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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
   
| We have a Red Shouldered hawk hanging around watching our chickens. Does anyone have any ideas on how to dissuade it from this activity? I don't want to lose a chicken, but I don't want to hurt the hawk either. I just want it to go hunt somewhere else. |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | lonely va barrelxr - 2013-12-20 12:30 PM We have a Red Shouldered hawk hanging around watching our chickens. Does anyone have any ideas on how to dissuade it from this activity? I don't want to lose a chicken, but I don't want to hurt the hawk either. I just want it to go hunt somewhere else.
catch him and send him my way. I have 15 hens and get about 2-3 eggs a day. They have age against them and my son isn't too keen on us butchering them (which is still going to happen some time). I want to get some young chicks/hens this spring but about 10 of these have to go first. Accidents are ok ;) |
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 Road Rash Expert
Posts: 5501
Location: Near San Antonio, TX | I just sent your question to my boss, who happens to be a huge, huge hawk enthusiast. I will let you know what his response is. |
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Road Rash Expert
Posts: 5501
Location: Near San Antonio, TX | Here is the response I recieved...
Geez, the only idea I have would be to trap the bird and let it go a hundred miles away or so. Maybe try “Last Chance Forever”, they rehab injured birds of prey, they could possibly trap it or offer useful tips?
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Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| Scout1320 - 2013-12-20 2:28 PM Here is the response I recieved...
Geez, the only idea I have would be to trap the bird and let it go a hundred miles away or so. Maybe try “Last Chance Forever”, they rehab injured birds of prey, they could possibly trap it or offer useful tips?
Thanks.
I might try shooting my 410 outside a few times I guess. I got rid of our Pigeon problem that way.
There is no rehab in (northern) Virginia worth talking to. I tried to help a Heron in the past and barely got a surly returned call from one (out of 15 calls). My vet was more helpful and had more ideas than the rehab. |
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 Night Watchman
Posts: 5516
Location: Central Montana | Oh boy, I clicked on this thinking someone had spelled hock wrong and was looking for help......but nooooooo...... it really was about hawks........and.......I have no advice on this one |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I would shoot off a shotgun a few times to scare it off.  |
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 Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | You can build a trap with a cage at the bottom to hold pigeons as bait that works real well. Then haul him miles away. The only thing is they migrate and tend to come back to the same place. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| I know that there is a bird rehab in middle virginia. Maybe call those horse vets in charlottesville, they might know. I have seen them on the news. I used to know all the rehab people, i found a roller pigeon in my yard called local vet he came and got it. |
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Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| GoinJettin - 2013-12-20 10:44 PM Oh boy, I clicked on this thinking someone had spelled hock wrong and was looking for help......but nooooooo...... it really was about hawks........and.......I have no advice on this one
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Expert
Posts: 1488
| Contact your fish and game authority.
Birds of prey or BIG no no's to mess with. Could potentially get yourself in some hot water.
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Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| DD2012 - 2013-12-21 7:53 AM Contact your fish and game authority. Birds of prey or BIG no no's to mess with. Could potentially get yourself in some hot water.
I know that they are protected -- that's why I didn't want to see 'SSS' as a solution. I won't try to trap it either since I figure both the bird and I would end up hurt. But I don't think popping off a few rounds with my 410 will be a problem. We have a firing range a mile or so away (along with Quantico just over the hill, where we can hear the 'chink-chink-chink of 50's), so a 410 is pretty tame compared to what we hear on a daily basis.
I got to get real close to this hawk yesterday. I was riding Zan and I don't think it saw me as a human. I was about 30' away from it, maybe less. Beautiful bird! |
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 Toastest with the Mostest
Posts: 5712
Location: That part of Texas | Firing shots at them never worked at our house but maybe yours will be scared away. We used to raise bobwhite quail and had to continuously deal with predator birds of this nature. I see trapping and a long Sunday drive as your only option to really get rid of him. They can be very persistent when it comes to an easy meal. |
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 The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | If you have identified the species of hawk correctly, you should not have a problem if you don't have small banty chicks out running loose. Red shouldereds feed on frogs, snakes and small rodents and do not have the size feet to catch and hold an average size chicken. If you are tossing feed out in the yard for them, there may be songbirds or mice coming to that feed that they are looking at. I tried making a falconry hawk out of a red-shouldered (I am permitted) and I could not get him interested in anything other than chasing frogs and grasshoppers. If you still want him to leave, there's really not much you can do as raptors pick out favorite perch sites they use day after day. I guess you could cut the tree limb down?
When you have problems with a raptor that is large enough to feed on chickens, you should put your chickens up in a coop for several days which allows the raptor to get hungry and move on to another hunting area. Please understand that our ancestors invented chicken coops when they got tired of dogs, coyotes, possums, raccoons and raptors chasing after their fowl. Leaving chickens running loose 24/7 is only feeding the many predators on this earth who are also trying to survive.
A note to the other posters, if you are thinking about trapping and relocating a bird of prey, please understand its against state AND federal law. And if you don't care about the law and intend to do it anyway, please do not use a leghold trap. If you do trap a hawk with a leghold, then please euthanize the hawk instead of relocating it as the trap injury will cause him alot of pain and a slow death
Edited by rollingrfarm 2013-12-21 12:41 PM
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Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | rollingrfarm - 2013-12-21 11:36 AM If you have identified the species of hawk correctly, you should not have a problem if you don't have small banty chicks out running loose. Red shouldereds feed on frogs, snakes and small rodents and do not have the size feet to catch and hold an average size chicken. If you are tossing feed out in the yard for them, there may be songbirds or mice coming to that feed that they are looking at. I tried making a falconry hawk out of a red-shouldered (I am permitted) and I could not get him interested in anything other than chasing frogs and grasshoppers. If you still want him to leave, there's really not much you can do as raptors pick out favorite perch sites they use day after day. I guess you could cut the tree limb down?
When you have problems with a raptor that is large enough to feed on chickens, you should put your chickens up in a coop for several days which allows the raptor to get hungry and move on to another hunting area. Please understand that our ancestors invented chicken coops when they got tired of dogs, coyotes, possums, raccoons and raptors chasing after their fowl. Leaving chickens running loose 24/7 is only feeding the many predators on this earth who are also trying to survive.
A note to the other posters, if you are thinking about trapping and relocating a bird of prey, please understand its against state AND federal law. And if you don't care about the law and intend to do it anyway, please do not use a leghold trap. If you do trap a hawk with a leghold, then please euthanize the hawk instead of relocating it as the trap injury will cause him alot of pain and a slow death
I am right there with you on using any kind of trap that would injure the bird. Hawks are beautiful birds and I would never consider hurting one of them. These traps know about are humane to the pigeons and hawks too. I used to race pigeons and we had to be careful to not them out to exercise during the time the hawks were migrating through. I love all birds and do want to see any of them hurt if I can help it. And yes laws do protect these beautiful birds. Sometimes it is just easier and smarter to keep yours penned up. |
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Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| rollingrfarm - 2013-12-21 12:36 PM If you have identified the species of hawk correctly, you should not have a problem if you don't have small banty chicks out running loose. Red shouldereds feed on frogs, snakes and small rodents and do not have the size feet to catch and hold an average size chicken. If you are tossing feed out in the yard for them, there may be songbirds or mice coming to that feed that they are looking at. I tried making a falconry hawk out of a red-shouldered (I am permitted) and I could not get him interested in anything other than chasing frogs and grasshoppers. If you still want him to leave, there's really not much you can do as raptors pick out favorite perch sites they use day after day. I guess you could cut the tree limb down?
When you have problems with a raptor that is large enough to feed on chickens, you should put your chickens up in a coop for several days which allows the raptor to get hungry and move on to another hunting area. Please understand that our ancestors invented chicken coops when they got tired of dogs, coyotes, possums, raccoons and raptors chasing after their fowl. Leaving chickens running loose 24/7 is only feeding the many predators on this earth who are also trying to survive.
A note to the other posters, if you are thinking about trapping and relocating a bird of prey, please understand its against state AND federal law. And if you don't care about the law and intend to do it anyway, please do not use a leghold trap. If you do trap a hawk with a leghold, then please euthanize the hawk instead of relocating it as the trap injury will cause him alot of pain and a slow death
I was hoping you'd stop by on this.
If I see him hanging out again I will keep the chickens in their house for the day or three. Good idea, I hadn't thought it through like that. I let my chickens come out of their coop in the am and they load themselves back in well before dark.
He was definitely following my chickens yesterday as they made their way around the house, but I did wonder what he'd do with one if he did make a dive at them. Since I got so close to him I could see that he wasn't big enough to carry one off. Without tail and head, he wasn't much bigger than a chicken. I looked at a ton of pics of red tailed and red shouldered and he's definitely red shouldered. VERY rust colored from neck all the way down his belly.
No fear of me trying to trap. Opossums and racoons are one thing, birds are totally different. No sign of him today but we have 30-40mph gusts. I'll keep an eye out for the next few weeks and keep the chickens cooped up accordingly if I see him. |
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The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | Lorie just call me if he keeps bugging your birds. He may have a Napolean syndrome a d not know he can't do it. After those wonderful cookies I should come over and guard your chickies! |
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The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | sorrel horse ranch - 2013-12-21 12:59 PM
rollingrfarm - 2013-12-21 11:36 AM  If you have identified the species of hawk correctly, you should not have a problem if you don't have small banty chicks out running loose.  Red shouldereds feed on frogs, snakes and small rodents and do not have the size feet to catch and hold an average size chicken.  If you are tossing feed out in the yard for them, there may be songbirds or mice coming to that feed that they are looking at.  I tried  making a falconry hawk out of a red-shouldered (I am permitted) and I could not get him interested in anything other than chasing frogs and grasshoppers.  If you still want him to leave, there's really not much you can do as raptors pick out favorite perch sites they use day after day.  I guess you could cut the tree limb down?
When you have problems with a raptor that is large enough to feed on chickens, you should put your chickens up in a coop for several days which allows the raptor to get hungry and move on to another hunting area.  Please understand that our ancestors invented  chicken coops when they got tired of dogs, coyotes, possums, raccoons and raptors chasing after their fowl.  Leaving chickens running loose 24/7 is only feeding the many predators on this earth who are also trying to survive. Â
  A note to the other posters, if you are thinking about trapping and relocating a bird of prey, please understand its against state AND federal law.  And if you don't care about the law and intend to do it anyway, please do not use a leghold trap.  If you do trap a hawk with a leghold, then please euthanize the hawk instead of relocating it as the trap injury will cause him alot of pain and a slow death
I am right there with you on using any kind of trap that would injure the bird. Hawks are beautiful birds and I would never consider hurting one of them. These traps know about are humane to the pigeons and hawks too. I used to race pigeons and we had to be careful to not them out to exercise during the time the hawks were migrating through. I love all birds and do want to see any of them hurt if I can help it. And yes laws do protect these beautiful birds. Sometimes it is just easier and smarter to keep yours penned up.Â
Thank you and sending hugs your way for your kindness. Falconer s use bow nets or bal chatri traps. My ball chatri is a tiny mouse cage weighted with a draft horse shoe and topped with over 50 slip knot loops made out of fishing line. |
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 Hawty & Nawty
Posts: 20424
| This sounds like a job for Star, hey Rolling? lol |
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 The Non Sky Diver
Posts: 9004
Location: SE Louisiana | rollingrfarm - 2013-12-21 12:36 PM
 If you have identified the species of hawk correctly, you should not have a problem if you don't have small banty chicks out running loose.  Red shouldereds feed on frogs, snakes and small rodents and do not have the size feet to catch and hold an average size chicken.  If you are tossing feed out in the yard for them, there may be songbirds or mice coming to that feed that they are looking at.  I tried  making a falconry hawk out of a red-shouldered (I am permitted) and I could not get him interested in anything other than chasing frogs and grasshoppers.  If you still want him to leave, there's really not much you can do as raptors pick out favorite perch sites they use day after day.  I guess you could cut the tree limb down?
When you have problems with a raptor that is large enough to feed on chickens, you should put your chickens up in a coop for several days which allows the raptor to get hungry and move on to another hunting area.  Please understand that our ancestors invented  chicken coops when they got tired of dogs, coyotes, possums, raccoons and raptors chasing after their fowl.  Leaving chickens running loose 24/7 is only feeding the many predators on this earth who are also trying to survive. Â
  A note to the other posters, if you are thinking about trapping and relocating a bird of prey, please understand its against state AND federal law.  And if you don't care about the law and intend to do it anyway, please do not use a leghold trap.  If you do trap a hawk with a leghold, then please euthanize the hawk instead of relocating it as the trap injury will cause him alot of pain and a slow death
Quite right.. Raptors are protected... http://www.gpnc.org/raptors1.htm
That said... Used to be I had a neighbor that raised fighting roosters... He sunk a tall post in the middle of his yard and put a basic snap-trap on it... I hated that he killed our owls this way...    |
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