A female Coopers is death on the wing. Everything up to the size of a small turkey is game. They can only carry off about half their weight so not much. Larger poultry they will kill and consume on the spot unless interrupted. Coopers are also federally protected and the fine for harming one is very high. Owl decoys are sometimes helpful in keeping them away if you move it about so they think it is alive. Everything else is temporary at best. The only full proof protection is keeping your poultry behind wire mesh. Even then they will sometimes catch things through the wire and pull parts of the body through to eat. JMHO
Ed Thomas
Round Rock,
From: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Marla
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2011 9:55 PM
To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com; Chickens101Cafe@yahoogroups.com; UrbanChickensAndGardening@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CHICKENS-101] Coopers hawk
Sorry for the cross post. If this bothers you I'm sorry I just want opinions on this before it causes any problems. Thank you
I had been seeing an occasional coopers hawk in the last 6 months (probably the same bird but who knows). Any way it's been here daily as far as I can tell in the last week (uncles visitation and funeral sun and monday kept me from being out much then stomach flu wed kept me from going out at all). Youngest dd did chores and since she's not the most observant I don't know if the hawk was there or not. Today it was perched on the roof of the duck pen. They were NOT happy. Now I'm guessing that she (guessing female due to size) isn't large enough to fly off with my ducks or large chickens, bantams have a covered run, and ducks have a roof but the duck pen has slits that smaller birds could probably fit thru. My concern thus my question for you all is: Since Coopers hawks are predators of birds I'm assuming she will go for my chickens. Are my ducks also in danger? Do the pie pans and other shiny objects dangling from wire stretched across the pen/property really work to deter them?
I don't have the money to buy enough netting to cover their area. My brother and dad have promised me some coated chicken wire out of a job my brother is doing but who knows when I'll get that. I live in town and the largest bird I've seen in 10 years has been a dove (besides my chickens which I've had for 6 years) until this.
I kept the chickens locked up today. I read and read then gathered everything I need to put up pie pans and such for tomorrow if that will work.
Please any experience or advice is appreciated. I just don't want to ask after the fact. I know red tails are chicken problems and coopers are problems with bantams. But do they know what's too big for them?
Thanks in advance
Marla
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
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