How to keep hawks from killing your chickens

[@Joemail88]

Just wanna say how much I appreciate how quickly you got into it with your video. No long and drawn out “here’s my farm” segment for 2 minutes. No long intro. You posted your title and got right to it. Thank you!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you very much Joe, We appreciate you watching, and thanks for the awesome comment. I can't stand the long drawn-out intro, sales, and all the non-sense you have to sit through on some videos. I try to avoid it as much as possible. Thanks again nad have a great week

[@TheLaLaFarm]

This is a cool idea - I am going to try it out!! I have some CD's from the 80's that are begging to be used for a hawk avoidance tool - like Millie Vanilli and talking heads. 😃 - Rick

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thanks for stopping by! We love your channel, these tricks have really helped us.

[@AnneluvsKatz]

Those CD reflectors are brilliant!!!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you very much, They work better than any other method we've tried.

[@HighlandHomesteadGoGoMomma]

Just came over from Jans..thank you..this is great..

[@MBHeritageFarms]

We are watching your canning playlist now, Thank you for coming over, we love Simply Jan!

[@HighlandHomesteadGoGoMomma]

@@MBHeritageFarms thank you..I will be catching up today..

[@stevenlevernier7357]

"Now here's that next step finnish cuz" I'm gonna have to agree. Couldn't have said it better myself.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you very much have a great week

[@lisagayhart2482]

I like having cover for the hens too. Like bushes , under tables , under the coop. Plants in pots and benches. The wild birds here screech out a warning and my hens run under something

[@MBHeritageFarms]

The reflection method works best and cover is a great addition. Thanks for commenting, have a great week

[@ErnieHatmaker]

Tricky sticks sounds oddly fun!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Lol agreed

[@OldReddingFarm]

that's a good idea ! we had a hawk land up on our run the other day thankfully he wasn't able to get inside!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thats good! we use both of these ideas along with our premiere one fence and have never lost a chicken to any predators. THANK YOU for watching and commenting!!

[@SouthernBlessedHomestead]

Dwight Yoakam LOL Great information, thanks for sharing.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Just trying to add a lil humor lol, Thank you very much for watching and commenting.

[@SouthernBlessedHomestead]

@@MBHeritageFarms It worked I thought that was funny. lol

[@pacificpermaculture]

I'll have to remember these when i do get chickens

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Yea! Thanks for stopping by. - Bobbie Jean

[@NoneyaTexasontheback20]

Wow. I gotta try this. I got a persistent hawk

[@MBHeritageFarms]

HEY! Thank you guys for stoppin in, We really appreciate it! WE LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!

[@tamipauley4205]

Great idea! How well do the cd's hold up in the rain/weather? I imagine they need replaced or redone from time to time which would really be no problem.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

The Dwight Yoakam cd didnt last a week before falling apart LMAO ok sorry just kidding. The CDs need to be replaced or recovered with panda film every two or 3 years. we live in zone 8a. Thanks for the awesome comment have a great weekend!

[@matthewwilloughby2594]

Thanks for the advice I’m definitely going to try the cd method 😊

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Awesome! Let us know how it works out!

[@karemallgood4306]

I\I tried so many times hanging them up on the trees but it kept falling down cus the wind so this is way better thanks so much

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Remember the reflection need.to be shiney side up, if they are hanging the reflection is on the side and doesn't work, which is why we do it this way. Thank so much for the comment and watching. Have a great day.

[@carelessislanders]

Great information. Thank you for sharing dear friend

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you for watching!

[@avalee8837]

Thanks so much for sharing, where do u get your black chickens from please sir?

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Murray McMurray

[@martincardone5727]

Good Morning, I added DVDs hanging in the tree, foil streamers on all four corners of the run and two crow decoys, no issues with hawks since completing these steps. Fingers crossed.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Awesome, keep in mind when the reflection side is pointing towards the sky os when they really work. I havent had much success with hanging them. Thak you and keep us posted

[@WiseMusicOnline]

Thanks

[@jessramirez5721]

I love me some Dwight.... 😂 Thanks for the info!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you for watching glad everyone is understanding that it was a joke. Welcome to the family!

[@ParagonRidgeRanch]

Thats a GREAT idea!!!!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you!

[@gwendolyntyler8146]

Pretty cool ideas.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you very much, Have a great week!

[@Danni-j3x]

Thank you!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

You're welcome! Thank you for watching and commenting

[@danielstevenson1250]

That covers daytime,thx. What do you do for night owls? Lock em up I’m sure is the best?

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Yes, we normally put ours up at night due to having owls in the area. They are the nighttime predator here. We usually have a live wire on our surrounding fencing so that coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and black bears don't get into our animals.

[@danielstevenson1250]

@@MBHeritageFarms thank you.

[@chriscalfee9593]

I agree with everything you said except the Dwight Yoakam part. Lol. I try these methods I hope they work for me. Thanks

[@MBHeritageFarms]

I agree, Chris. I like Dwight Yoakum, but Michael doesn't like it. Lol - Bobbie Jean

[@judithmauldin5347]

We will be getting our baby chicks tomorrow (hens). I'm trying to convince my husband to fence in an area like you have. That is when they're old enough to put out in the coop and run. We have a deep wooded area on three sides of our property. I do not want the chicks to run off into the woods because we have every form of wildlife imaginable. However, we don't have any Gators lol thank God. We hope to be able to get black hens but we will not know until they arrive at TSC tomorrow what breed of chicken we will get. Nonetheless, I shudder to think of a hawk or anything else getting to them. How can I convince my husband to fence in the portion of the backyard where the coop/run will be located? Or is it necessary? Thoughts?

[@MBHeritageFarms]

The reflection method and adding cover works the best, Use that and have predators in the air taken care of. We love our solar mobile fence, Have you guys looked at that option for open ranging?

[@oldschoolhawking8191]

I watched this and thought, my son lives on a farm and is a falconer. So I asked him how he keeps Red Tailed Hawks away from his chickens, he said get a big rooster. OSH :-)

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you for the advice! We have a brahma mix in there with them too so maybe that will be big enough lol. I've played hawk sounds to them and they usually run pretty fast inside the chicken tractor. - Bobbie Jean

[@oldschoolhawking8191]

@@MBHeritageFarms That's funny Bobbie Jean. The rooster Anthony had looked like it was three foot tall, I swear it was big. He had it about five years and it would battle fox and ferel cats, even Anthony's big Finnish Goshawk grabbed by the head and it still lived. One night I guess, a coyote came by and killed it. 😱 😢

[@MBHeritageFarms]

@old school hawking oh no. Him being bossy and fighting everything is funny though. Those coyotes are some pesky critters for sure. We have a pack around here that we can hear pretty often. The neighbor lets his chickens free range and they roost in the trees on the lower half. The coyotes will get a stragler on the ground once and a while :-(.

[@JulesGardening]

Dang good stuff here!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you J

[@AlongTheRiverHomestead]

Dang who the hell thought of the CD thing!? Genius! Hmmmm black chickens huh?! We have a bunch of crows & ravens and I welcome them to my yard!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

So do we. Trying to upload the vid I took of crows chasing the hawks away. Its awesome

[@MBHeritageFarms]

The reflection from the cd makes the hawks think the sky is on the ground and it confuses his landing and dive skills, been working for years so far. Thank you guys for commenting, we love your content.

[@justinsane7128]

I've got 2 acres, fenced to free range... I'm afraid I'll draw aliens with couple of hundred of these out in there. 😎 I had seven black chickens and two red chickens, the hawk attacked one of the red chickens 🤢

[@MBHeritageFarms]

LOL We do get choppers flying pretty low over our DVD pasture. but if you put out enough it works. Thanks and have a great week

[@martincardone5727]

Hawks are only going after our black copper marans, two in the last month. Very frustrating, will try the dvd-stake trick. Fingers crossed.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Do you have crows in your area? If not then the black chicken method doesn't really work. It isn't that the hawks are afraid of the black chickens. It happens in areas where crows are present because a group of crows will fight hard with a hawk and run him/her off. In our area you can stand on the back porch and hear and see this daily lol. It's really amusing for some reason. That's why they are fearful of our black chickens. I hope the DVDs help you. They really worked for us.

[@martincardone5727]

Thank you for the quick response, we have plenty of crows in the area, I did hang 1/2 dozen CDs in the run, hawk flew right by without stopping. I have my fingers crossed, I may leave out shelled walnuts to keep the crows in the area and maybe make a few new feathered friends.

[@yranmarin6547]

@@martincardone5727 did it work?

[@chickenjohnny3308]

Good to know we had a problem with red tail hawks years ago. One got into the chicken coop scared my wife half to death.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

We have Coopers hawks here along with red-tails, they perch in the trees above but never dive down to attack any chickens. Thank you for Watching.

[@SunofYork]

You really shouldn't keep her in there

[@chickenjohnny3308]

@@SunofYork That is classic I love a sharp wit. My wife will laugh at this as well

[@freeindeed08]

Black chickens did not work for us. Might have had 4 hawk attacks in the last year. We do have crows around too.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Try the reflection method, Its scientifically proven to work. It completely confuses predators in the air, you just have to place enough of them out to work

[@deborahrabon3365]

I have one solid black hen and I have Marons and I lost 5 hens and 2 roosters.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

3 words, reflection, reflection, reflection. Its works the best, you need more than 5 black to look like a real band of crows. use reflection.

[@biddibee3526]

Why does the tricky stick cd method work? What’s the hawk think it is?

[@MBHeritageFarms]

The reflection of the cds makes the hawks think it's holes in the ground, and when they move in closer, they see their reflection in it which is another bird of prey and scares them off.

[@pauldaystar]

Been using Black Chickens Many Years now, Yes The Hawks go for Noisy white or Light Color Chickens,... Am Still unable to Determine How Many Black ChickensAre Needed in the Flock,... Have you been Able to Confirm the % of Black chickens in a Flock..???

[@MBHeritageFarms]

We have always just used 4 or 5 in our flock of 11 chickens. The Hawks set up trees and look at them all day long, but we have never lost a chicken to an areal predator. But we believe the reflection method used here in the video is also a big part of that success. Thanks for watching and commenting

[@BeLoud13]

Now we're all thinking, "What CDs do I have and could sacrifice?"

[@danielstevenson1250]

If you got bamboos,like I do, save that 2 bucks. You can sharpen the end so it goes in the dirt.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

I wish we had some. I could do some building with it. But unfortunately I hear it's quite invasive so we don't plant it. My mother in law has some I could probably get though.

[@WildOnesHomestead]

I have one black chicken but he looks shiny green in the sunlight. Guess ill have to get some more black chickens next year. 😎

[@MBHeritageFarms]

The green sheen is the best black chicken, those are the blacks that breed true in genetics.

[@planttasticcookinggardenin1561]

I have 3 black chickens and a hawk came down and attacked one while i was there (sex links). My beagle was the only reason it flew off the bird. She’s alive but has bad injuries.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Do you have crows naturally in your area? If not, this could be the reason the hawks aren't scared of your black chickens. Crows that are black are also a natural deterant for hawks. Ours fight them off on the sky and gang up them to run them off. That's why they are scared of our black chickens.

[@planttasticcookinggardenin1561]

@@MBHeritageFarms Yes I live in NJ near a lake. My brother feeds his crows on his five acre farm nearby and still loses his black pigeons to the hawks. Many people have had no luck keeping the hawks away. Maybe our population of them is just too high. The only known way to keep chickens completely safe is to lock them up which is awful when you have plenty of room, gardens for them to roam. I wish you continued success with anything you are trying!

[@bambikisstoby]

Great idea! thank you!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you very much

[@sarahfene862]

We have crows in my area but the hawks are still attacking, specifically my black chickens :0/ I will try the cd tip though and maybe some scare tape and owl decoys.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Yeah, sometimes you find crows in an area that don't hate on hawks so much, and the theory doesn't work. You have to see them actually fighting in the sky to know that hawks will respect the black colored birds on the ground

[@wendyhigh3088]

Interesting

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you so much Wendy!

[@deans2437]

I hear rap works the best

[@MBHeritageFarms]

LOL Best comment ever!! I agree they do work much better.

[@garyhempel6316]

i feed the crows around here and i haven't heard a hawk in almost a year.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

LOL yeah the crows are ruff on the hawks, Ive also seen a few rooster completely take the hawks out once they land, Thank you so much and have a great week

[@donaldalford165]

Why the CDs? How does shiny objects deter hawks?

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Reflections on the ground from the sky look like holes in the ground with no safe place to land, when hawks get closer the reflection of a bird of prey sends them on their way.

[@cameroneverhart6443]

So I have 8 black australorps and 12 not black ones. We have a major hawk problem and any time they're let out of their run they get attacked. So, just because there's a presence of "crow looking chickens" doesn't stop them from attacking. However, I will tell you that EVERY SINGLE ATTACK has been on the white ones. I know this because every time I come outside after hearing all of them freak out, I see a bunch of white feathers every where. In my opinion the only way to stop this is to kill this hawk but that's illegal so now we have a completely out of control population of birds of prey...

[@MBHeritageFarms]

I understand completely, reflection is the best thing that works with Hawks, It not legal here either for the hawks but we have a livestock protection mandate in place just incase. Check your states ordinace where you live, if you can prove its a hawk they will give you a permit to nutralize the problem.

[@matthewwilloughby2594]

Yeah the black chickens don’t work for us because we don’t have crows

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Yeah I can understand that, the CD method works I promise you just have to use enough of them, It woks in two ways. In one way their reflection, they do not like competition. 2nd they see the sky's reflection also and it confuses them to think there are holes in the ground and nowhere to land.

[@christinae.burlison936]

Liked n subscribed :)

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you so very much

[@bobbiechildress6229]

Thank you glad you're here

[@jonrichardson8249]

Man disrespected Dwight Yokum.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

😂🤣😂. We have an ongoing joke in our house with ol Dwight. I love him and he doesn't care for him. So ofcourse when he is in the car I play it most all the time. 😂🤣😂

[@jonrichardson8249]

I used to play “Little Ways” on the juke box 0:47 at a pool hall in Griffin Ga in the 80s just to make the old men mad. I’m the old man now. Great video!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

😂🤣 that's great. You're not old just aged with Wisdom good sir 😂🤣.

[@snoodlegirl1794]

My black hens are still babies

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Best to keep them couped at least until they are juvenile size.

[@bigjm3143]

Shoot them !!! They taste delicious 😋

[@MBHeritageFarms]

LOL

[@meekoandgeorgie8653]

I'll probably just get black chickens lol

[@MBHeritageFarms]

yeah, we understand lol, we've had people stop and ask if we were trying to contact aliens. but it really works lol

[@dfdfdf6965]

so i just use turkies

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Finally.......Someone got it!

[@pureinheart2011]

Thank you!

[@MBHeritageFarms]

Thank you, Have a great week!