4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Hen Huggers R Us]

Hi there, is there anyone out there can put my mind at rest please... I am pretty sure I saw a falcon sitting on my fence after I had just put my ladies back into their run. We are surrounded by woodland, marshland and various lakes etc and have had all manner of birds in the garden over the years, not as many now there is more building in the area but I am worried that a falcon is capable of abducting one of our precious girls!!

I have searched google images and the only bird that comes close in looks is the peregrine. I hope I am wrong but feel pretty sure.

Is the falcon just checking out the smell of the girls as they tend to catch their prey on the wing and not in gardens but I have seen reports that peregrines have been blamed for chickens deaths on farmland. it was not as big as one of the girls but I daresay with outstretched wings would shadow them.

Anyone else had a sismilar experience?? I am scared to leave them roaming incase they disappear.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Don't really know the answer, HenHuggers, but I hope someone does . If your girls were big and heavy enough, I doubt a falcon could carry one off but it's worth finding out.

[lisaroo2]

Would be falconer here!

 

Hope I can shed a little light on your question...

 

Your falcon might be Sparrowhawk or a Peregrine. Peregrines usually take their prey in flight and not sitting targets like your hens will be. A desperate female (they're bigger than the males) and youngsters might have a go at them. Peregrines target individuals in flocks in the air and will chase them down at high speed.

 

Sparrowhawks tend to hunt in woodlands and have shorter wings. They rely on ambush and surprise, hunting mainly finches and thrushes, much smaller prey than your hens.

 

I wouldn't like to give a definitive answer, just in case, but I hope the above info helps. I'll ask around my falconer friends and let you know what I come up with.

 

Lisa

(new chook mum to Daisy, Maisie, Rosie)

[Hen Huggers R Us]

Thank you very much. I have not seen the offending bird since and hope I wont again. Thanks for the info.

[bigbadfox]

my sister this morning had a hawk or a falcon eyeing up her chickens in essex,

 

she is keeping them in the cube until it goes off,

 

she let them free roam but wont now

[Stevie]

Chances are its a Sparrowhawk which are pretty common.I used to get one regulary hunting in my garden few years ago when it would hide in my bamboos and ambush garden birds,but also used to take the greedy Pidgeons which hogged the birdtable.Atleast once a week-i'd come home to find the familiar ring of Pidgeon feathers on lawn where its plucked em'.

 

I dont honestly think they'd attempt to take a chicken though because they're just that bit too big and they're simply weighing up the odds.

[lisaroo2]

Sparrowhawks tend to take smaller prey. Their bigger cousins the Goshawk may take a hen sized bird, but doubtful as to whether they'd take a hen itself, different type of hunting technique.

 

Lisa

(new mum to Daisy, Maisie, Rosie,

would-be-falconer)

[Baggins]

I wonder whether it's a sparrowhawk?

 

We have a regular sparrowhawk visitor to our garden and I was quite worried about my girls at first. After observing him the last few times in the garden, the usual sequence of events is:

 

1) Bomb burst of all other flying birds out of and away from our garden

2) Sparrowhawk takes up position on fence post or back of garden chair, almost still but moving head and beady eyes slightly

3) Less than a nanosecond later, my girls grow giraffe necks and crow their little heads off (instinct is a wonderful thing )

4) Sparrowhawk flies off as his game is up!

 

 

I have heard that, if hungry enough, they will have a go at a wood pigeon and our Matilda is about that size .... but the noise she creates seems to be too much for him to bear. I hope that's always the case.

[Nuggywoo]

If you saw a Peregrine count yourself very lucky!

 

It could've been a hobby (very similar looking), sparrowhawk, goshawk, harrier or perhaps even a buzzard? (Buzzards aren't as big as you might think.)

 

Also, it'd be the male peregrine that's doing the hunting now and it certainly isn't big enough to take a chicken - even a bantam!

 

Raptors have very distinct and identifiable hunting methods.

[Hen Huggers R Us]

Not seen the beast again anyway but thanks to all you people who have put my mind at rest.

Ps love the quote from Baggins about the giraffe necks and crowing, very funny.

[bigbadfox]

may be it was one of these

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/h/henharrier/index.asp

[Helly Welly]

We had a sparrowhawk in the tree at the bottom of our garden once and i was worried too but i honestly think the noise the girls make would put off anything.