We have lost a chicken a day for the past 2 days to a chicken hawk. He waits for me to go inside, then attacks. Our chickens are allowed to raom the property as they please. They don't wander too far away from their coop. They all go in each evening - I then close the coop door to keep them safe. I've kept them in their coop for today - or until we can find a solution... We don't want to pen them up in any way. We love watching our "yardbirds" scratching for worms & bugs!

We've asked around and the only 2 things we keep hearing are:

1: Shoot them. That's all fine and dandy, but this/these hawk(s) wait for me to go in the house - plus - I don't have time to sit & wait until I see him/them around.

2: Get a #1 steel trap. We thought this was our solution - BUT - where can you get these traps (and can you get them quickly)? I've been to the area feed stores and they coudln't even tell me where I might try looking.

Thank you for your help. I have bookmarked this site so I can come back and to some more reading.

Lee in TX

-- Jimmy & Lee (newandlearning@hotmail.com), March 21, 2001

Answers

is it legal to trap chicken hawks?? I know its not here in Mich,, but , anyways,, check with a rural taxiderist,, bet hes a trapper also and will sell a trap or know where you can get them. The only other place I can think of, is a REAL good sports shop,, or mail order

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 21, 2001.

Call up your local fish and wildlife department/DNR. They'll tell you if it's legal or not and how to best handle it. I've found that a yard dog effectively scares off any raptors.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), March 21, 2001.

I heard it was illegal to kill any bird of prey.

-- Elizabeth (Lividia66@aol.com), March 21, 2001.

I'm not 100% sure about chicken hawks, but since all the rest are protected, I would imagine this includes them.

Out here we have an animal control service (private company) that comes highly recommended. They remove and relocate nuisance ANYTHING, including birds of prey (they are licensed for such), bear and whatever becomes a problem. Your county extension agent should be able to put you in touch with someone, or your local police department.

I would hate to have the little ones all cooped up, too...

I am not sure how effective relocation would be for a hawk, though..... Seems if a pigeon can find its way home, a hawk should be better equipped. Don't know.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 21, 2001.

Here in Arizona it is illegal to use a steel trap for ANY wildlife. Better check with your State Game & Fish Dept or you may be the one in a cage.

-- Lynn Goltz (lynngoltz@aol.com), March 21, 2001.

shhhhhhh steel trap on your tallest pole. shhhhhhhhh bob se.ks.

-- Bobco (bobco@hit.net), March 21, 2001.

The hawk is protected by federal law and killing or trapping it is a serious offence. And since you have given your email don't do anything to it. The fines and court cost will pay for chicken and eggs for several lifetimes. Either keep the chickens up or eat them before the hawk does. WE live in a location where there is no way we can raise chickens or other small live stock. If the hawks don't get them the weasels, or minks or possoms or raccoons or coyotes or who knows what. Just enjoy the wildlife.

-- David (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), March 21, 2001.

Oh my, raptor killers, shame on you! See post on "eagles" to explain why you should not kill raptors. It is your responsibilty to separate your chickens from their predators, if they are where raptors can get them, then so can ANYTHING else that is out there, dogs, cats, raccoons, bobcats, foxes, etc.,etc.

It is far easier to physically confine (fence, chicken house, bird netting over their run, etc.) the chickens than to fend off everything Mother Nature has in her predator arsenal. A good dog helps, but a proper chicken house and run are 100% foolproof and does not mess with Mother Nature natural selection of prey.

The red tailed hawk, which is your "chicken hawk", is a very valuable member of the rodent eating community, would you prefer to be overrun with mice, moles, voles, chipminks, squirrels, and weasels?

You are living in the country by choice, try to fit in with Nature's great plan, not fight against it.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), March 22, 2001.

I had the same problem about 8 years ago. I lost 4 chickens over several days. Walking to the fenced in area I surprised it while it was munching on another hen and it flew into the wire fence and became stuck. There is a very big reason raptor handlers use the big heavy leather gloves. I grabbed a pair of garden gloves and extracted it from the wire. I was getting ready to release it and it swung it's talons into my hand! My screams brought my wife running and we tugged and pulled for the longest time before it finally released it's grip and I was able to throw it into the air. It promply came back the next day and killed 2 more chickens, then another one the next day. I put up nylon line back and forth about every 4 ft over the entire run. I also added surveyors tape so that would flap in the wind. That did the trick and I never lost any more chickens in the fenced in yard. Outside free range is another story. You take your chances. I"ve gone years without losing a bird then a predator discovers your meca of free chicken and nothing is safe. I would lock up your chickens for a week or so and maybe the hawk will find some greener pastures.

-- Kent in WA (kent@premier1.net), March 22, 2001.

When we lived in Arkansas, our first female Pyr decided she didn't like the cattle egrets that flew over our place daily. She would raise all kind of noise until they were out of sight. Shortly after, Athena decided that all birds above a certain size were enemies and chased them away. Before she died, she taught our second female Tasha and Tasha has taught Heidi and QC to chase off birds. The chickens are safe from anything that moves since QC has the run of the yard all the time. I just worry about when they decide the yard isn't big enough and they venture into the pasture and hay field.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), March 22, 2001.

And here I thought it was just my "Wonder dog' Sophia, the Kuvasz who chased raptors! The three other dogs ignore them, but the Kuvasz scans not only the land, but the air as well...she hates crows, buzzards and hawks..everything else is OK with her.I am hoping that she learns to protect the hens when they are free-ranging..so far, she has looked in the coop and appears to be disinterested....crossing fingers here...I can fully understand your frustration. Hawks are beautiful, but not when they are whacking your chickens. The folks on the forum always seem to have mixed opinions regarding "tolerating Nature". If a cougar was killing your cattle, some folks would advise you to live in peace with it, because after all, you chose to live in the country...there are also folks who would advise you to blast everything that moves if it annoys you....sigh...I always prefer the middle ground. Snakes were here before me..too bad...if it rattles, it's dead...if it is not a viper, it can live in peace with me.Coyotes can stay as long as they leave my animals alone..fair. Hawks whacking my chickens???? uh uh....I would coop up my girls until I could put up a run, then I would harrass the hawk until he went somewhere else. After awhile, I would let them out again. Good luck and God bless.

-- Lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), March 22, 2001.

Lee, do not, repeat do not, try to trap the hawk. All raptors are federally protected, and killing one will give you an up-close-and-personal definition of "world of hurt" if you're caught -- and since you've posted your name and e-mail address, I suspect you're already on someone's watch list.

-- Cash (cash@andcarry.com), March 23, 2001.

lee,

call a professional to come and trap it they we'll either get a waver to destroy it ( which i highly disgree with ) or they can live trap it with a net trap. it has a little cage in the bottom were the bait is. (a pigeon or one of your chickens) when the hawk comes down to grab it a net encloses it. mut like a regular bear trap exceppt with a soft net instead of metal spikes.

good luck

-- drew (ata1hunt@aol.com), February 02, 2002.

The Feds tell you that you can't defend your flock against a raptor but they also don't reimburse you for your losses either. You're just supposed to suck it up and go to the further expense of building overhead protection for your birds or accept more losses.

I like hawks, we have a pair that spend considerable time in my pasture and I encourage them to since they eat a lot of rodents. They've also never killed any of my chickens either. I'd accept the loss of one or two, perhaps, but if they started to make a habit of it then that would be the end of them.

Shoot, Shovel and Shut Up is sometimes your best option. Neither red-tailed nor red-shouldered hawks are in short supply and the next pair that takes over their territory may stick to eating what they're supposed to and not your live stock.

Do what you think is best and don't get caught.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (live-oak@atlantic.net), February 02, 2002.

Gee: A lot of you seem to think that the government owns you and your birds and can feed them to the predators as they please.

I have news: The day when the king could feed his horse on the standing grain is gone. A predator feeds off my stock at the peril of his life. The government be damned; if the public wants my stock to feed their pets, then let the public arrange to pay. The principle is not new.

Mac

-- Jimmy S (Macrocarpus@gbronline.com), March 30, 2002.

Wishful thinking, Jimmy S/Mac. You can deal with the law, and try to get it changed if you think it's wrong; you can try to talk sense into your representatives if you've been keeping an eye on them and they come up with some suggested idiotic law; you can ignore it and wear the consequences when caught; but if you openly defy it then you WILL automatically be caught and wear the consequences - including being on-file with a criminal record. Won't necessarily happen this year, or next, but it WILL happen.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), April 01, 2002.