Chickens traumatized?

[gachroni]

Late yesterday afternoon I heard my chickens having one of their usual squabbles, or so I thought until I heard the sliding glass door being thumped. I went to investigate and a couple of them were frantically trying to get in the house (we keep them in a fenced area adjacent to the house). I looked past them and saw a feathery non-chicken body. I leaped outside and shooed away what appeared to be a hawk, which had pinned down one of my Golden Comets. When I turned around all the chickens had disappeared - they had gone into the shrubbery next to the house. There were a lot of feathers on the ground in two spots. The hawk came back once and my husband chased it off again. It looked too small to have carried a chicken off but I'm sure it would have killed and eaten it in place.

One of the chickens (not the Golden Comet), kept making a strange purring sound I'd never heard them make. We had a hard time coaxing the birds out of the shrubs to get them into the coop. They all appear to be moving normally but I noticed patches where the feathers came off the Comet. She wouldn't let us approach to examine her. Am I right that we should keep the coop closed up today, that the hawk will probably be back? How long will my girls probably be shaken up? If they won't let me touch them I can't check for injuries. I'm going to get an owl decoy and try some of those CDs people have mentioned. Other thoughts?

 

[CluckerFamily]

I would keep them in their safe coop/run for at least a week. The hawk will be back to try to get a free meal.
Check for injuries at night when they are roosting. Wear a headlamp so that you can check them. This way will be less stressful.

 

[Callender Girl]

Thank goodness you and your husband were vigilant in running off the hawk! In my experience, predators not only traumatize your birds, they scare the bejeebers out of the people -- I get completely paranoid afterwards.

I don't KNOW that it helped, but after I spotted a hawk perched on my garden shed, I put up an owl decoy and haven't spotted another hawk that close. I'm sure others will offer good advice, just as in the previous post.

I hope all your girls are physically okay and recover from the trauma as soon as possible.

 

[gachroni]

I would keep them in their safe coop/run for at least a week. The hawk will be back to try to get a free meal.
Check for injuries at night when they are roosting. Wear a headlamp so that you can check them. This way will be less stressful.

Thank you - I will do that!

 

[gachroni]

Thank goodness you and your husband were vigilant in running off the hawk! In my experience, predators not only traumatize your birds, they scare the bejeebers out of the people -- I get completely paranoid afterwards.

I don't KNOW that it helped, but after I spotted a hawk perched on my garden shed, I put up an owl decoy and haven't spotted another hawk that close. I'm sure others will offer good advice, just as in the previous post.

I hope all your girls are physically okay and recover from the trauma as soon as possible.

Yes, I don't think I thought about it - I just reacted in the moment. And like I said, I think the hawk was a bit smaller than our girls. My 3 Barred Rocks are huge! The attack has me very upset and jittery. I thought having our birds right next to the house would keep most predators away. I am glad to hear the owl decoy works - have already ordered one.

 

[Callender Girl]

Cath Andrews has a Raising Happy Chickens newsletter that showed up in my inbox today with the (timely) topic of How To Protect Your Flock from Birds of Prey. She says sometimes, the decoys work, sometimes they don't. Mine is positioned well above the chickens' sightline so it doesn't scare them.

And, my coops are all within 20 feet of the house and within window views at all times. Still, it's impossible to keep every predator away all of time, but we do our best. I'm rooting for you and your girls!

 

[aart]

I am glad to hear the owl decoy works - have already ordered one.

Ehhhhh......


This works much better:

 

[KyCoop]

The "purring" you heard is called Trilling. They do that to signal danger, beware, freeze in place there may be a predator. You will hear it more now that they have seen a hawk and know its intentions are to kill. Bawk Bawk BAWGAUWK means Its here, the hawk is here RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! Yes, it will be back. Again and again for the next couple of weeks.

 

[gachroni]

Thanks for the insight!

 

[gachroni]

Ehhhhh......


This works much better:

Wow! Well, I am hoping since this is a smaller hawk it will be scared by the decoy. I have a very sturdy coop right by the house in a smallish fenced enclosure (the house is two of the sides of the enclosure) which gives them plenty of wandering space but is not a 'run.'