Chickens traumatized?

[Folly's place]

Glad you were able to scare this hawk away, this time. Good for you! Plan on at least ten to fourteen days of safe time for your flock, because this bird will return, and needs that amount of time to hopefully give up and move on.
Only a covered run is really protective, and it's hard to set up if you are in snow country right now.
Your birds have learned about danger from the air, and will be more careful, but hawks are experts, so the chickens will still be vulnerable.
And do check your birds at night while they are roosting, it's the best time.
Some people say that hanging CDs around the yard helps, or stringing lines overhead to discourage raptors. I've never tried either, but consider it for now.
Mary

 

[Callender Girl]

It's hard to predict exactly what will work for everyone in every situation. My approach is kind of like the old way of knowing if the spaghetti was done: throw it at the wall and see what sticks.

I have the coops close to the house -- visible from windows, an owl decoy, use Nite Gard lights (which some people swear by and others insist are useless) for nocturnal predators, deploy plenty of hardware cloth, have a Very Energetic Dog who barks at everything and add a good deal of prayer to the mix. At night, I yell loudly at the concert of coyotes who encircle the property. I'm in favor of anything and everything that might work.

But, the photo of the perching hawk is pretty funny! I apparently have much more gullible or timid hawks. Of course, I also have nesting eagles not too far away, so maybe they have told the hawks to find a new territory.

 

[gachroni]

Glad you were able to scare this hawk away, this time. Good for you! Plan on at least ten to fourteen days of safe time for your flock, because this bird will return, and needs that amount of time to hopefully give up and move on.
Only a covered run is really protective, and it's hard to set up if you are in snow country right now.
Your birds have learned about danger from the air, and will be more careful, but hawks are experts, so the chickens will still be vulnerable.
And do check your birds at night while they are roosting, it's the best time.
Some people say that hanging CDs around the yard helps, or stringing lines overhead to discourage raptors. I've never tried either, but consider it for now.
Mary

Thanks for your advice!

 

[gachroni]

It's hard to predict exactly what will work for everyone in every situation. My approach is kind of like the old way of knowing if the spaghetti was done: throw it at the wall and see what sticks.

I have the coops close to the house -- visible from windows, an owl decoy, use Nite Gard lights (which some people swear by and others insist are useless) for nocturnal predators, deploy plenty of hardware cloth, have a Very Energetic Dog who barks at everything and add a good deal of prayer to the mix. At night, I yell loudly at the concert of coyotes who encircle the property. I'm in favor of anything and everything that might work.

But, the photo of the perching hawk is pretty funny! I apparently have much more gullible or timid hawks. Of course, I also have nesting eagles not too far away, so maybe they have told the hawks to find a new territory.

Thanks, I like your outlook. We've had these girls since mid-July and this is the first trouble we've had - even a glimpse. When we lived in the mountains of western NC we never had issues with predators other than our own dog (who has passed on now). I'm going to try several things like the owl decoy and pinwheels (maybe CDs, too), and also keep the girls in the coop for several days as has been suggested. They were scolding me this afternoon wanting to get out again so their memory is not long enough!

 

[Folly's place]

Having a covered run helps when there's a problem with predators, so the birds can have some outside time, and still be protected. And raptors are federally protected in the USA< so do ignore advice like the above!
Mary

 

[gachroni]

Having a covered run helps when there's a problem with predators, so the birds can have some outside time, and still be protected. And raptors are federally protected in the USA< so do ignore advice like the above!
Mary

Which advice? Nothing here except approaches to scaring them off or ways to protect the chickens. I understand the law about the protection of raptors. Maybe I missed something... Anyway, thank you for your own advice. I have really appreciated everyone telling me about their own experiences and suggestions.

 

[ChicNmom]

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.

Thanks! I always wondered what it was called. Ours make that and a sound that reminds me of an alternator going bad. They usually make that sound when they think there is danger but aren't sure.

Thanks, I like your outlook. We've had these girls since mid-July and this is the first trouble we've had - even a glimpse. When we lived in the mountains of western NC we never had issues with predators other than our own dog (who has passed on now). I'm going to try several things like the owl decoy and pinwheels (maybe CDs, too), and also keep the girls in the coop for several days as has been suggested. They were scolding me this afternoon wanting to get out again so their memory is not long enough!

We had an attack a couple of weeks ago and it's mostly snowy outside. But to give them some outside time I've been letting them out about 2 hours before bedtime and I stay out there to do coop chores. It seems to keep the complaining down.

 

[cmom]

I have nice large covered pens for my birds. They love their pen especially in the summers. My land is mostly open pasture, no trees for shade. All of the pens have shade trees and rain/shade tables. Every now and then I give them flock blocks to peck at but they usually have things from the gardens too. The hawk will be back. I don't know if it's passing through or a resident but every now and then one will show up here. Usually a Red Tail. One BYC member put a tube man next to her coop. Good luck...

 

[gachroni]

Thanks! I always wondered what it was called. Ours make that and a sound that reminds me of an alternator going bad. They usually make that sound when they think there is danger but aren't sure.

We had an attack a couple of weeks ago and it's mostly snowy outside. But to give them some outside time I've been letting them out about 2 hours before bedtime and I stay out there to do coop chores. It seems to keep the complaining down.

Thanks for the suggestion, I was considering something like that.

 

[parvani]

My friend is a professional chicken breeder who lives in the country, in an area with lots of tall trees. She has netting over her chicken runs, but a few years ago a couple of hawks tore right through it. She got rid of them... had fake owls everywhere...

But the thing that worked best for her was buying a cheap stack of blank CDs and hanging them everywhere.

Hawks are very visual. They see EVERYTHING. Every little movement (is it a mouse? A songbird?), every flash and quiver.

The glitter of CDs swaying in any breeze makes hawks so nervous and jittery that they can't stay, and they can't ignore it. They leave.