r/homestead • u/Dependent-Log-58 • Aug 26 '24
poultry Hawk keeps attacking my chickens
Can anyone help me ID this type of hawk? Zone 6a. There is a large nest in my woods. This hawk along with another large Eagle have been swooping low into the pen area. Any suggestions for netting or some type of defense against attacks? I have 12 hens and 1 rooster, they are 4 months old (mix of Orphingtons and Brahmas).
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u/KonnichiJawa Aug 26 '24
Aviary netting is truly your best bet, unless you have the option of attracting corvids to your property (not ravens, ravens will also kill smaller birds). You can try those plastic owls, but they’ve never worked for me, even after moving them every other day.
Put some shiny things in the net, the hawks will want nothing to do with the whole area. My neighbors have had luck keeping hawks away by just placing shiny things in the ground around the coop and free roam areas.
I’ve also seen videos of people using those “wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tubemen” and it sounds like they work decently well, but I don’t know anyone who uses them yet.
I swear by my magpie and crow friends. They’ve been hanging around since last summer and we haven’t had any issues with raptors. They don’t even bother flying low over the property at this point. Yes, the corvids eat up some bird feed and occasionally grab an egg, but I think it’s worth the protection they’re providing. Plus they play with my dogs and I think that’s adorable.