Will Hawks kill Larger Breeds?

[Central Florida]

I appreciate all the input as it confirmed what we were afraid of…for now we are keeping them in a small run during the day and letting them range during a 30-45 minute window just before dark….we do have plans to build them a bigger run in the near future...thanks

 

[kawonu]

I had a female Chinese goose killed by a hawk last Friday.

 

[kayri]

Quote:
Be careful about that 30-45 min window before dark. Hawks killed two of my large standard birds in the last month (partridge Wyandotte and Easter egger, in the past they've also killed my favorite very large Barred Rock). I netted and fenced in a smaller area, and as my girls were walking up the ramp to go to bed, a huge red tail came swooping down and tried to pick one off. It pulled up at the last moment and didn't get them because of the netting, but I was really surprised it was out hunting so late. It must have been really hungry. I wouldn't let them out unless I was standing right by them with a shovel in my hands.

 

[cutlass1972]

Lost my best hen, a large adult delaware hen +/- 6lbs to a little 2 or 3 lb retail hawk about 3 weeks ago.

 

[lleighmay]

Also watch out for owls just before dark. Around here we frequently see them hunting while it's still daylight, especially on overcast days....

 

[Uzuri]

Something to chew on: Nobility used to hunt deer with eagles.

Because the hawk has the advantage of gravity, speed, and surprise, he can take out something considerably bigger than he is, no problem.