Advice on stopping hawk from killing chickens
romycat
15 years ago
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handymac
15 years agoJerri
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Advice on stopping hawk from killing chickens
Comments (30)Thanks to all that have shared over the past. My 10 chicks just started laying about 3 weeks ago. When they began laying, they became much more more brave about ranging out in the open and have been roaming our 3 acres like never before. Up to the point of laying, they stayed within 25 yards of the coop and always under the trees. I witnessed the first hawk attack yesterday. One of the hens had wandered off down near the wooded creek area and a broad-shouldered hawk hit her twice as she skedaddled for the coop with me hollern' and shouting the whole time. All the others ran for the shrubs around the house. Fortunately, she just lost a good size clump of feathers. I'd seen another hawk doing reconnaissance a couple of months back and had strung two lines with some streamers from our 2nd story deck to near the coop about 10-20ft off the ground. Think I will add a couple of more today to other points at the edge of the woods to increase the coverage and maybe add an owl decoy. I haven't given up on free-ranging yet, but I guess my next step would be to build a penned chicken run....See MoreIs this a chicken hawk?
Comments (8)Cute little guy!! Guess GS can dig worms & feed him, he may end up pretty tame!! Year my DH died I heard a cooing 1 morning, i went out & looked in orange tree finally got a ladder & this dove just sat there & I was about a ft. away. I went out every day & talked to her told her she would have better luck next year cause a handful of long pine needles is not a nest, eggs would fall to the ground,she almost acted like she understood & would cock her head & coo. Finally there was a lot of noise out back so I ran to window to see. 2 adult doves showing their 2 little ones the finer points of taking their 1st bath, it was a noisy affair in the perfect birdbath, a plastic Parsons table flipped up side down & legs removed & filled with water & on over 100degree days I added a tray of ice cubes. Birds had a good time. That dove was much smarter than me but I still don't know where those eggs were & why I didn't hear them until they left the nest. I never saw an adult leave the nest either. They are around now but have never nested in my yard again. Guess they knew I needed a distraction from my loss. Jan...See MoreSuet feeders, recipe/ratios, warding off chicken hawks
Comments (16)I make my suet mixture using suet or lard. I melt the fat in a glass bowl in the microwave until liquid. Then I add crunchy peanut butter, which melts in the hot fat. Then I add the dried ingredients - corn meal, flour, oats (usually ground in blender), ground eggshells, crushed nuts, a little jam or jelly, etc. The mixture is about 1/2 fat, 1/2 dried ingredients - maybe a little more dried. I aim for a mixture that is the texture of Play-doh - it clumps together easily for the suet log, but also crumbles into pieces that I spread in a tray feeder. I made the suet log over 3 years ago out of an old red Pine log and glued lots of perches and branches. It did not have much bark on it - which is fine, except that over time the log has darkened quite a bit, perhaps because of the oils in the suet mixture. Also, most of the perches and branches have broken and fallen off. This birds don't seem to care. If you put perches on the log, this will enable many more birds to eat more easily. However, this isn't necessarily a good thing because with mine, it enables the Starlings and Blue Jays to hog the suet log, and it encourages House Sparrows. My suet log is pole-mounted with a squirrel/raccoon baffle, so nothing gets onto the log but the birds. Here's what the suet mixture looks like - Some Bluebirds on the suet log a couple years ago. They don't eat that much on the suet log any more, because I usually spread crumbles in a tray for them....See MoreProtecting chickens from hawks
Comments (11)Yes, I agree places to hide are a great help. About a year ago, my husband was standing near the chicken coop, which has trees/shrubs dotted around it, they were out running around, and a hawk landed on a lower branch just 10 feet away from him and aimed at one of the hens. He immediately shouted "hey!" at it and it was so startled it almost fell, but then flew off. In another incident, my largest Golden Laced Wyandotte hen had a small skirmish with a redtail hawk. I was in a nearby garden, and at first thought 2 hens were fighting over something, but the hawk jumped up to a limb and we made eye contact, and it flew away. The Roo was on his way, but I'm glad the hen was on the large side so she had a chance at holding her own for a few seconds. The turkey vultures like to circle low over them as well, and I've been told that they likely won't eat the chickens, but the way they behave, I think they will! They get very low, and I can see their eyes!...See MoreNancy in Mich
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