first timer chicken farmer, terror in the sky....need advice

so far so good......ive got my oldest chicken laying eggs now........my biggest problem right now are the hawks and the eagle that have been hanging around latley.....the hawk pair come and go every other week.........but the eagle has been down the street for a couple of months now.......well i wasnt sure what it was at first......see there was this bird screechin down the street betwwen the willows and cottonwood trees i was sure it was a young raptor cause it sound like an owl screech but it never left the trees till about a week ago and lo and behold its a dadgum young eagle....just out of nowere....so i keep the chikens under the wire now and i figure the turkeys were to big but the eagle tryed and messed up one of the turkeys....now it could have been eighter of the hawks that did it cause i chased them away the other day......but anyway i really need some help with this.........how would you a seasoned chickneir who has dealt with this advise me......ide hate to just kill all three birds....ive taken a couple popshots at the hawks but not the eagle........i dont reakon a scarecrow would even work....the crows arent scared of my grandmas........well what ever it takes right ..........

mat

Mat,

It is a probably better to try to construct a chicken area that is able to withstand the birds of prey. A strong 2X2 or 2X4 frame holding welded or woven wire fencing is perfect and available at your local Home Depot or Lowes. A wire roof is a great idea. Hawks and eagles are viewed by many as "national treasures" and the Feds have protected them with some fairly hefty legislation. Since you're reasonably close to Las Vegas ... you can be sure there are plenty of game wardens and marshals out and about ... more than anywhere else in the state. I used to live in Carson City. Best wishes.

Kelly

mat someone gave me some advise not long back, take an old shirt and pair of pants and put them together with needle and thread or safety pens and hang them around where your birds are and move them every few days. I also put wind chimes all around where my chickens are. Now my chickens are under lock and key with a very large area to roam. all covered with chicken wire.

Mylar baloons. It's best if some are filled with helium so they float. I tie them to the fence with a legnth of string so the blow and move in the breeze. If your chicken yard is big like my pasture, weigh down a few of the helium filled ones so they are above the chickens. It only takes a few. The flashing of the mylar and the movement scare and confuse them. I haven't had any trouble with the eagle since. If he comes around, I put out a few baloons for a few weeks.

Now all I have is a few strings of little mirrors hung from the trees and the gate. With a few well placed lights the mirrors flash like eyes and keep away night preditors too.

hmmmmmmmmmm i like that I will try it.

We have ours covered with bird netting. Haven't lost a thing since we put it up. Saw a hawk swooping down and then veering away when he saw what he was headed for.

If you do not have mirrors to hang up you can use CDs as they also reflect light.

Sheila

red mylar is even better, looks like a fire to them...

I have a little boy haveing his 5th birthday party in 2 weeks and I will ask every one to get him mylar baloons, then we can have fun hanging them around the chicken yard.

wow! Tia that will be one sparkly chicken yard :o)