# Hawks getting chickens



## 25.06 (Jul 15, 2014)

We have a 25'x 50' chicken pen. Is there any tricks to keep hawks out without covering the whole pen?


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## dawg2 (Jul 15, 2014)

Not really.  Once they start, they will keep coming back.  I have never lost a chicken to a hawk and my top is wide open.  But I have guineas and that seems to help.


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## 25.06 (Jul 15, 2014)

dawg2 said:


> Not really.  Once they start, they will keep coming back.  I have never lost a chicken to a hawk and my top is wide open.  But I have guineas and that seems to help.



Have not lost one yet, but have seen the hawks after them several times.
A hawk did get one of my hens in the coop one day. He flew out and dropped her, she was in shock for the rest of the day, but was ok the next day.
I'm going to try some different things to keep them out and will post back the results.


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## Rabbit Hunter 101 (Jul 15, 2014)

Like Dawg2 says, once they start it'll be hard to stop them. Aside from covering it, I don't know a good way. We covered ours in chain link. Not the prettiest thing, but it works.


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## redman2006 (Jul 15, 2014)

I covered mine.
I have heard from someone that used this that it worked:

A larger sized plastic redtail hawk will keep the others away if you perch it on the edge of the fence.  He said it scared the crap out of his chickens as well.

I have also heard that stringing wires over it with "pinwheels" made of aluminum cans will help.

For a cheap cover, I used the plastic chicken wire looking netting and it worked great.


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## OneCrazyGeek (Jul 15, 2014)

My brother use to do this. It swore it helped.

Take fishing line,  tie it through the center of a cd/dvd. Tie to limbs where the cd/dvd can spin.

Sun light hits it while spinning and detracts the birds from flying in.


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## Dbender (Jul 15, 2014)

A large breed rir,dominicker etc rooster will protect them against hawks.  They have to be grown birds though.


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## Scrapy (Jul 16, 2014)

Dbender said:


> A large breed rir,dominicker etc rooster will protect them against hawks.  They have to be grown birds though.



I think you are right. Also the other day I was searching fish netting and happened onto fish pond netting and bird netting. That stuff is cheap and one big enough for something as big as hawks coming down with wings spread is probably cheaper yet. 

Lots of hawks migrate and once they are gone you can take it down and get several years use out of it. I think the UV light eats it up over time.


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## birddog52 (Aug 11, 2014)

Aload of number 6 shot works evrytime


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## Jeff Raines (Aug 11, 2014)

Last year,saw a hawk perched over my chicken run gazing intently upon my prize breakfast producers.I "shooed"it away.
This spring there was a hawks nest within 75 feet of the chickens when I let them out.Hawks never bothered them.


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## Slasher (Aug 11, 2014)

redman2006 said:


> I covered mine.
> For a cheap cover, I used the plastic chicken wire looking netting and it worked great.


X2

But we let ours out 3-4 hrs a dayaswell....

I had a hawk drop in and roll one of mine.. Momma went yelling and screaming at him and he flewoff as the dogs were in pursuit...

I find my spooky leghorns and my dominekkers run for cover anytime anything flys over... be it a plane or a hawk...


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## Scrapy (Aug 11, 2014)

At 8 years old my daughter got 18 RRR biddies/pullets for a 4-H project. she was very responsible. she raise the biddies in a off the ground whelping dog pen with chainlink with the water and feed on the outside the biddies could peck through and not fight. When they got bigger she put them in a 50X50' dog pen as pullets . 6 ft high chainlink but uncovered.  A Red Tail got six of them before I showed up at the right place at the right time. That left her with 12 as required by the project. She won second place in the county. It would only have taken 250 feet of ten ft wide plastic bird cover.  But that was years ago before plastic bird cover was heard of to my knowledge.


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## chadf (Aug 12, 2014)

What did the old timers do ?


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## Scrapy (Aug 12, 2014)

chadf said:


> What did the old timers do ?


They lost a lot of them if they were out in the field plowing. Mamma took care of it.


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## Scrapy (Aug 12, 2014)

When my daughter got 12 , she had her own 870 pump youth special 20 guage and she would have taken care of the problem....


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## rvick (Aug 13, 2014)

chadf said:


> What did the old timers do ?


 
 Uncle Billy put a steel leg hold trap on top of the bell scaffold because the hawk would land on the highest point to look around. Now they tell me to leave the red-tails in the woods as the smaller (& much more dangerous to quail & chickens) hawks won't live in a red-tails territory. I have more trouble with owls. A good dog is the answer.


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## cj580guitar (Aug 13, 2014)

Had an oldtimer tell me, every day when I go feed my chickens take a small amount of feed and throw it out in the yard.In a day or two the crows will find it, feed the crows and the hawks and owls will leave the area. I have not lost a chicken for the last 2 yrs. It works for me..


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## PappyHoel (Aug 13, 2014)

I saved my white silkie from a hawk one day.  I just happen to be looking out the kitchen window and saw a big poof of white feathers go flying.  I thought that was odd and maybe the rooster got after her.  About that time I saw the rest of the flock scatter, including the rooster.  Split second later I bolted out the door knowing what happen, it was a red tail hawk.  I rounded the corner and the hawk was on top of her. I shoo'd it away and the silkie ran lightning speed back to the coop.  She didn't come out the rest of the day.  I examined her and she was fine, no broken skin or bones.  

My chickens free range most days, I let them out when I'm home.  That's the only incident I've had, but I expect the hawks will get one when I'm not looking.  It's bound to happen sooner or later.  Hawks gotta eat too.


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## Nicodemus (Aug 13, 2014)

Get you a big Dominecker rooster to add to the flock.


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## Scrapy (Aug 13, 2014)

Nicodemus said:


> Get you a big Dominecker rooster to add to the flock.


Has any body tried a Gamecock for that purpose?


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## rvick (Aug 14, 2014)

they will nail a game rooster as fast as anything


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## birddog52 (Sep 6, 2014)

yes a hawk has no fear of any rooster period it sjust dinner if he can catch it


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## 25.06 (Sep 17, 2014)

OneCrazyGeek said:


> My brother use to do this. It swore it helped.
> 
> Take fishing line,  tie it through the center of a cd/dvd. Tie to limbs where the cd/dvd can spin.
> 
> Sun light hits it while spinning and detracts the birds from flying in.



I was about to post that this works. To my knowledge, no more problems with hawks until today. A hawk killed one of my roosters today in about 20 seconds.


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## KULL NUTHIN' (Sep 19, 2014)

Ya gotta use the SSS method Shoot, Shovel and Shut up!


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## hdgapeach (Sep 21, 2014)

We have several red tails that like to check our chicken inventory every now and then.  A good blast from the 12 gauge, pointed in their general direction reminds them to cruise elsewhere.  Since I started using "loud bang" therapy, they tend to be sparse around the farm.  Generally, I'll have to remind them a couple times a year.  Haven't lost a chicken since I started the therapy on the hawks.  Lost a bunch before I started.  Haven't touched a hawk, just scared 'em out  of the area.  Funny to watch 'em flinch!  It almost seems like a "Oh yeah, I forgot" moment.  

As a side note: My local DNR officer was who suggested this method.


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## 25.06 (Nov 4, 2014)

No problems with hawks in over a month. 
We tied strings over the chicken pen.


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## 3d foam killer (Dec 18, 2014)

My lab teal thinks the chickens are her babies and if  any kind of predator hasn't gotten a single chicken since she been around. I can get pretty close to my chickens and they won't get squirleybut if i go to grab them they get crazy. teal can go up and lick almost all of them almost like she is a chicken. I had a hen that didnt want to go to the coop to roost one night(for what reason I can't figure out) after about 10 mins of me trying to catch her with a net I was just letting her settle down and teal walked up and grabbed her just like she would a duck brought her too me and I grabbed her by the feet and out her in the coop and the chicken never freaked out it is the craziest thing I have ever seen and one of the coolest I have ever experienced


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## 1singleshot (Dec 30, 2014)

X2 with what KULL NUTTIN said !


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## Big7 (Dec 30, 2014)

Steel trap on top of a "T" post about 30 ft high.

Used to do this back in the day when a trio of
MY cross Hatch-Butchers were $1500.00
per.

Yep... I was well prepared to pay the fine.

That much money, back then was NOTHING
compared to the 75 roosters with accompanying
hens.. 

Chicken feed. 

Never went to the drag pit with that cross.

Works on hawks and owls. 

Statute is over. Come get me..


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## tim scott (Jan 26, 2015)

wow some mighty valuable chickens for you to be talking about killing birds of prey.
forget any trouble with the local state game warden.... federally protected since 1973..... you really ready to pay the fine?  $25,000. can also seize property, land, guns, auto's also jail time..... a good friend and i used to do under cover work for the dept. of the interior.... we only worked on the cases involving birds of prey..... we did the things the officers weren't allowed to do, prior to a full raid on the persons house. that way the raids were 100% conviction rate. you've been warned.
tim


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## 25.06 (Jan 29, 2015)

Wow ! , not sure about some of the replies on this. 
The cost of the string wasn't much and it has been very effective. No more problems with hawks.


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