The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Louise Gaunt on August 03, 2013, 08:18:18 pm
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Hi, has anyone had problems with buzzards attacking and killing hens? I have lost my third hen to attack today. The first was last year. She went killed but died a few days later. It took one of my old hens earlier this year, I saw it swoop but she was almost dead by the time I got there. It killed one earlier today, the carcass was stiff and half eaten when we found her, and it came back this evening and attacked another one. I interrupted the attack and chased it off. Does anyone have suggestions to how I can prevent this continuing?
Thanks
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Hi we had some succes with laying mirrors flat on the ground were thebirds are ranging they did not seem to like the sun glancing of them and stayed way thanks HPF
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At least one of our Scots Grey hens has been taken by a buzzard - OH saw it in the act. The rest were taken, we assume, by our family of stoats, although the buzzards may have had them too. So far the larger hens have been alright, and the SG cockerel.
The only real way to prevent these losses is probably to keep the hens in a run with fruit cage mesh over the top. It's a quandary for us as we like our hens, and the SG in particular, to be pretty much independent and free range. They sleep inside, but from soon after dawn until dusk they are outside.
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We have loads of buzzards but they've not touched the chickens. But we do have acres and acres of rough grassland with oodles of voles, so if you have room, leaving tall rough grass areas to give habitat to mice and voles can I believe give buzzards the food they want without taking the chooks.
However it might be harder if the buzzard has got used to taking them specifically. Do you have a cockerel? Or maybe a couple of geese might help?
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Thanks for the advice. We have some strings with old CDs on, and there is quite a lo of cover from a large tree and several clumps of long grass for the hens to hide in. We found one of them well hidden in the long grass after the last attack this evening. Covering the run is an option, but I would need to reduce their run area to make it a feasible option.
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We always have them circling, my dog actually saw one off not long ago that was attempting to lift a hen. she survived
Soon as we bought in a new cockerel to replace the one that had fly strike, things seemed to be better as he warns them of anything flying overhead with a screech and they all hurtle under a bush!
A friend had her entire flock massacred by buzzards. She ended up with a covered mesh enclosure.
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Yes had this happen but only took half a dozen bantam youngsters and left the adult birds ended when a buzzards was found dead on the road. Not as bad as my losses to foxes this year, nature is wonderful.
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We have plenty buzzards and kites but they have never touched the hens or even the goslings, all of which are free range. I think the cockerel helps as he does alert the girls if there is a threat.
Like Lachlanandmarcus we have loads of long grass full of voles, mice and rabbits which doubtless provide enough easier prey. I wonder if there is some way of feeding the birds so they don't need to go for the hens? There used to be an option under SRDP for leaving carcasses out to feed eagles.
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We live on the edge of Dartmoor and there is plenty of grassland around us but not many rabbits. We think the buzzard may have also taken a mallard duckling as there are only 7 this morning and the mother is very anxious. We are planning more strings with CDs, bamboo canes to prevent swoops and plastic strips to flap to try and deter further unwelcome visits.
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It might be worthwhile having a cockerel with them Our cockerel has seen off a goshawk and since he has been with the girls we haven't lost any further hens. Previously we had lost a fair few.
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Buzzards are a lot bigger than goshawks. The youngsters are growing fast at this time of year and it makes the parent birds bolder. They came down in our neighbour's farmyard and took growers last year, despite many cockerels and 6 sheepdogs. We hung up strips of foil in the lambing shed to keep out magpies - might work?
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Buzzards are a lot bigger than goshawks. The youngsters are growing fast at this time of year and it makes the parent birds bolder. They came down in our neighbour's farmyard and took growers last year, despite many cockerels and 6 sheepdogs. We hung up strips of foil in the lambing shed to keep out magpies - might work?
That's quite worrisome, hope the foil works
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or try a plastic owl on a post,, swivel head
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Hi,has any one got a picture of a buzzard actually attacking poultry or even video.
Graham.
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No pictures but have actually caught one in the act so have seen it with my own eyes. The bird in question was a young one.
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I too can vouch for buzzards circling our girls - and a sparrowhawk too. Fruit cage mesh and a cockerel seems to have worked so far... I let mine out for chunks of the day and the cockerel seems useful in having them running for cover at the slightest hint of aerial attack! Mind you, he has them indoors if its too sunny, too wet, too windy, a leaf blows by...!
Mx
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We had one here last year and it was taking a bantam every few days, It got to the point we had to keep everything in pens to stop it
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Hi all,
Thanks for advice, support and other instances of buzzard attack. At least I know it is just not my hens being taken. We have rigged up a matrix of string on bamboo poles with added CDs to try and deter the little devils. It is a cheaper option than lsrge areas of fruit cage netting. Also. My fruit cage was pulled down by a heavy fall of snow last year, so I am a bit wary about netting the hen run.
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Would a dummy bird of prey sitting on top of the hen area be help or hindrance I wonder? If you can't net I just wondered if a patrolling buzzard saw another 'buzzard' would they leave alone?
Just a thought that popped into my head! No science behind it - don't know if buzzards are that territorial with each other but do know they fight with the crows etc over territory and nesting.
Also irrelevant was that when dog walking yesterday I saw a buzzard trying to attack a carp on the pond.
Mx
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Just a thought that popped into my head! No science behind it - don't know if buzzards are that territorial with each other but do know they fight with the crows etc over territory and nesting.
I have seen this. Last week I watched as two crows gave aerial battle with a hawk to drive it away. The fighting continued for quite some time and I've subsequently noticed that this is the crows territory
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I quite often see crows and the jackdaws chasing off buzzards at our place. We have a buzzards nest just above the paddock where 1/2 my chickens are but mine are only out when I'm around-a large movable pen with bird netting seems to have done the trick. Also have a large cockerel. I do have a sparrowhawk that buzzes past whenever I have chicks/growers in the garden but they are contained by runs as well.
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Guinea fowl have excellent eyesight and were very good at alerting our hens to aerial danger. They can be quite noisy so no near neighbours is probably helpful. Don't keep them if you have bees, though, as they're fearsome insect catchers.
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We have a resident buzzard which has been trying to work out how to get into the chicken enclosure for months now. After it came out of the trees and flew low over the chickens (which were all in covered runs) we have strung yellow washing line at about 8 feet high -10 x 20 metre lengths. We also have tripods (three branches strung together with a rock hanging in the middle) spread about to prevent landing and to give the hens cover. It is a constant worry. Saw it yesterday in a tree, presumably considering a flight over from a different side.
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One of my Call ducks went missing last week - complete mystery until one of the neighbours said there had been buzzards overhead that day! Since she went the other two have been acting very strangely - hiding in shrubbery and running extra fast when out in the open. So sounds like it could have been a buzzard. Bit worrying, as I also have assorted free range chickens in the garden ...
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keeping my young chickens in their run just now as the buzzards are eyeing them up. Young birds learning to hunt I think.
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Further advice from my nephew, a game keeper, is to put a scarecrow in the run as well as my strings, bamboo canes and CDs. Daughter selling unwanted clothes at car boot this weekend. Any unsold suitable items may well make their way into the hen run!
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This morning I was letting my birds out. I just placed the last drinker in the little chick run and heard a commotion behind me, stood up and a sparrow hawk almost brushed my hood! As it raced through the garden! Chickens scattered to hedgerows, and the bird sat on the fence post, about five meters from where i was standing! seeming not to have realised it had nearly flown into my back.
It sat on the post, looking down at the chicks (8 weeks old) under the hedge and I threw an empty bucket at it. Missed, not by too much, maybe meter or two, gave it hell of a fright. Have now strung up some mesh and hung some stuff from trees to hopefully dissuade it from picking off my lovely birds! Grrrr... Anyone else had sp hawks being a problem? These are big growers, not chicks at all!
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We have buzzards here all the time they perch on the telegraph poles no more than 50 meters form our chickens we have nto had any trouble with them as yet, we do have a problem with rooks though, untill we changed our chicken house they used to pinch the eggs and they are spiteful to the young chicks they pinch the feed that the chicks drop and fight off chicks that go near the feeder if they ar ethere however our cockerel does his job and continually fights them off.
As we have said no problems with buzzards could it be a chicken hawk as I understand that they are making a comeback from near extinction here in england and else where in the UK.
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Must have been having a seniors moment as I cannot find the article I read and the one I did find mentioned New England, so put it down to age. So probably not in UK unless I was thinking of the Hen Harrier.
Tala
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whats a chicken hawk? thought they were American?
There's no reason why some populations of buzzards wouldn't learn to catch chickens-animals have to be adaptable to survive and it stands to reason they'd take advantage of an easy food resource. They hunt ground prey after all-not on the wing. Sparrow hawks prefer to hunt on the wing but I saw one take out a pigeon on the ground almost right in front of me earlier this year.
I've had sparrow hawks buzz my growers while they were in a secure pen. I don't doubt they would pick them off if they could.
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We made an effective scarecrow from a 5 ft fence post with a coathanger tied to it about 30 cm down. Put the bottom end of the post through the leg of an old pair of waterproof trousers. Put an old jacket over the hanger and the hood up over the top of the post. The scarecrow can then be leaned against a run, gate, hedge,, etc., with the sleeves draped at varying angles and the free trouser leg moved around. I just move it a bit every time I go past it. Scarecrows become useless once the buzzards, crows or whatever become used to them not moving and not being a threat. Moving them regularly keeps them scared.