A hawk killed one of my hens.....

I went outside and just as I wondered why it is so quiet in the chicken run, I saw a hawk take off !!! I saw it against the sun so I am not quite sure if it was a buzzard or a goshawk. It landed in a tree nearby but was gone when hubby came running with the gun ...
We found the dead hen and a lot of feathers and it seemed to me that it had been dead for a while and the hawk came back to feed on it.
Two more hens were lost, the rest were inside the coop. Saima, the older labrador found them squeezed in under the coop, poor creatures! They were fine tho, but very scared.

I lost one of my nicest hens.....

OMG so sad my favorite hens. How much left them?
be strong.

The dang bird came back !!! It came within 5 meters from hubby. They are so shameless when they want their pray!!
And it was a female goshawk.... Hubby shot two shots to scare it away.... Don't know if it works.
We are not allowed to kill them either

Oh no you must protect your precious darlings.

caysa wrote:T
And it was a female goshawk....

caysa wrote:T Hubby shot two shots to scare it away....

Poor hawk!

Not POOR hawk - it is supposed to eat mice and such - NOT MY HENS!!!

caysa wrote:I went outside and just as I wondered why it is so quiet in the chicken run, I saw a hawk take off !!! I saw it against the sun so I am not quite sure if it was a buzzard or a goshawk. It landed in a tree nearby but was gone when hubby came running with the gun ...
We found the dead hen and a lot of feathers and it seemed to me that it had been dead for a while and the hawk came back to feed on it.
Two more hens were lost, the rest were inside the coop. Saima, the older labrador found them squeezed in under the coop, poor creatures! They were fine tho, but very scared.

I lost one of my nicest hens.....

And where the photographs are? Did you go out without the camera onto the yard again already?

Do you want to see a picture of a dead hen????

caysa wrote:Not POOR hawk - it is supposed to eat mice and such - NOT MY HENS!!!

The plunder of the hawk it that of a hawk. Not anymore yours.

It was not able to take it - so my hen is mine to bury....
The hawk can go elsewhere and feed on real pray. My hens are domestic animals and I will protect them as well as I can....

Now the hawk cannot get to them

Ophiophagus wrote:

caysa wrote:I went outside and just as I wondered why it is so quiet in the chicken run, I saw a hawk take off !!! I saw it against the sun so I am not quite sure if it was a buzzard or a goshawk. It landed in a tree nearby but was gone when hubby came running with the gun ...
We found the dead hen and a lot of feathers and it seemed to me that it had been dead for a while and the hawk came back to feed on it.
Two more hens were lost, the rest were inside the coop. Saima, the older labrador found them squeezed in under the coop, poor creatures! They were fine tho, but very scared.

I lost one of my nicest hens.....

And where the photographs are? Did you go out without the camera onto the yard again already?

Do you ask for quarrel... some fight... no time for taking pictures if you are in shock.

caysa wrote:I went outside and just as I wondered why it is so quiet in the chicken run, I saw a hawk take off !!! I saw it against the sun so I am not quite sure if it was a buzzard or a goshawk. It landed in a tree nearby but was gone when hubby came running with the gun ...
We found the dead hen and a lot of feathers and it seemed to me that it had been dead for a while and the hawk came back to feed on it.
Two more hens were lost, the rest were inside the coop. Saima, the older labrador found them squeezed in under the coop, poor creatures! They were fine tho, but very scared.

I lost one of my nicest hens.....

Poor hen and poor you!!

btw.: Nobody will get to know if Juha shoots the hawk

Ricky wrote:

caysa wrote:I went outside and just as I wondered why it is so quiet in the chicken run, I saw a hawk take off !!! I saw it against the sun so I am not quite sure if it was a buzzard or a goshawk. It landed in a tree nearby but was gone when hubby came running with the gun ...
We found the dead hen and a lot of feathers and it seemed to me that it had been dead for a while and the hawk came back to feed on it.
Two more hens were lost, the rest were inside the coop. Saima, the older labrador found them squeezed in under the coop, poor creatures! They were fine tho, but very scared.

I lost one of my nicest hens.....

Poor hen and poor you!!

btw.: Nobody will get to know if Juha shoots the hawk

This was not ethical.

Thanks.... Yes, I know... but I hope it stays away now. I don't know if it is true but i have heard that they dont come back after hearing a shot.... I hope so anyway. There is so much food for a hawk around here that I sure don't have to feed them with my hens...

caysa wrote: I hope so anyway.

Awww Caysa, so sorry to hear about your loss. I kind of would go the route of the three S's...shoot, shovel, and shut up.

That was my first reaction too... But I can't ask hubby to do that. And besides, there are so many hawks around this autumn so it would dbe only a temporary solution.
The chooks are now in their smaller pen that has is covered by netting....

Glad they are safe, but they should be able to run about too. Oh well, better safe than sorry.

Soon the hawks should start migrating.... For some reason we always see them around at this time of the year.
Does anyone know WHEN they move south?? I hope soon.....

In Estonia goshawks usually dont fly away, but maybe in northen area they move to south.

They should move....

caysa wrote:They should move....

I read more, yes they move away from you and soon there are no hawks around you.

Only question is: WHEN!!!!!?????

caysa wrote:Only question is: WHEN!!!!!?????

When you see none of them, then you can be sure that they are gone

Haha!!

caysa wrote:
The chooks are now in their smaller pen that has is covered by netting....

This best solution. Juha is a very wise man. They are wandering in November at us.