So we lost our first hen to a hawk the other day. We got our hens in July of 2009 and nary a predator in site until Wednesday. My question is: Is this hawk going to continue to visit daily until all the hens are gone? We have the hens cooped now in their covered run but they are not happy. Ever since we let them free range, they're completely not happy even in their much larger uncovered run. They've really slacked off in egg laying ever since we put them in there. I had just started letting them free range again. The hawk got them when they were in their large uncovered run which surprised me because there are a lot of trees hanging over the run and there are places for the hens to hide. We found the carcass under some blackberry brambles. I guess the chickens really showed up against all the white snow!
So wondering what to do now. We have friends with chickens out in the open, as I know Hay's are, and they occasionally lose a chicken but it doesn't seem the hawks come back constantly. On the other hand, we have a neighbor (alas, all to close to us) with a covered run and they have seen a hawk that sits on the fence post watching their chickens, prolly trying to figure out how to get at them.
We're going to cover the large run but I do want to let them free range, at least part of the day.
Predators
Sorry Gwen, but I must tell you that is a mystery I don't understand. We have hawks here in numbers, often my wife and I stand and watch sometimes six or seven at a time. Even in the winter they are here circling, I have little seramas that free range and still no losses to hawks. I just don't get it. Not complaining, of course, but it's a mystery to me...Wishing you the best...Hay
We have free range chickens and there are plenty of hawks around but I've never lost a hen to a hawk. The pullets are kept in until they are a fairly good size and I have only rather large breeds of chickens - perhaps that is why the hawks don't prey on them? Also there are probably plenty of other things to hunt ...
We never had a problem until Wednesday. I'm wondering if it was the dark hen against the white snow. Altho apparently the hawk did try and get a buff first because we saw a lot of those feathers. It was near the coop door so she must have run in. The barred rock that got killed was further away. But both were in a fairly enclosed area that I'm really surprised a hawk would get down into. If it isn't raining later today, I'll go out and do some work in that part of the yard and let the hens out while I work.
What type of hawk was it ? Those are pretty big chickens for most hawks.
I don't know cuz I didn't see it. My husband saw it. I doubt if he knows what kind but I'll ask him.
This hen put up a fight. And all of it was left behind, so the hawk really only killed it, didn't eat it or carry it off.
I have always felt my hens were not as big as other hens of their type. They are fed unlimited amts of food, so I don't know what the deal is.
Maybe this attack was a one-time thing and won't happen again. Or at least not happen often. One could have their little flock wiped out quickly.
After over a year of no probs, I had high hopes that this kind of thing wouldn't happen to us!
Any time a bird goes swakin on our place, several of these go and check it out.
Perhaps now that the hawk discovered that the hen was too big to fly off with, it won't try again.
We have hawks that sometimes go after our chickens - mostly either Cooper's hawks or red-tails. In our case they tended to go after the white chickens on dark ground, but I think you're right that contrast makes the hens more likely to be chosen. We found that running geese with our chickens seems to deter the hawks, but that's not a solution that works for everyone. Right now we just have two Toulouse geese, and we'll see if that still makes a difference.
If you just throw light deer netting over the top of your larger run it will keep hawks out. And if the chickens don't like being confined, that's tough, especially if the hawk comes back.
Ours stop laying for a bit after one gets attacked; it really upsets them and that affects production. Might be why yours have slackened off.
Kenboy, what kind of dogs are the big white ones? I've definitely given thought to a guardian dog. We recently lost our lab and are really enjoying having our golden be the only dog.
I have thought about getting geese. I want a pair of sebastopol geese, but with my luck, those will be the only kind that are good guardians!
I could throw netting over but then I won't be able to walk standing upright. I may put a tall pole in the center and run wire to the outside fences. That way I can walk in all parts except along the edges.
We are close to moving them to their winter coop area. Just have to finish up the coop part. I'm hoping that the hawk won't find them there. They mostly are under cover in the forest when they're free ranging in that area. Altho I have a friend who's had a hawk come into her shed and go through doors to another room just to get at a bird! Now that's an agressive hawk.
Our hens slacked off egg laying once they were moved to the summer coop. It just wasn't as big an area for them to roam and once they had a taste of that freedom, they have never been happy being 'cooped' up. As soon as we get the winter coop finished, they'll be back in the larger area and we'll see what happens.
Cooper's hawks don't mind wooded areas at all; red-tails prefer to hunt over open fields. Depending on what you've got, the trees might or might not help.
As long as the geese are a decent size and noisy they should do the trick. Our Chinese gander was larger than the Toulouse gander, but we had to get rid of him because he kept attacking us. Good personality trait for predators but not so good for the people who are bringing you food!
The problem with dogs is that they will often chase chickens, and also you would have to leave the dog out there 24/7.
Do you provide added light for your chickens? We have a timer on the bulb in the coop so they have at least 14 hours a day between the natural and artificial light. We also have a timer on the door so it opens itself in the morning and closes just at dark at night. That last trip out there was really getting to me!
gg wrote;"The problem with dogs is that they will often chase chickens,"
Livestock guardian dogs (like the Great Pyrenees) are trained from puppy hood to guard whatever stock they are targeted for. They've been bred for centuries to protect, and while it does take training, it is somewhat ingrained. Not that there may not be incidents, pups are pups, but the adults are said to be very trustworthy.
"and also you would have to leave the dog out there 24/7."
True, but it's how Livestock guardian dogs work. They're not pets, they're working dogs, and they sleep with their "charges".
They're not for everyone, but a great option for those who can do it:)
Gwen was talking about Labs and Goldens which is why I mentioned possible problems, although I don't know that that's what she was thinking about for her chicken guardian. We have taught our Labradoodle not to chase the chickens, but I don't know if she could resist if she were with them all the time. Not that we would want her out there all the time! She's a pet, not a working dog.
I was talking about one of the guardian breeds for the chickens. We had a lab but she died a few months ago. We still have one dog, a golden. Both the lab and the golden are completely trustworthy with the chickens. We just got very lucky. The lab was too old and lame to chase them and the golden is too scared to chase them. He'll go into their pen and hang out with them but completely leaves them alone. He does go looking for their food! We used to always find the lab and golden inside the pen when we first got the chickens. They'd go in there for the chicken food we threw on the ground and then couldn't get back out. ;)
Recently I was trying to get the chickens to follow me so I was throwing them popcorn as they followed me. Buddy wanted popcorn too so I would every now and then throw some way off to the side for him, in order to keep him away from the chicken's popcorn because I was afraid the chickens wouldn't follow me if Buddy was too close. All of the sudden, two hens made a dash off for Buddy's popcorn. It was hilarious. Two hens and a dog all raising for the same piece of popcorn. One of the hens beat him to his popcorn and ate it. LOL So much for the chickens worrying about the dog!
I lost my roo the day before Thanksgiving, no feathers no signs of how anything could get in the pen so I figured that someone needed a thanksgiving dinner9I know sad but true in these times) then I started loosing one chicken a day still not knowing how anything could get in the pen. Yesterday I lost my beloved blond polish, I finally moved the remaining hens out with Billy Bob the turkey and the 6 buffs. Still dont know how or what got into the pen but I have a friend that says he will come out and help me set a trap, could be badgers or fox?? They were right next to my geese too.
If no feathers and no signs, that does suggest human to me. Any way you could put some sort of surveillance camera out there?
I did find a hole up at the top of the pen like 8 feet high, cant be a dog so it would have to be something that can scale back up once in the pen with a chicken. Bobcat comes to mind. Gun is loaded.
That bobcat does not know what he got himself into!
Raccoon could do it, as well. Sigh. They can carry a pretty big chicken with ease.
Gwenn Im so sorry! It looks as if we all are having some predator troubles! My last loss as you all know was my precious Serama Rooster, he just dissappeared, no sign , nothing! I suspected some type of canine , but they generally make a mess of their victims area! So I just dont know! Since My little "Natchez" was roosting right next to his Hen and she wasnt disturbed at all , Im beginning to rethink who the predator may have been too!
That was a couple of weekends ago..... now just this past Sunday night... another hen house was hit. This time I know it had to be another Possum or something kin! I found the carcass ( head missing, cavity emptied) of one of my 4 month old RIR hens and another missing! I had deliberately NOT be come attached to them, but they knew their routine and didnt stress whenever I was around, they were going to make excellent layers!
Im actually going to buy some of that foam for insulation and start filling in any holes or cracks inside each house. I sometime think that these Varmits can "ShapeShift", to get into some areas!
OMG I am shaking... I heard the dogs going off as I tucked Billy in my bed. I walked out to the porch to hear my chickens sqallering. I ran back inside my bedroom where Billy was and grabbed the 45 out of the gun safe telling Billy to NEVER touch the safe (It is LOCKED all the time) His eyes were huge at the sight of my gun, I checked to see if it was loaded and locked the safe. I ran outside with the crappy flashlight (Note to self BUY a MAGLIGHT) I ran down the driveway to the chicken yard to catch some green eyes with the crappy light... I fired the gun and what ever it was took off running... Then I remembered I only have Cowboy Mount shot in that gun, it will only fire a load that will go 5 feet and drop... OH MY GOODNESS needless to say the sound scared what ever it was. I am back in the house waiting for the sheriff to come (which I am sure he will cause of the noise) with my hunting license in hand..
Dogs still going off and it aint the sheriff... Back outside I go..
Oh my! Please be careful!
Cant wait till Roper is big enough to chase off what ever it was... Still no sheriff, no more barking dogs... It is tough to find ammo here for any of my guns, but I can get Cowboy Mount all day long. It will scare them, just wont hurt them unless they are within 5 feet...
Thank heavens for the dogs, MissJestr! Maybe whatever it was will be rethinking its dinner plans now? If not, I hope you get him. Long ago DH shot a raccoon that was picking off our ducks one by one; it was very satisfying.
Missjestr have you looked for footprints yet?
Just remember...please even with a good light.. dont get to close to the varmit! fire at will if you have to within reason but please dont be goin out into the dark after something on the kill! You might get mistaken for another chicken dinner!
I have looked for prints, but out here unless it is wet they dont stick around. I know I have a bobcat or a mountain lion around, sometimes going out at night does give me the willies, but got to do what I got to do. I thank Daddy for making me the shot I am today, I know he would be proud that I can and will shoot if needed to protect my place.. I have heard stories of a band or wild dogs as well...hummm will be on the lookout.
I hate that.. so hard to get a good nights sleep after a scare like that. You poor thing, you've had to build a friggen castle to keep yours safe!