Was letting the ladies out to free range this morning and as soon as they were out of the pen, a hawk came out of nowhere and dive-bombed them. Should I be worried that this guy is going to be coming back looking for lunch? He was not very big but definitely a hawk. Do hawks go after full size chickens?
Yikes! Hawk dive-bomb?
- Thread starter RenoChix
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It will be back, as will its relatives.
All hawks will kill and eat all sizes of chickens. Young chicks are easy for even small hawks like kestrels to pick up and take to a tree to eat in peace. If the chicken is too big to carry off, they just kill it and eat it on the ground.
Even larger buteo type hawks that usually only eat rodents will kill and eat chickens when hungry. Acipiter (bird) hawks are usually smaller but birds are their primary prey.
Can you keep roosters where you live?
All hawks will kill and eat all sizes of chickens. Young chicks are easy for even small hawks like kestrels to pick up and take to a tree to eat in peace. If the chicken is too big to carry off, they just kill it and eat it on the ground.
Even larger buteo type hawks that usually only eat rodents will kill and eat chickens when hungry. Acipiter (bird) hawks are usually smaller but birds are their primary prey.
Can you keep roosters where you live?
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What species are we talking about? Most do not dive bomb chickens when hunting. Something else might be going on. Species ID is important.
KestrelKite
In the Brooder
- Aug 9, 2018
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Do you have some bushes/plant cover your chickens can hide under if a bird of prey is seen? I’m not sure I can help much but we get a lot of raptors around here and the hens always stay hidden in bushes or in their coop when the alarm is sounded.
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Where are you located? Species like Mississippi Kite appears to dive bomb but is not threat.
What did it look like?
What did it look like?
I think the concept and vision of "dive bomb" is in the eye of the beholder.
Unless a raptor is chasing a prey animal like robin, cardinal or starling through a glade or forest - they attack from above to achieve that advantages of speed and surprise.
Every time I've seen a hawk (of any species) attack a chicken, it could be construed as a "dive bomb".
Depending on the dog, I doubt most keep an eye to the sky and can react in time to thwart a raptor attack.
Bushes, brush and other forms of ground cover can help with breeds of chickens that are wary. However most of the breeds I see people on this forum have would be sitting ducks because they have had that alertness bred out of them.
The extraordinarily common request for breed suggestions is for gentle, calm, docile, friendly, etc..
Those aren't the characteristics of breeds that are wary and likely to take cover before they are prey.
Worst among those are breeds like silkies and polish because their overhead vision is obstructed.
On the other hand, a big agile rooster of the aloof, wary, flighty ilk will spy a hawk a mile away and send the hens for cover long before they arrive - and if he's worth his weight in salt, he likely will stand his ground waiting for the oncoming dive bomb and meet it with a flurry of talons, beaks, wings and feathers.
If you have the calm, docile, gentle breeds, you probably need a covered run and only free range when you are right in the midst of the flock.
Unless a raptor is chasing a prey animal like robin, cardinal or starling through a glade or forest - they attack from above to achieve that advantages of speed and surprise.
Every time I've seen a hawk (of any species) attack a chicken, it could be construed as a "dive bomb".
Depending on the dog, I doubt most keep an eye to the sky and can react in time to thwart a raptor attack.
Bushes, brush and other forms of ground cover can help with breeds of chickens that are wary. However most of the breeds I see people on this forum have would be sitting ducks because they have had that alertness bred out of them.
The extraordinarily common request for breed suggestions is for gentle, calm, docile, friendly, etc..
Those aren't the characteristics of breeds that are wary and likely to take cover before they are prey.
Worst among those are breeds like silkies and polish because their overhead vision is obstructed.
On the other hand, a big agile rooster of the aloof, wary, flighty ilk will spy a hawk a mile away and send the hens for cover long before they arrive - and if he's worth his weight in salt, he likely will stand his ground waiting for the oncoming dive bomb and meet it with a flurry of talons, beaks, wings and feathers.
If you have the calm, docile, gentle breeds, you probably need a covered run and only free range when you are right in the midst of the flock.
Behold, more than half the raptor species of the Midwest are not are not a threat to chickens. Species ID is important. Dive bombing is not he same as stooping and making grappling contact with talons. Dive bombing is coming in close from above and pulling away at last second.
The over generalization is contributing to the public's limited interest in conservation.
The over generalization is contributing to the public's limited interest in conservation.
What kind of birds do you have... ?? it is getting to that time of year when you have to be careful of smaller birds.... when I had pigeons, the hawks did indeed come diving through. Right past my head like I was not there. A relatively small hawk can kill a full sized chicken quite readily. Coopers hawk is a prime culprit. I am interested to know if you have smaller birds.
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