What can I do to scare away a hawk?

[Dill]

I heard playing music scares them away.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Yes I know other have been told also. You would think they would know. But you cant kill any bird of prey no matter what reason here in the USA.

 

[cmom]

A friend used an wooden owl and the hawk sat on top of it head. Some other friends used the CD's and the hawks didn't come around. I vote for the CD's. When my birds were younger I made my range area smaller attached to a covered run. I put netting over the range area because I had some Red tailed hawks and some Bald eagles. There are some pictures on my BYC page.

 

[Koricory]

Giant red-tail hawk killed 5 guineas and two roosters.

Going to try the CDs.

Also heard they don't like crows and i have a few crow decoys I'll post them around.

Also will try the fishing line up high around the area where my chickens and guineas forage.

thanks for the suggestions!

 

[NateinFL]

Please dont feel that CDs work 100%. I tried it, hung at least 20 CD's around bushes, trees etc. Let my chicks out unattended and came out an hour later to witness a juvenile sharp-shinned flying off with a baby, out of the bushes, directly under the Cd's. Maybe I didnt hang them right I dont know but dont let your guard down just cause you have CDs hangin. It probably just decreases your chances of a hawk attack. I had read hawks went nowhere near CDs. Just hope some others learn from my misunderstandings.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I'm sorry you still had losses even after hanging CDs. For several years I have had little problems with the hawks & credited the hanging CDs & spinning spinwheels in addition to my many roosters who always call a warning when hawks are near. But in the past couple of months my flock has suffered about eight different losses on eight different days. Once I watched as the hawk flew out of one pen where I had hung the most CDs & even some wind chimes, but that was on an overcast day & I wonder if it wasn't as scary since there wasn't enough sun to reflect back. I am working on putting more secure material over the run when I can. I think the CDs can be a good deterrant but certainly not a sure preventative.

 

[JCoogle]

I also heard that sudden loud noises can cause them to stop coming around. Like a shotgun blast(not at them). I had one perched in the back yard above my chickens ahd I did this and have not seen him since.

 

[KathyK]

So, will hawks not go after fully grown standard chickens? I'm new, so need tips. I plan to get chickens next spring and have hawks almost every morning nearby. I hope keeping them under netting until grown will be enough. I'd like to let them free range (supervised) at some point. Anyone lose adults to hawks?

 

[Wildsky]

I have a goat and guinea's.. but still had a hawk "window shopping" that was until the crows saw it...............

Big ugly crows, but they did a good job! I still chase the crows.

 

[LizFM]

Quote:
Yes I know other have been told also. You would think they would know. But you cant kill any bird of prey no matter what reason here in the USA.

What that probably means is That Particular Officer would chose not to do anything about it. But that doesn't mean that some other federal, state or local officer/agency wouldn't come after you for it if they found out.

Way more than just a local city police officer or Sheriff can arrest/prosecute you for breaking this law. Local cops wouldn't necessarily know it's even illegal...they don't deal with the breaking of federal wildlife laws, so they don't need to. If you really want to know what you can do, contact your State Game and Fish Department. They are the ones who know the laws about this issue.

You CAN protect your animals...by using housing and management practices that prevent access or discourage the hawk/eagle/owl (owls are raptors too and protected).

What you CAN'T do is kill, trap, transport, or even, technically, chase off (harass) an actual bird. Not without breaking a federal law.

And, even if an officer is...disinclined to go after you for breaking this law...if you publicly state you have done/are doing this...a wildlife officer could get in trouble for not coming after you. They are obligated to enforce those laws.