yesterday as I sat out on the patio all I wanted

[AHappychick]

was to let the chooks run around the yard but I cant

darn hawks are everywhere! I am building a new run and coop but will never be able to have my chickens free ranging in my yard like I wish. To my friends it does not seem like a big deal but it is to me. My perfect world I would be able to sit sipping iced coffee and watching the little buggers. I have thought about trying various detterents but the yard is big and I would never be able to put netting over it. nd the cooper hawks are relentless checking my yard every few hours sometimes 3 at a time....

there has got to be something that I can do.... but what?

how loud does a turky gobble? would it bother neighbors?

I know this has been hashed over a hundred times but am I missing something?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know of any guaranteed method to stop hawks other than securing the chickens. You've probably seen the other threads with suggestions to improve your odds so I won't rehash those.

One I saw in Foxfire 3 was to attract purple martins as they are supposed to run off the hawks if they come around. That would only work during nesting season and I still don't call that a guarantee.

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
First get rid of the ICED coffee, and drink something good.

Turkeys are louder that a chicken but not as loud as a Guinea, and You may wind up with both. Part II How close are the neighbours, and are they bothered by the chickens? I always say keep adding till they complain then you know what annoys them so get the next thing anyway. When do you want your keets delivered?

Would the neighbours notice the discharging of a small caliber rifle, I am assuming you have a shovel.

 

[AHappychick]

I am not even allowed chickens, so far my neighbors have been good about it and one of them is my sister so I try to tuck most of the animals between her and me. But the only roo outside is my silkie and he is perfect only crowing a few times in the morning and it is not very crow like and not too loud so I dont think anyone but me knows it is a chicken crowing. Besides if anyone asks I will say they are rabbits they wont know the difference

Alabaster (my main roo) is in my garage coop I would like to move him to the new coop which is almost done and has a huge run but I am afraid that he will be too loud I am going to try it though.

frankly I think I have gone quiet mad, if I could I would move but am restrained because of situations out of my control and will have to stay here for several more years. I have almost an acre and a half and including my sisters land 2 acres, the average lot is 1/3 of an acre so I have quiet a bit. But no livestock of any kind is allowed. I have applied for my game bird's class A licence so at least I should be able to keep my ducks and quail if caught

I have thought about setting a bunch of guineas loose in the huge woods trail by my home (the reason there is so much wildlife by me to begin with) and just bringing food and such out to them here and there to help make the noisy chicken-like population grow around me to help camouflage what I am up to. There are already a ton of Canadian geese and mallards and other water birds because of the streams and lake right by me so I kinda think that my ducks honking blend in and that people are more used to hearing them.

The big issue is I have one neighbor across the way who is very nasty and reports everything just to do it. When and if he ever finds out I will probably be in trouble so I do all I can to keep him from knowing. he is across the street so its not to bad and before I put the chooks in the new coop I will put up a big privacy fence so that he cant see

anyway umm I think I am rambling do the turkeys really work? and why are the hawks afraid of them anyway?

 

[AHappychick]

oh and no shooting not even an air rifle my nice neighbor already yelled at me for that and I was being perfectly safe so that is a definate no go

I do have plenty of weapons though... If I was better with my wrist rocket or blow gun

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
Another two parter, Again how good a shot are you with a rifle, and I guess you would need a Backhoe.

Let mister busybody come up missing, and the rest will get in line.

I dont know if the turkeys actually ward off hawks, but hawks know they dont have a chance of carrying something10 times as big as them, so they dont bother them (same as a hawk may go after a puppy or kitten, but wont go after full sized). Do you have Wild Turkeys in the area? Turkeys will definately be harder to concelle than a chicken.

 

[Marlinchaser]

Did I really take 8 minutes to type 10 lines. Either I put a lot of thought into it, or I type really slow.

Ok no shooting.

 

[georgialee]

Quote:
First get rid of the ICED coffee, and drink something good.

what could be better than a good iced coffee??? Yummmmmmm *drool*

 

[peepsnbunnies]

marlinchaser - I have the same problem. Most of the time whoever I am replying to is already offline by the time I get my thoughts typed! Heehee

Lisa

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
What isnt better than Iced coffe, coffe was intended to be drank hot, (I could insert something here that I find funny but some would find inappropriate so I wont)

Drink hot drinks hot, and cold drinks cold, and thats the way it should be.