Hawk deterrent?

[Newchickenmom81]

Yesterday I lost one of my grow outs to a hawk. I’ve never had this issue before. I’m in a neighborhood so my predator list is very low. Our house does backup to a field (I have a 6 fit privacy fence) and this is the first I’ve ever seen one around. Short of netting my whole backyard, what are some deterrents I can use? I hate leaving my chickens locked up all day. They do have a nice spacious run and coop, but I feel they need to free range as well. There is coverage in my back yard for them to hide under. Bushes, trees and my back porch seems to be their favorite.

 

[sourland]

I would keep them penned up for several days and then monitored free ranging.

 

[ChicNmom]

I have strung old CD's together with fishing ling and hung them around the yard. Supposedly the hawks find it annoying. Anything that is reflective and moving might help.

 

[McChooky]

The more you do to protect them the fewer chickens predators will kill. I have fenced my yard, built predator proof coops and runs,placed
obstacles around the yard to give the chickens somewhere to hide, trained 2 dogs to sound alerts,installed a camera and added a baby monitor. The list goes on and on things we can do .Bottom line is how far will you go to keep them safe?I have gone to great lengths to make it difficult for predators to get my chickens but nothings 100%

 

[Lulu-vt]

I have strung old CD's together with fishing ling and hung them around the yard. Supposedly the hawks find it annoying. Anything that is reflective and moving might help.

That’s a great idea!

 

[FalseToast]

Literally anything that can be scary to most birds! Flags, wind chimes, etc! I have seen people buy those blow-up things often waving around car dealerships—you know the wiggly tube guys I’m talking about… hopefully. I’ve chased/scared hawks off with a BROOM! Just make sure to always be able to hear or see your flock if you don’t have a rooster around, and chances are you’re able to intervene if you notice any change in your birds behaviour—looking up, seeming less focused about eating on the ground/wary, etc. And weird fun fact, black chickens are often mistaken as crows, which hawks hate? So they’ll avoid them.

Of course, go the lengths you’re willing to for your birds. Personally, I’m content with a .22 if I find the hawks are hanging around for days on end and or pose a threat to my flock. My rooster does an excellent job and my birds are comfortable enough to forage in a wide-open field despite there being lots of trees for cover. I’ve yet to have a loss in the last two years to hawks and my birds free-range completely from 7:30AM to 8:30PM—when they roost for the night. Just… be crazy!

 

[Dianemarie]

The more you do to protect them the fewer chickens predators will kill. I have fenced my yard, built predator proof coops and runs,placed
obstacles around the yard to give the chickens somewhere to hide, trained 2 dogs to sound alerts,installed a camera and added a baby monitor. The list goes on and on things we can do .Bottom line is how far will you go to keep them safe?I have gone to great lengths to make it difficult for predators to get my chickens but nothings 100%

Literally anything that can be scary to most birds! Flags, wind chimes, etc! I have seen people buy those blow-up things often waving around car dealerships—you know the wiggly tube guys I’m talking about… hopefully. I’ve chased/scared hawks off with a BROOM! Just make sure to always be able to hear or see your flock if you don’t have a rooster around, and chances are you’re able to intervene if you notice any change in your birds behaviour—looking up, seeming less focused about eating on the ground/wary, etc. And weird fun fact, black chickens are often mistaken as crows, which hawks hate? So they’ll avoid them.

Of course, go the lengths you’re willing to for your birds. Personally, I’m content with a .22 if I find the hawks are hanging around for days on end and or pose a threat to my flock. My rooster does an excellent job and my birds are comfortable enough to forage in a wide-open field despite there being lots of trees for cover. I’ve yet to have a loss in the last two years to hawks and my birds free-range completely from 7:30AM to 8:30PM—when they roost for the night. Just… be crazy!

All my birds are black and a hawk has never hesitated to swoop down on them. They can see a mouse from half mile away I am sure they can see the difference of my chickens and they can

 

[Dianemarie]

The more you do to protect them the fewer chickens predators will kill. I have fenced my yard, built predator proof coops and runs,placed
obstacles around the yard to give the chickens somewhere to hide, trained 2 dogs to sound alerts,installed a camera and added a baby monitor. The list goes on and on things we can do .Bottom line is how far will you go to keep them safe?I have gone to great lengths to make it difficult for predators to get my chickens but nothings 100%

Literally anything that can be scary to most birds! Flags, wind chimes, etc! I have seen people buy those blow-up things often waving around car dealerships—you know the wiggly tube guys I’m talking about… hopefully. I’ve chased/scared hawks off with a BROOM! Just make sure to always be able to hear or see your flock if you don’t have a rooster around, and chances are you’re able to intervene if you notice any change in your birds behaviour—looking up, seeming less focused about eating on the ground/wary, etc. And weird fun fact, black chickens are often mistaken as crows, which hawks hate? So they’ll avoid them.

Of course, go the lengths you’re willing to for your birds. Personally, I’m content with a .22 if I find the hawks are hanging around for days on end and or pose a threat to my flock. My rooster does an excellent job and my birds are comfortable enough to forage in a wide-open field despite there being lots of trees for cover. I’ve yet to have a loss in the last two years to hawks and my birds free-range completely from 7:30AM to 8:30PM—when they roost for the night. Just… be crazy!

All my birds are black and a hawk has never hesitated to swoop down on them. They can see a mouse from half mile away think they can see and hear chickens and know the difference.

 

[Dianemarie]

The more you do to protect them the fewer chickens predators will kill. I have fenced my yard, built predator proof coops and runs,placed
obstacles around the yard to give the chickens somewhere to hide, trained 2 dogs to sound alerts,installed a camera and added a baby monitor. The list goes on and on things we can do .Bottom line is how far will you go to keep them safe?I have gone to great lengths to make it difficult for predators to get my chickens but nothings 100%

Literally anything that can be scary to most birds! Flags, wind chimes, etc! I have seen people buy those blow-up things often waving around car dealerships—you know the wiggly tube guys I’m talking about… hopefully. I’ve chased/scared hawks off with a BROOM! Just make sure to always be able to hear or see your flock if you don’t have a rooster around, and chances are you’re able to intervene if you notice any change in your birds behaviour—looking up, seeming less focused about eating on the ground/wary, etc. And weird fun fact, black chickens are often mistaken as crows, which hawks hate? So they’ll avoid them.

Of course, go the lengths you’re willing to for your birds. Personally, I’m content with a .22 if I find the hawks are hanging around for days on end and or pose a threat to my flock. My rooster does an excellent job and my birds are comfortable enough to forage in a wide-open field despite there being lots of trees for cover. I’ve yet to have a loss in the last two years to hawks and my birds free-range completely from 7:30AM to 8:30PM—when they roost for the night. Just… be crazy!

All my birds are black and a hawk has never hesitated to swoop down on them. They can see a mouse from half mile away I am sure they can see the difference of my chickens and they can

 

[McChooky]

They're brave enough to fight hawks I don't trust them around my chickens