Air Raid - the day fighters
by Pat on 03/23/11
In most areas, the Redtail hawk is the biggest aerial threat. Hawks establish a territory, and fight off encroachment from other hawks, particularly of their own species. For that reason, you will only have a pair of them to worry about, which is about two too many. There is little you can do to protect free range poultry, since the federal government protects all birds of prey. You may want to put up poultry netting to cover runs.
It is interesting to observe the flock during a hawk threat. Roosters watch over the flock and sound an alarm when a hawk comes into the area. The air raid alarm sounds a lot like a hysterical hen which has just laid an egg of extreme proportions.
You will see hens and chicks scattering for cover when the rooster raises this alarm. Many older hens, and any other roosters, will relay the alarm. The hawk generally decides to look for less attentive victims.
