Will a hawk eat my hens??

[chickengeorgeto]

.... I ...... want to know if a swamp harrier hawk would be able to pick up our chickens..... Please tell me if you think the hawk will threaten our hens!!....

I am not a Kiwi so take that into consideration, but I don't know of a hawk species that is able to pickup and flyaway with a grown standard size hen or rooster.

Observe how difficult it is for the hawk in this video to move a RLR hen even 6 inches. If i am correct I think that 6 inches is equal to about 150mm in New Zealand terms. Whether the hawk can leave with your hens or not is immaterial because your chicken will in any case be dead.

 

[ben0125]

Can you make them a chicken tractor for day use?
It would help keep hawks out and give the hens fresh grounds.

Well they have a coop.

 

[ben0125]

Do you have any larger animals free roaming the yard along with the chickens?

We have ducks, pukekoes, a cat and juust alot of birds around the place

 

[Farmgirl47]

I, for one, have lost chickens to hawks before.

Although if I were you I would let them out for an hour or so each day, but only if you are at home and able to keep an eye on them.

 

[ben0125]

I live in NZ, and have had a few bad experiences with hawks. Okay, hawks will attack and eat full grown ducks. But wether or not the hawk tries to eat your hens depends a few factors

.if you have a lot of roadkill (i find the hawks in our area prefer to eat dead possums, than bother to kill anything
. Do you have other animals? Hawks prefer to attack a singular animal, or an animal in a small group. If you have cows, pigs, goats, horses, ducks or dogs around hawks will be less likely to attack
. Size is a very low factor to anything. In fact, if a hawk is desperate, it'll kill a hen that is about it's size meters in front of a human
.Do you have some sheltered spaces around? Small bushes, fruit trees, junk, if you have any spaces a hen can hide during an attack, that'll lower her chances of being eaten greatly

I hope this helps
-Feather

We live in dairy flat so there are farms just everywhere! We have neighbours with horses, dogs, chickens, pig and cows. But we also have possums, ducks, ducklings, pukeko everywhere! And i think they can hide from them. Link to property :view: https://www.bayleys.co.nz/1350374

 

[The Angry Hen]

Okay... I will try to help you with this. First off I haven't had any problems with hawks yet, and I don't want to. But yes- hawks will eat a hen or a rooster if they were available. A rooster will be able to protect the hens from a hawk for a few minutes, so the hens can take cover. But the rooster will most likely get a terrible injury or it may cause sudden death. Personally, I don't free range UNLESS I am out at all times or in eye shot of the flock. They are in a covered run. I very much doubt if there are enough bushes, trees, tent-like items, cars & shade that a hawk would be able to catch a hen(s). But there still is a strong possibility. So I can't really help with the hawk situation, due to never having an inccident with my hens, but I could help you with other predators. I have had a fox attack once. Lucky he got just two Guinea fowl and not the whole flock... But two too many. That is why I honestly don't free range any more. I was gone for twenty minutes then BAM. I live surrounded by trees; I honestly can't free range even if I tried. I used lead to solve that problem and covered the dens with large logs. They are no longer welcome on my property. It's a hit-or-miss situation with predators. One that we can try to control... But you can't control it if they free range. I hope everything goes well for you and your flock, and I hope this information helps. Good luck, God bless. Have a nice day! (Welcome to Backyard Chickens by the way. It is a pleasure to have you and nice to meet you!)

 

[twilightgecko]

hawks also feed on chickens more when their main food source [mice] are hard to find, like in winter.. i live in upstate n.y. and had a hawk try to grab one of my barred rocks, luckily my hen was too big to deal with and she dropped her.. this was during a long snowy period.. but my girls free range and run for cover when they see a hawk.. a rooster will watch over most flocks, if no rooster, than a dominant hen will take that job on.. i have one girl that sounds an alert when she sees a hawk..

 

[venymae]

We have had hawk problems here in KS. Red tailed hawks are the most common. Roosters help but are not a guarantee. YES they eat chickens.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Depends on the rooster. Had friend who had a hen attacked by a large hawk and the rooster ran and hid. I know most will stand up for their ladies though. But then you may end up with loosing or having an injured rooster Hawks around my area are HUGE.

 

[Birdsong 82]

My suggestion if you don't have dogs or pigs or goats or any larger animals around would be like one other poster said is to let them out only in the evening when they can be watched. That's what my mother in law does. If you want them to be able to explore more than that a chicken tractor is great and can be made at home. Lots of plans for them online. If I didn't have my other animals that's what I would do. In my opinion a chicken who can explore is much happier