Hawks - Anyway to Make Them Go Away?

Maybe, but they are not going to carry them away, either in their belly or out. The scovie from the OP was missing. A red tailed hawk did not carry this duck away.

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Libertarindependent

My geese did a great job of watching the sky and I think they kept bird predators from landing in the pen. Some shelters scattered around would help too. I remember watching one of my scovy hens standing in a shelter with only her head outside looking up at the sky watching a hawk.

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That 'revoking' or protected status could cost you your farm, depending upon how much it's worth. Fines in the five figures would ruin my year, I can tell ya.

I use to have a dog that'd chase hawks.... alas, he's no longer with us.

Anytime the chickens or guineas alert, I fire a couple 22 rounds out the door. Problem over. If I do see a hawk sitting in a tree, or circling, I clap my hands 'just right' and it sounds like a rifle going off... bird flies away... haven't broken any laws, or hurt anyone's feelings.

I free range several hundred chickens... every now and then I lose a couple. The birds 'learn' and when they see a 'hawk' or anything looking like a soaring bird, they either freeze or flee to brushy or hidden spots, safe from flying predators...

I'd really hate to kill a 100K bird over a $2 chicken.

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

State law doesn't matter, it's a federal law that protects birds of prey and I would be careful about saying I would do anything to a protected bird on a public forum...

A redtail wouldn't try to haul a scovey off. A golden could, but wouldn't bother, just eat it there. Anatolians will even chase off a buzzard LOL

Thanks for the suggestions for giving some protection to the flock from winged critters. I am working on some plans to protect them from things from the sky as well as grounded critters.

For those that might be suggesting my intent was to harm the hawk, it is NOT. I know the law. I just want the hawk to "move on down the road" to do his thing. Any critter that takes out a goose worth over a hundred bucks, has got my attention, but if it is the hawk or owl, will not be harmed. More protection for the birds is going up is all.

With so many different kinds of predators here and their behavior being modified because of the local environment, I am in the process of trying to figure out which critter is doing what. I would love to have a well trained LGD, but here, one would be a huge liability that would probably cause me more trouble than I could handle.

I had a lot of trouble from hawks when I first started free ranging my chicks. They were only 7-8weeks old. I used to watch them as best I can but hawks would take a try at one once in a while. The chicks got lucky a few times and lived through the attacks and that was all it took for the whole flock to become very good at hiding and sounding the alarm when hawks come by.

Now they are large birds and know how to avoid hawks. I think the hawks don't even try anymore because the chickens are big and rooster is even bigger. The main thing is to make sure the chickens have enough cover---trees, parked cars, tall grass, etc.

If you get rid or scare this hawk off it will not mean your problem is over.
As long as you are setting the table there will be others that take you up on the offer.
You really have only two choices. Be willing to accept the loses that come with free ranging birds or build a pen to keep them in.

Starting a war with mother nature is not a good plan. You are going to be in a very expensive war and one that you will not win.

My experience has been the complete opposite of this^^^. I never lost one bird yet, and I don't pen my birds.

Thank you! The voice of reason. Thank you!

Me and a friend are trying to develop the ( smallest chickens ever ). At 16 weeks we only keep the smallest well developed from each hatching. It is almost worthless to try to eat all those that go over the size limit but hawks love them.

We have a chicken yard of about a half acre that looks like a artzy junk yard. There are flimzy wire fences a foot and a half off the ground that go nowhere. Fishing line with CD's hanging everywhere. Tractor, boat , three trailers , several bicycles and more parked everywhere. There are bushes and berries growing out there and still the hawks come. There has been several hawks crashed ( surly not the same one ) and they still come four or five times a day. The chichens know this and stay close to cover. We lose 3 -5 chickens a week to one thing or another. We have 115 ish total chickens and the smart ones survive.

I didn't say a bad word, my kids use the T word. LOL

I have 4 legged and sky predators to, best thing i do is have a dog and if hawks are around a couple rounds fro 22 or shotgun will keep them away..cooper hawks will try to take a large bird compared to a small one..redtails generally like rodents and small birds..

OK i have posted this several times and believe me it works try it what do you have to lose?
tie a bunch of old CD'S in the trees and off fence posts use fishing line on hangers so they spin free. this works for hawks AND owl's if there is light for them to reflect at night. what it does is shoot's beam's of light at the raptures eyes temporary causing the eye to dilate. the rapture will move on to a place that it can see IT WORKS! try it! i have not lost a bird to winged killers since i have done this

S S S

At least I've read about it on a forum or two.

Working with Seramas? I'd not leave Seramas out to free range... they could get lost in a mole hill... Really, from what I've read, they're just so small and fragile, letting em loose is a recipe for disaster.

I have lots of bannies, and a handful not big as my hand...

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

Kind of off topic, but I have some bantam silkies, and the past two years some of them that hatch grow no taller than a soda can. Plump, pretty, healthy little birds of good conformation and very sweet, calm disposition, just very small. Lay eggs about half the size of a regular bantam egg, about like a large grape. Apparently there is some crossing going on that I know nothing about.

Two years ago, I had a Coopers Hawk steal a couple young rabbits. I had them colonized in a moveable 20x20 chickenwire enclosure. The local game biologist recommended a few strands of the red/silver milar tape across the top of the enclosure. The stuff flashes like a fire truck when the wind blows even a little. Here in WV, we can get a 500' (?) roll for about $5 at any Southern States.

Worked for me! Didn't have any more theft from the skies. Honestly, before I tried the tape, I was seriously considering a semi-auto paintball gun as a non-lethal deterrent

Old CD disks and mylar tape - I found a few old disks and I have rolls of the mylar tape left over from when I made cat toys.

THANK YOU!! for the suggestions.

Several years ago I tried the seramas. Great little birds and more hardy than you would think.
I now have some BBs that are just as small. They are not quite as hardy as the seramas.
Nowdays seramas are selling very cheap. Not any difference in their price and just about any other banty.

In my pen, about 100'x140', I took some yarn the mice had got into and ruined and strung it up like a big spiderweb from the coop and trees above head level. Hawks had been getting into our silkies and young pullets pretty bad and that totally stopped it.

I know that's not feasible for free ranging birds, but it worked for a pretty good sized pen. Someone said to use something else that could have harmed the birds, but if it's visible, it deters most raptors. I'm not sure about goshawks, they're loco anyway, so...