Will a hawk return if it didn't get to eat?

[1muttsfan]

Hopefully your husband did not kill the hawk - that would be a federal crime with quite substantial legal ramifications. Hawks in the spring and fall are often migrating, and are hungry and looking for a meal. The only way to protect your birds would be a covered run. There is poultry netting available that will cover large expanses, you would have to place several support posts inside your run to hold it up.

 

[nova022]

I have a very upsetting update.Our chicken coop is plywood with a small (8x8) double hardware encased run. It's completely enclosed, the hardware cloth is buried a foot deep all around to stave off the foxes, racoons etc from digging in. This enclosure has a hardware cloth re-inforced screen door, and it adjoins a 15x30 fenced area that has two small peach trees in it. As our girls got fully grown, we started opening the enclosure door and let them free run in the fenced area, as the coop area was too small to keep them in it all day. Yesterday, my husband opened the door as usual and let them out. Not much later, he heard a terrible squawking, and found a hawk (probably the same one that killed the day before) INSIDE the coop area, with one of the Rock girls dead on the ground. Without going into details,my husband took care of the situation. The remaining three chickens were traumatized. I have learned my lesson the hard way, we will just have to find a way to enclose the top of the 15x30 area. Hawks are only doing what comes natural for them, so I can only blame myself. Thank you everyone for your input and sympathy, my heart is very heavy today......

I use aviary netting on my fenced area. So far it has worked and we have a pair of hawks that live here and raise their babies every year. My run is hardware clothed top, bottom and sides, but like you I want them to have more room, so we fenced in an area where they have more freedom. The widest netting I found was 18 ft so you might have to put a couple poles in the center to attach the netting to. I only let them in this area when I am home because it is not as secure as the hardware cloth run.

 

[alisasee]

Interesting. ...I noticed there were feathers near the opening to the run after our incident yesterday.

This morning I spotted 2 other hawks out there. It made me wonder how they knew about our hens.

Now, I dunno what to do about the whole situation. ~sigh~

 

[chirpingcricket]

Ditto on your loss and experience. We echo previous posters.
1. Be on site when we let them range (and I mean within 30 feet to throw a bamboo cane/rock etc. at the predators and dog nearby to bark and cause confusion).
2. Keep the hen house/coop door open so hens/Roo know they can get inside if no shrubbery near by.
3. Cover the top of the run with wood or tin so hawks can't see when they are out and about inside the run.
4. Last but not least, if possible, keep a real good Roo on hand! He will vigilantly watch and call the danger alarm to bring the hens to awareness and safe retreat. He will also go towards the battle! They are priceless! IMHO
Take care and hope this helps.

 

[heronz]

It will most likely come back.
It knows where to find an easy meal now.
My friend had the same thing happen and it came back a few days later and comes around to kill one every now and then.
Not every day-no real pattern-just now and again.
She disposes of the bodies sometimes catching it in the act but it just doesn't quit for long.

 

[perke]

If the yard in is the hawks territory then it will be back,but it will stop hunting your hens if you make the run difficult to get through.

I have a hawk that lives in my general area.Has never killed,but he loves to hunt the hens. I have no run.Just a lot of cover for them to run too.Plus a roo to die for them.

I wish we could have a rooster in our neighborhood. They are truly amazing creatures.

 

[cmom]

I wish we could have a rooster in our neighborhood. They are truly amazing creatures.

I love it when an old thread gets revived. Everything still applies. Good luck and have fun...

 

[Hartj88]

I had a hawk swoop down and get one to my hens right in front of me today. 6 week old Asian black. Ran in the house got the 12 gauge and Shot right In front of it. That hawk flew so fast that I don’t think he will be back very soon. I don’t play no games with them around here

 

[mommiesrcool]

I lost one of my beloved Pymouth Rock girls at dusk tonight.....caught a hawk on the ground with her that seemed to have broken her neck. She was dead, but the hawk hadn't had a chance to start eating yet when I scared it off. I'm thinking of putting my girls into their coop/fortress about a half an hour before dusk from now on. If we're vigilant for the next week, think the hawk will give up? Or do the keep returning once they feel they have a chance at an easy meal? My heart is broken...someone please tell me chickens go to heaven.....

it will come back I just had a problem with a hawk yestery but it killed my chicks and hurt my hen I am going to get a fake owl from lowes its 10$ and I will also get a scarecrow

 

[LCarr4]

I live in the woods also and have been visited by a coopers hawk many times. He didn't get anything to eat but still keeps coming back trying to figure out how to get into my girls run. My girls never free range for that reason! The run is completely enclosed with hard ware cloth. A couple nights ago I noticed were something tried to dig under the run. Sorry about that coons life, but hardware cloth saved my girls from a massacre. When the coon hit the cloth that is buried six inches down he stopped digging and tried to push it's way into the run. The only thing that coon will be pushing is daisys because I caught him in the live trap last night and took care of it. After the coon couldn't get in the run it came up and ate all the seed out of the bird feeder. I only free range my girls when I am out with them. The rest of the time they are in the pin well protected.If you don't want to lose anymore of your girls I suggest you do the same.

Why did you kill the raccoon if it didn’t get in? I always say as long as the livestock are protected it doesn’t matter what animal tried something. They will move on if they know it’s pointless. Raccoons are hungry and like chickens just like we do! Can’t blame them really.