Hawk Problems

[Txsteader]

I've got red-tailed hawks terrorizing my chickens and have had a sparrow hawk terrorizing the purple martins.....he finally killed one this morning. That sparrow hawk is a brazen cuss...chasing the martins directly over our heads while we were walking in the yard.

Are there any known effective ways to discourage them, other than a 12-gauge?

[highlands]

The best solution we find is livestock dogs. The hawks don't dare come down to the ground. Our LGHDs actively hunt predators and pests.

Brush helps too.

[Rickstir]

We have bird netting over our chicken run, where the birds are confined most of the time. We have three Martin houses up but have not seen them being bothered by anything. North East, MO

[frank]

I lost a (1) RI chick to a hawk this spring (so far). I'm glad now that I didn't shoot it (I had a chance a week later) I am more careful where I put feed now( keep it close to a sheltered area ) because the chick was out in the middle of the yard. I have some "decoy" junk chickens...smaller, and not sure what kind. They will probably get the brunt of an attack from above if it happens again. I guess the hawk needed that 2$ chick more than I. The hawk was just doing its thing...

[Judy in IN]

I was on another poultry board lately. There was someone who swears by a tom turkey. Seems since she added him a year and a half ago, she hasn't lost anything to hawks.

Another poster confirmed this....Unfortunately, dogs took out her turkeys. While she had them, no losses to hawks.

I'm going to try it. Got my poults ordered.

Hawks are protected by law.

[GoatsRus]

SSS - we lost numerous guineas to hawks. Then again everyone knows how stupid guineas are. My husband always says if you come back as another life form he sure doesn't want to be a guinea or a male goat......

[RosewoodfarmVA]

We free range chickens and occasionally have bad hawk trouble. Unfortunately you can't stay out with the chickens all day to keep the hawks away, soo....

We take a long 2x4, place an old metal foothold trap on top, firmly attached with a loop of wire to a nail on the pole. Strap the 2x4 to a fence post somewhere with a piece of rope, so that it is the tallest thing in that area. Hawks and owls (also bad chicken eaters) both will light on the 2x4 as they like the vantage point of the tallest thing, plus it gives them a place to perch and observe before 'going in for the kill'...

It works very well, just look at the 2x4 from time to time, when you see one trapped, untie the 2x4, 'neutralize' the hawk or owl, and reset the trap again!

[o&itw]

Originally Posted by RosewoodfarmVA

We free range chickens and occasionally have bad hawk trouble. Unfortunately you can't stay out with the chickens all day to keep the hawks away, soo....

We take a long 2x4, place an old metal foothold trap on top, firmly attached with a loop of wire to a nail on the pole. Strap the 2x4 to a fence post somewhere with a piece of rope, so that it is the tallest thing in that area. Hawks and owls (also bad chicken eaters) both will light on the 2x4 as they like the vantage point of the tallest thing, plus it gives them a place to perch and observe before 'going in for the kill'...

It works very well, just look at the 2x4 from time to time, when you see one trapped, untie the 2x4, 'neutralize' the hawk or owl, and reset the trap again!

We are all inclined to do something like this, or get out the 12 guage, but it is against the law, and I assure you it will cost you big time if you get caught.
Most of the animals that have been become extinct have become extinct because of humans. Homesteaders, above all, should have enough concern for the environment to live in some kind of harmony with animals to the extent they can. Protecting your animals in an enclosure, or a guard animal of some kind, is a reasonable alternative. The numbers of rodents etc. that most raptors consume, is much more beneficial to the homsteader than the trouble the cause. There were some local people killing vultures arround here.. sure they are ugly...and might defacate in your barn roof... but they clean up a lot of things we wouldn't want left around..... thats better than providing more food for the coyotes.

[crashy]

We never had problems when we had turkeys I never thought about that. Well we don't have turkeys anymore but we still get a hawk once in awhile. I know they are only looking for food but when we hear the roo we go out with the paintball gun and shoot in its direction just the sound of it scares them off I know if we hit one it would be bad but its just about impossible to hit one even if you tried. We also yell at the bird to shoo go away!!! I think Iam going back to turkeys seems much better for all.

[Jeff54321]

Hawks are not a problem, they are a very integral part of the environment.

[mooman]

Bottle rockets might annoy them. If no cover is available you might have to make some range shelters for the chickens to run under when the hawks attack. Plywood set on top of four cinder blocks would be the easiest. When I lived in the suburbs we had several hawk attacks each week but none were ever succesful because the layout of the yard meant cover was never more than 20ft away.

[spurdie]

I am appalled that not only would some people kill a hawk or an owl but would post directions and brag about it, wow its all about you I guess.

[Txsteader]

I'm aware that the hawks are protected by law. There's certainly not a shortage of them around here, we see them flying overhead most days.

Well, these must be some real hungry hawks. The chickens have a large (20' x 20'), fenced but uncovered yard. The hen house stands about 2' above ground (flooding issues) and the perimeter underneath in enclosed with chicken wire, with a small gate that we close at night....it's open during the day & the girls can go under there for shelter. One day, after the hawk had spooked the hens and they ran for cover under their house, we watched in disbelief as the hawk flew under there after them! We had to stun him with a long stick before we could get him out. We may have to try bird netting at least over a portion of the yard, because that's getting ridiculous.

I appreciate all the suggestions. We've tried firecrackers, bb guns, artificial snakes. Either these hawks are very hungry or they're getting very smart.

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by spurdie

I am appalled that not only would some people kill a hawk or an owl but would post directions and brag about it, wow its all about you I guess.

Thats what I was thinking. First you confess you have violated federal law, where the fines are in the thousands, on line to everyone and just what federally protected species you are killing and that you have done it mutiply times, then lets do a conspiricy to help by telling everone how to do it. If you are going to do the crime do it by your self then if you don't run your mouth you probably will never be caught.

[MaineFarmMom]

We have two farmcollies, two Bourbon Red toms and no losses to predators. If the collie that thrives on chasing hawks, owls, eagles, crows, ravens and vultures (airplanes on a slow day) doesn't see them first the toms will gobble and the hen turkeys make their warning noise. I think the toms saved a duck from a hawk earlier in the week. It wasn't the dogs, I had them in the house to eat their breakfast.

There's no need to kill an aerial predator. There are much better ways that don't fool with the food chain. I don't want to see a hawk take off with one of my birds so I protect them, but it makes me smile to see them with a meadow vole or mouse.

[RosewoodfarmVA]

Originally Posted by spurdie

I am appalled that not only would some people kill a hawk or an owl but would post directions and brag about it, wow its all about you I guess.

If you're gonna tell me not to 'dispose' of them, you'd better offer me $$ or a replacement for every chicken they kill! Around here hawks are certainly not endangered. You can go out about 30 minutes after sunrise and hear/count atleast 10 of them. All of our neighbors that have chickens have the same problems I do, and this whole area is together in stopping their destruction. I'm not the only one here who traps, several neighbors do to (in fact that's how I learned to do it). Many around here trap in the woods to prevent 4legged predators.

Again, if the government wants to tell me not to protect my animals, they'd better offer $$ or a replacement, otherwise it's my responsibility to protect animals in my care. Same goes for shooting foxes, coyotes, or a neighbor's dog. All are threats to livestock, and IMO a landowner should be able to legally and rightfully kill any such threat. I reckon you've never stood in your kitchen window washing dishes, and have a hawk swoop down outside the window and get one of your best layer hens and take her off?? Sorry, can't help being upset with yall who obviously don't have any idea what raising livestock is about. I've had goats chased/killed, a calf severely bitten by a hunting dog, chickens killed by hawks, owls, foxes, and stupid dogs, you name it it's happened. Too much energy and time is invested in raising something to just sit there and let it get killed!

I have lost as many as 45 chickens in one year to predatory species! Don't tell me I can't protect them!!

[RosewoodfarmVA]

PS the thread was about how to prevent hawk damage!!

[jen74145]

A good dog with the inclination to watch the skies. My Harley (Passed on, poor fellow) made it his mission to keep them away.

Did my heart good to see a Cooper's Hawk, who had stolen my best hen the week before, glaring at Harley from a perch in my neighbor's yard while the dog stared at him diligently and quietly "moffed" and growled at the bird. Once Harley took over, I never lost another bird to a hawk.

[Elsbet]

We used to have a bantam hen that would chase off hawks. We lost 1 chick to a hawk, and that hawk never bothered us again while we had that hen. She was a little mille fleur- beautiful, great temperament around people, but death on hawks.

I know it is frustrating to lose animals to predators, but weighing a $15 hen against thousands of $ in fines plus jail time... I'd far rather put the money into some poultry netting to go over the hen yard. Not to mention that hawks keep down other chicken predators like snakes, which eat eggs and chicks, and rats, and skunks, etc. Hawks are your friends.

Another, much cheaper, but not completely hawk proof method is to string fishing line over your hen yard. Hawks can see it from the air, and don't like flying under things like that where they can't easily take off again. They will be far less likely to go through it.

[o&itw]

Originally Posted by RosewoodfarmVA

If you're gonna tell me not to 'dispose' of them, you'd better offer me $$ or a replacement for every chicken they kill! Around here hawks are certainly not endangered. You can go out about 30 minutes after sunrise and hear/count atleast 10 of them. All of our neighbors that have chickens have the same problems I do, and this whole area is together in stopping their destruction. I'm not the only one here who traps, several neighbors do to (in fact that's how I learned to do it). Many around here trap in the woods to prevent 4legged predators.

Again, if the government wants to tell me not to protect my animals, they'd better offer $$ or a replacement, otherwise it's my responsibility to protect animals in my care. Same goes for shooting foxes, coyotes, or a neighbor's dog. All are threats to livestock, and IMO a landowner should be able to legally and rightfully kill any such threat. I reckon you've never stood in your kitchen window washing dishes, and have a hawk swoop down outside the window and get one of your best layer hens and take her off?? Sorry, can't help being upset with yall who obviously don't have any idea what raising livestock is about. I've had goats chased/killed, a calf severely bitten by a hunting dog, chickens killed by hawks, owls, foxes, and stupid dogs, you name it it's happened. Too much energy and time is invested in raising something to just sit there and let it get killed!

I have lost as many as 45 chickens in one year to predatory species! Don't tell me I can't protect them!!

Nobody is telling you you can't protect them, it is your methods we find fault with. It seems that people on here have found both dogs and turkeys successful. Most people that have goats or sheep have a guardian dog..otherwise there kids and lambs would all be coyote fodder.

"Around here hawks are certainly not endangered." That is almost exactly what was said about buffalo and passenger pigeons. We lost one species and almost lost the other.

"Sorry, can't help being upset with yall who obviously don't have any idea what raising livestock is about." I was born and raised on a farm and have spent over 40 years raising livestock........ I suspect I am not the only one on here. Don't you think others on here have lost financialy from predation on their stock? Don't you think they would have not liked to grab a shotgun and kill every one of the hawks, weasels, coons, coyotes, possums, owls, etc? We have laws in this country for a reason...true some of them stink, but when you fall into every man for himself, one isn't gonna have a country long. If your goats, gets into your neighbors corn, should he come to you and talk about it and try to come to a working solution, or grab his riffle and start shooting your goats?