Will a Red-tailed hawk attack my flock if I'm standing outside with them?

[ValerieJ]

I couldn't have watched either. Luckily I was outside when this one decided to have a go. I screamed like a banshee while running right at it and waving my arms like an inflatable tube man. That eagle wanted no part of this crazy and decided against it at last moment.

As funny as that scene sounds, I'm so glad you were able to chase her away! I want the eagles to eat, I just don't want them to eat our livestock!

 

[Painted Calls]

Agreed!

 

[analyticalblonde]

It's crazy that you just posted this, because this happened to me literally today. A large Cooper's hawk tried to attack my chickens less than 15 feet away from me. He didn't get any, fortunately. Actually last week he flew by my face so close that I felt wind on my cheek.

He flew into my neighbor's tree after missing my chickens today. Here he is, you can't tell his size in this picture, but he was pretty intimidating up close.

View attachment 2030988

Wow! He's really big!

 

[DuckDuckSook]

Like the other replies, I'm saying YES! A hawk went after my hen and I was only a few feet away and my daughter was also out there with us. They are tenacious. Be on alert always.

 

[ValerieJ]

Well, we have lots of hawks around here, red tailed and red shouldered, and my rooster always alerts the hens when he sees them flying. In fact, they will often sit in the trees nearby; I am not sure if they are actually watching the chickens or not, but they are pretty close. They have never attacked my chickens though. I'm actually surprised (and grateful) that I can free range my chickens without having to watch them, because all the stories on here had me scared for a while. There was only one time when I saw a hawk come rather close, maybe 35 feet from the flock, he was in a tree but he didn't attack. I was watching from the back door and after about half and hour came out and chased him away. The rooster had led all of the hens right up against the house and was consistently making his air-borne danger calls, so I knew something was up.

How long have you had your chickens? I had mine for 3 years before an eagle attack.

 

[ValerieJ]

Yep, they certainly will go after calves! Nobody believes me either. I wish I'd have gotten it on camera. Knock on wood they haven't done it since. They sure like to perch here and just watch though. I give them the stink eye and tell them that's all they better be doing lol.

My neighbor took a video of it. She sent it to me, but I didn't watch. Nope. Don't want to see an eagle eating a newborn calf right in front of its mother.

 

[Jacquieh]

The answer to your question...YES! I had a hawk kill my hen, my mom stopped him from taking her, and he was determined to get his dinner back! For the rest of the evening he tried! We were ALL outside, 5 of us... He didn't care!
The other problem i had...i have pigeon's...i was standing outside with 3 other people, a small hawk came down from the roof, flew past all us and chased my boy right out of the yard! He never came back!
So, just cause you are standing there, they will definitely try and get you chickens! What helped keep the first hawk from getting another of my hens was we ran to the spot he was trying to dive down and get to... But that doesn't always work! I know i shouldn't say this... But I got a high powered pellet rifle! Use it to you discretion!
The other thing I'm doing, is getting the bird netting and just covering a large area of my yard. Also, put lots of things in the yard for your girls to run under and hide! Think of the hawk like a plane, he needs a runway... But if you put lots of things in the way, he can't make a clean sweep and grab them and just leave. He has to get on the ground and then you boys will fight him! It's a more equal fight if he's on the ground! That's what we do! It's worked so far! Also, get a turkey! I hear they prevent hawks from attacking chicken's!

 

[cmom]

I have had a hawk kill a bird not 10 feet away from me. It took off but I still had a dead bird. One time my husband was cutting some wood in our driveway. I had a temporary pen set up next to where he was working with some chicks in it. A hawk came down grabbed a chick and flew off with it. Both times we were right there.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Red shoulder hawks will do it. One caught one of my RJF hybrids not 10 paces from me a few weeks ago. I charged it and it dropped her.

When I was a child I watched big red tails kill my poultry a couple of times, once a chicken once a guinea. But I was 50 or more yards away.

 

[cmom]

I couldn't have watched either. Luckily I was outside when this one decided to have a go. I screamed like a banshee while running right at it and waving my arms like an inflatable tube man. That eagle wanted no part of this crazy and decided against it at last moment.

A BYC member posted a picture of her, I believe it was, a red tube man next to her coop. I can't find the post.