Rant: The day a hawk tried to get my favorite hen

It was Tuesday morning around 10 AM when I heard the squawking. I ran outside and saw a big red tail hawk on top of the run, trying to get at my barred rock, Bertha. I had to bang on the fence and yell to scare it off, and Bertha was hiding under the coop for hours. I never thought I'd need hawk netting in my suburban yard, but now I'm looking at it. Has anyone else had a close call like that and what did you do to make your run safer?

3 comments

3 Comments

haydenharris1mo ago

That sounds terrifying, I would have been shaking. Hawk netting is a solid move, we put it over our whole run after a similar scare. It feels like a cage but the peace of mind is worth it. Some people also string up old CDs or use reflective tape to disorient the birds. Did you notice if the hawk was watching your yard for a while before it tried?

graym491mo ago

My neighbor's cat got snatched by a hawk last year, it was brutal. They're way more bold than people realize around here. I keep my small dog on a leash in the yard now just in case.

james_ramirez1mo ago

Tuesday afternoons are the worst for hawks around my place, they hunt when the sun is high. @haydenharris is right about them watching first, that hawk probably scoped your yard for days. Something nobody talks about is how the hawk's shadow spooks the chickens more than the bird itself. I put up a simple sun shade cloth that cuts the shadow shape, and it made a huge difference. The netting is good but combining it with breaking up that shadow pattern really helps. Bertha is lucky you were home, those barred rocks are tough birds.