replaced. Also want to have a little predator pressure to keep my lines competant in a free range setting.

If the monofilament works, then it will be very cheap to use. Florescent monofilament might also be worth considering. Red-tails at least use florescent nature of vole urine to detect areas of high prey activity. Brite (to a hawks eyes) lines might be a better deterent than something they can not see untill last instant.