# Soon to be Dead Hawk



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

If you are a game warden or someone that can't stand to kill any wildlife--then stop reading here. For the rest of us, you may know that I had a little bantham rooster that I dearly loved. He would chase Rosie and she would chase him and he would flog me or my husband if he had the chance and we didn't mind because we thought it was cute for such a little fellow to attack us (didn't hurt). Well yesterday, I let Rosie out the back to potty and she wouldn't leave the door so I walked out with her and this Hawk flew off. He was in the scrub near the back door. I didn't get a good look, but not the little chicken hawk a big one about a foot or more tall. Anyway I warned hubby and gs not to let Rosie out and to look for the chickens. They were all up in the scrubbery. At that time there were all accounted for, but later when my gs went to feed them he found little "Bantie" or what was left of him and the hawk still eating on him. The rest of my hens are shut up for now and the grandson has orders to watch for the hawk and shoot to kill. I don't know if he could carry Rosie off, but he could kill her and the rest of my hens also. I still have the little Bantam hen also.

One of my friends said that there was always drama at my house and she was right. Actually she said that she could write a book about me and my animals.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

That is pretty scary! It sounds like a really big hawk. We have them around here, too, but they don't seem too awfully big so I watch Abby when she's outside - especially at night.


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Thankfully they don't fly at night like owls. But once they find a place that has prey just waiting to be taken, they will come back. I have told this before, I used to have pigeons beautiful white fan-tails. I went out one morning to feed them in what is now my chicken house and saw all these white feathers--then all these dead pigeons--then I looked up and was staring this hugh hawk in the face. He was sitting on one of the roosts. He was nearer two feet tall than one foot, hugh talons, etc. I slowly backed out and slammed the door. He had torn off the screen on one side and gotten in. He killed 14 of my pigeons. A shotgun blew him to hell. I think this hawk is the same kind and they are a protected species. so, it is just a hypo-thetical killing that took place before and will again this weekend if we see him again--that is for all the federal agents out there.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Lucile - I am sorry to hear about your little rooster....and your pigeons. We had a couple of bantam roosters when I was a kid. They were feisty little things. I don't believe I have ever seen a hawk up close and personal. On the ranch in Montana, the main issue with the chickens was skunks and badgers. Last year, when I was up near the top rung of my ladder, pruning on my apple tree, an Eagle flew close by, was a bit unnerving. They are quite big too.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Good to hear they don't come out at night. Of course, we do have an owl nest in a tree near our pond. So, do I have to worry about the owls?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Luciledodd said:


> Thankfully they don't fly at night like owls. But once they find a place that has prey just waiting to be taken, they will come back. I have told this before, I used to have pigeons beautiful white fan-tails. I went out one morning to feed them in what is now my chicken house and saw all these white feathers--then all these dead pigeons--then I looked up and was staring this hugh hawk in the face. He was sitting on one of the roosts. He was nearer two feet tall than one foot, hugh talons, etc. I slowly backed out and slammed the door. He had torn off the screen on one side and gotten in. He killed 14 of my pigeons. A shotgun blew him to hell. I think this hawk is the same kind and they are a protected species. so, it is just a hypo-thetical killing that took place before and will again this weekend if we see him again--that is for all the federal agents out there.


Yes, it's like foxes... I love hawks and I love foxes. But once they find a source of captive food, they DO keep coming back. And, unfortunately, that means we need to do what is necessary to protect our livestock.

Before my kids were born, I raise Jersey Wooly Rabbits. (a dwarf wool rabbit) We went though a Horrible time with raccoons killing them right in their hutches, inside our barn. They would terrorize them until they ran out of the safe (solid floored) nest boxes, and onto the wire mesh floor. Then they'd grab them and literally pull them through piece by piece. We'd come out in the morning and nothing would be left inside the hutch but a skull. (because it was too big to fit through the wire) I used to like raccoons, and I quickly got to hate them.

That summer was the big rabies plague among raccoons up here, and fortunately, it knocked the population back down to a size where they aren't marauding the way they did then. Otherwise, we would have had to shoot (or trap) them too.

I do everything I can to protect wild life... We leave a large portion of our property wooded, exactly for that purpose. But when they attack our domestic animals, right under our noses, we have to do something to protect them!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kathie said:


> Good to hear they don't come out at night. Of course, we do have an owl nest in a tree near our pond. So, do I have to worry about the owls?


Only the biggest owls. Great Horned, POSSIBLY Barn Owls, though I'm not sure they're quite big enough. I'd be very careful out at night in Great Horned territory if you have a B&W Hav, because a favorite food of Great Horned Owls are skunks.

I don't think an owl would get close if a person was right with the dog... they are not nearly as brazen as hawks, and tend to like to keep their distance from people. But I'd worry about my dog out alone at night, and obviously, a fenced yard won't help.

We have a pair of screech owls who nest in our yard, but they are no danger at all... they are tiny birds, and adorable. They just catch mice.


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

I used to have a large flock of chickens back next to our wooded portion, so they would have shade. I had a 6' high wire fence all around and a wonderful chicken house. The ***** and opossums climbed over--so I ran electric fencing around the bottom and top of the fencing and still they came over. We would trap them and take them off. My husband got so mad one year he swore that he was killing the next one that he trapped because the night before all of the baby chicks had been killed and half eaten. Wouldn't you know we had a opossum in the trap next morning. Hubby went to get the gun and I went to watch. When he approached the trap, she turned over and I heard this "Oh No". He put down the gun and picked up the trap and put it in the back of the truck to take her off. I who was madder than him asked what are you doing kill her--then I looked closely. She had a little baby attached to each teat. Needless to say we took her off to the country and put her and her little ones out. Then I just quit with the chickens for a while. After losing all my pigeons, I decided to have just a few 4 hens and rooster and put them in the back yard, pool area and used the pigeon house for a chicken house. So far the ***** and opossums haven't come up to the house for them.


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## TrishK (Nov 29, 2010)

It's a scary thought. We have hawks here too, as well as osprey for which the conservation authority makes nests atop the telephone poles outside of town (I'm in a small village with farmland all around), and in the summer they circle overhead. They are beautiful to watch, but scary to think about considering they can be 2 feet long with up to a 6 foot wingspan, and so I imagine that one could easily snatch up a 10-pound dog if hungry enough. 
Here is a link to an interesting article in the Toronto Star from last week about a downtown hawk http://www.thestar.com/news/article/911734--pigeons-under-attack-in-moss-park


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

That's scary!

And can I just admit, I've always been scared of owls, they just creep me out and scare me they are so diabolical looking to me.

and some birds can certainly take a little dog down and chickens.

Kara


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

I'm with you, Kara! Owls are frightening looking and my neighbor has all kinds of owl pictures and sculptures in her house - yuk!

I think our owls are hoot owls since they say, "who, who, who"!!! I can hear them out back at night. I don't think they are huge but I'm still watching out for Abby at night!


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

My owls are the great horned ones. Hugh things with a really wide wing span. I have seen them flying at dusk, so I don't let Rosie out at all at night even with me. The hawk that took my little rooster is a red-tail. not afraid of humans at all. My little hen is white speckled--the grandkids call her the havanese chicken because of the curled tail and topknot. If he gets her then I am done with chickens or any other bird until I get rich enough to build an avairy.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Luciledodd said:


> I used to have a large flock of chickens back next to our wooded portion, so they would have shade. I had a 6' high wire fence all around and a wonderful chicken house. The ***** and opossums climbed over--so I ran electric fencing around the bottom and top of the fencing and still they came over. We would trap them and take them off. My husband got so mad one year he swore that he was killing the next one that he trapped because the night before all of the baby chicks had been killed and half eaten. Wouldn't you know we had a opossum in the trap next morning. Hubby went to get the gun and I went to watch. When he approached the trap, she turned over and I heard this "Oh No". He put down the gun and picked up the trap and put it in the back of the truck to take her off. I who was madder than him asked what are you doing kill her--then I looked closely. She had a little baby attached to each teat. Needless to say we took her off to the country and put her and her little ones out. Then I just quit with the chickens for a while. After losing all my pigeons, I decided to have just a few 4 hens and rooster and put them in the back yard, pool area and used the pigeon house for a chicken house. So far the ***** and opossums haven't come up to the house for them.


Pretty funny about your 'possum mom. Hope they stay away from your chickens by the house.

We have sort of the opposite problem... it's the chickens we'd like to get rid of. The neighbors have chickens, and they let them loose every day. They spend most of the day in our yard. I wouldn't mind, except they poop on our porch steps and tear up my flower beds. Oh, and of course, Kodi LOVES to roll in their poop in the yard.

I used to think I'd like to have chickens. Now, I'd LOVE to get rid of the neighbor's chickens!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

TrishK said:


> It's a scary thought. We have hawks here too, as well as osprey for which the conservation authority makes nests atop the telephone poles outside of town (I'm in a small village with farmland all around), and in the summer they circle overhead. They are beautiful to watch, but scary to think about considering they can be 2 feet long with up to a 6 foot wingspan, and so I imagine that one could easily snatch up a 10-pound dog if hungry enough.
> Here is a link to an interesting article in the Toronto Star from last week about a downtown hawk http://www.thestar.com/news/article/911734--pigeons-under-attack-in-moss-park


You're probably safe from the osprey... they're mostly fish eaters.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

TrishK said:


> It's a scary thought. We have hawks here too, as well as osprey for which the conservation authority makes nests atop the telephone poles outside of town (I'm in a small village with farmland all around), and in the summer they circle overhead. They are beautiful to watch, but scary to think about considering they can be 2 feet long with up to a 6 foot wingspan, and so I imagine that one could easily snatch up a 10-pound dog if hungry enough.
> Here is a link to an interesting article in the Toronto Star from last week about a downtown hawk http://www.thestar.com/news/article/911734--pigeons-under-attack-in-moss-park


I think it's GREAT that the hawk is keeping rat and pigeon populations down! Nothing scary there!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Thumper said:


> That's scary!
> 
> And can I just admit, I've always been scared of owls, they just creep me out and scare me they are so diabolical looking to me.
> 
> ...


I L-O-V-E owls!!! I got to work with them at the local Science Center when I was a teenager. Of all the animals I cared for, the owls were by far my favorites. We had a Great Horned, a Barn Owl, two Screech Owls and a Saw whet.


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Karen I agree about the hawk eating the pigeons in the park. That is nature. But when man interfers with nature and pens up the pigeons where they don't have a fighting chance--then man has the right to interfer with the hawk. I too love owls and it is not a problem to keep Rosie in at night and the chickens go inside the hen house so they are not prey for the owls.

I feel for you and the chicken poop. It does get pretty bad sometimes. I try not to ever feed them on the paved areas so that they will stay off. They sometimes come to the kitchen door and peck on the glass in the mornings for me to feed them. Then I have poop on the concrete there. My hens can't get out of my yard though, so my neighbors have nothing to complain about. I don't believe in letting any of my animals go into another person's yard. (Josie Wales is a little hard to control however). So far she has not gotten out of her yard. she stays near the house. If I had a neighbors chicken poop on my porch, I would complain. Free range only means as far as the property line.


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## Lizzie'sMom (Oct 13, 2010)

About 14 years ago our cat was outside and we heard an absolutely awful cry. We found her under our porch and she had marks on her back(the fur was all messed up)and she had peed all over herself. Later that day we saw a HUGE bird with a wing span of what looked to be 7 feet land on our neighbors deck rail. I am convinced it was a Golden Eagle and that it had tried to get her. It was scary. Then we had a Great horned owl live in our yard for a summer. I read about them and they will take an animal up to 10 pounds. I was watering a hanging planter I had in a tree and it was in our oak and took off when I walked by. Really beautiful bird.

Of course we have red tailed hawks, too. From what I have read they will target a 10 pound cat or dog but cannot carry it off.

I am so sorry about your little rooster and hope that the hawk leaves. Maybe put out a fake owl and move it every day.


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## TrishK (Nov 29, 2010)

krandall said:


> I think it's GREAT that the hawk is keeping rat and pigeon populations down! Nothing scary there!


agreed, but in the article it also says that this particular bird was completely unafraid of people and it makes me wonder how an infant in a carriage would fare if the parent stepped more than a few feet away to perhaps tend to an older child at the park. Would the hawk seize the opportunity to swoop on into the carriage? I guess that's what is happening all over as we encroach more and more on the animals' spaces. I know there's been cases of coyotes in Toronto as well that have done away with people's small pets, and apparently there are pets missing on Toronto Island even due to the increasing mink population http://www.thestar.com/news/article/900837--minks-colonizing-toronto-island-as-small-pets-disappear


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kathie said:


> I'm with you, Kara! Owls are frightening looking and my neighbor has all kinds of owl pictures and sculptures in her house - yuk!
> 
> I think our owls are hoot owls since they say, "who, who, who"!!! I can hear them out back at night. I don't think they are huge but I'm still watching out for Abby at night!


Lots of owls hoot.<g> The ones that make different noises are the little ones... the screech owls and the saw whets.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

TrishK said:


> agreed, but in the article it also says that this particular bird was completely unafraid of people and it makes me wonder how an infant in a carriage would fare if the parent stepped more than a few feet away to perhaps tend to an older child at the park. Would the hawk seize the opportunity to swoop on into the carriage? I guess that's what is happening all over as we encroach more and more on the animals' spaces. I know there's been cases of coyotes in Toronto as well that have done away with people's small pets, and apparently there are pets missing on Toronto Island even due to the increasing mink population http://www.thestar.com/news/article/900837--minks-colonizing-toronto-island-as-small-pets-disappear


I have NEVER heard of a hawk attacking a human as prey. You have to be careful when they are nesting, because they WILL defend their nest. (quite vigorously) But you'd know that well before they attacked a baby. They'd be dive bombing people as soon as they got within "danger range" of their nest.

We had friends who had a pair nesting in pine trees beside their driveway one year. While the eggs and babies were in the nest, they had to warn anyone who came to the house to bring an umbrella. They never actually made contact with anyone, even without an umbrella, but it could be kind of scary. They were just trying to scare people away from the nest though... as soon as the people moved away, they would break off the bombing immediately. They also did LOTS of screaming and warning as people approached, BEFORE they got within that "danger range".


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

The Hawk struck at the big rooster, bloodied his head; but no serious damage. The rooster is bigger than Rosie, so I have to watch her when she goes out. This is not funny!


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Lucille, that IS scary! Keep that little girl safe, and I hope you can protect the chickens, too!


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