Chicken vs Hawk

[pontiacgp]

My son has a problem with a hawk feasting on his chickens. He's getting a hen to help out but until the hen is full grown we need something to deter the hawk. We are going to put up a owl decoy but what I have read is that may work and it may not. Have any of you guys had any experience with this and what can you suggest...

Thanks

 

[kalidromos13]

Does your son have a coop? My parents have a small ranch and they were having problems with hawks killing and taking chickens, they had to put a net over the fenced area where the coop was. They tried all the decoys and after awhile the hawks got brave and began swooping in again. Good luck!

 

[Opie Knievel]

My grandparents used to solve this problem with a shotgun. I'm not sure if that's even legal nowadays.

 

[axisg]

Netting and someplace for the chickens to hide. I heard the CD's and decoys may or may not work. Just the other day I was talking with a driver who is out by Guelph having the same issues this year. He was saying if the birds don't get them then seems something is sneaking into the coop and scooping them up.

 

[pontiacgp]

he has a coop in the barn with a door to the outside run. The run is about 25' x 60' with quite a few trees but there is one area about 25' x 30' with very little cover. I read that the hawks will realize the decoy isn't a problem after a while and they suggest to move the owl every once in a while. We can probably put up a net but I was thinking in the winter if snow or ice accumulates on it that may bring it down.

 

[pontiacgp]

My grandparents used to solve this problem with a shotgun. I'm not sure if that's even legal nowadays.

that was my first plan but it's illegal to shoot a hawk......a good pellet gun is nice and quiet though...

 

[Opie Knievel]

that was my first plan but it's illegal to shoot a hawk......a good pellet gun is nice and quiet though...

I was afraid of that. You'd have to be a pretty good shot to hit one with a pellet gun.

 

[pontiacgp]

I was afraid of that. You'd have to be a pretty good shot to hit one with a pellet gun.

true but have you seen one of these...🙂

 

[Opie Knievel]

That's a pretty cool air rifle.

 

[SoFloG]

My first thought was this was some kind of small block vs big block thread.