I raise this question because after 5 months of letting my girls out to free range around 4pm and at night fall, they make their way back to their shed. So Saturday we finally had one come up missing...
Saturday I let them out around 9am; around 5:30 I left the house and before I left, I did a head count and everyone was there. I was gone 20 minutes, and upon my return I noticed one gone... As I walk around the yard I noticed a small hawk, which I think may have been a Cooper Hawk or a Chicken Hawk, fly off the dead girls body. As upsetting as it may be, I understand this is part of having free range chickens and even harder to keeping it from happening.
What is funny about it is, I sat on the porch and watch two massive red tail hawks circling above, but as they circled, they drifted farther and farther away; almost like they didn't care.
It's those fast, small little hawks that seem to be the problem; of course I'm sure any hawk would get them, but like I stated above, I know it was a Cooper or Chicken hawk I saw fly off and I didn't have my shotgun.
My Uncle told me in Alabama it is legal to kill ANY hawk as long as you can prove its killing your chickens. So my question is, does any know if the same law or rules apply in Georgia?
Our house, legally, is in the city (on 3 acres), but ever neighboring house running east is county. Everyone is like me, 3+ acres of land with 1,000 acres bordering the rear of the property that is nothing but trees. Its like we live in the country with all the land around us.... and we are a small town.
Saturday I let them out around 9am; around 5:30 I left the house and before I left, I did a head count and everyone was there. I was gone 20 minutes, and upon my return I noticed one gone... As I walk around the yard I noticed a small hawk, which I think may have been a Cooper Hawk or a Chicken Hawk, fly off the dead girls body. As upsetting as it may be, I understand this is part of having free range chickens and even harder to keeping it from happening.
What is funny about it is, I sat on the porch and watch two massive red tail hawks circling above, but as they circled, they drifted farther and farther away; almost like they didn't care.
It's those fast, small little hawks that seem to be the problem; of course I'm sure any hawk would get them, but like I stated above, I know it was a Cooper or Chicken hawk I saw fly off and I didn't have my shotgun.
My Uncle told me in Alabama it is legal to kill ANY hawk as long as you can prove its killing your chickens. So my question is, does any know if the same law or rules apply in Georgia?
Our house, legally, is in the city (on 3 acres), but ever neighboring house running east is county. Everyone is like me, 3+ acres of land with 1,000 acres bordering the rear of the property that is nothing but trees. Its like we live in the country with all the land around us.... and we are a small town.
