I have a hawk that wont stay away

[luvallmychicks]

There is a hawk that got one of my hens. The hawk is all way around. It almost got a hen 25 feet from my DH and 9 yr old son. They chased it off. I see it every day. I have a huge open run. About 40 x 40 feet and they free range in the garden and on pasture. It got the one out side the run. I hung wires over the run. What else can I do? It is a bold hawk. It sits on my kids swing set watching my chickens. I have about 50 birds I dont want to lose more.

I'm just sick about it.

I have other predators to keep gaurd about.

 

[Judy]

Try mounting old CD's on the fence posts so that they move a bit in the breeze. Our farm supply store sells those bright shiny metal pinwheels mounted on a stick. Evidently the moving shiny stuff disturbs their vision somehow. Aluminum pie plates, too.

You could do a search on here and see what else people use. I think sometimes the motion activated water sprinklers are used as well.

 

[dixygirl]

You can find a bird net on eBay to put over top of your run. They have even up to 150x150 for as little as $29.00

Sink a 4x4 post or 2 tall in the middle to serve as a central post for some height in there. The shiny things will be nice too

 

[Opa]

Sadly, the reality of free ranging chickens is that there is no effective method to make them completely predator proof.

 

[backdoorchicken]

we use the cd method at the farm i volunteer at. it is a little effective but i think they get used to the cds.

 

[DiVon80]

I am gonna post something funny: My sister lives in a fancy neighborhood and she and her husband are long time backyard wild bird feeders. She even has a flock of pigeons who show up on a regular basis. Keep in mind subdivision in the middle of town. It was fathers day and we were doing the usual holiday stuff. My mom 82 years old says look at the size of that pigeon!!! Wow! Oh mom you don't remember the pigeons in the quarter(New Orleans native) well they are the same size. Then I decided to look out the window, WOW!! OH CRAP!!! Its a red tailed hawk, he flew down and got a pigeon... Off he went w a trail of feathers following behind him. Speaking of making memories this is one we will never forget. We just thought she was being silly! We laughed! Hawks now work in neighborhoods. Any Idears! Also one night this mutated coon looking thing came to a feeder. It had a butt like a koala bear no tail and the mask was light colored. She was trying to get a picture but no luck. It showed up long enough to spark interest now its gone. Wow! What a neighborhood...

 

[Barred Rocker]

I've got a hard headed hawk that keeps harrassing my chickens too. My pens are covered with wire so it can't get in but it doesnt seem to get the message. Darn thing lands right next to the pen eyeballing and drooling over my hens and the roosters have a fit. They all run for cover and don't come out til long after the hawk has gone. I've set my shot gun next to the back door so next time I hear a ruckus I'm going to try to get the hawk to part with some of his own tail feathers.

 

[breezy]

I had a hawk that was hanging around my place for a long time. The bold bugger was even bathing in my pond. I got rid of him in the simplest way. I mounted a couple of those mole chasers in my yard....one on the coop and one on the fence behind the coop. It looks like a little wind mill and they are meant to be driven into the ground where the vibrations they make as they spin supposedly chase moles away.. I put them up high and as the little windmill spins in the breeze it flashes. I put those up and the sharp shin hawk I had was gone almost immediately. It had been living in my yard for over a year. I still see it in the neighborhood it just doesnt come into my yard anymore. Hope that helps

 

[Emzyyy]

Also planting bushes for cover for your chickens to hide in and having a rooster around will help. I suggest keeping them up until he realizes that he can't get to them and gives up. We have major hawk issues where I live I counted 11 in the sky once within 5 minutes circling around the coop. I have welded wire on the top of a dog run.

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
oh thats sounds better than my ideas wher do you get those? I just did a search but only could find the stakes.