# Hawks if you can't beat them...?



## Grim (Jul 28, 2007)

Does anyone know if you can feed a hawk? I am so tired of the coopers here that I was wondering what if I just fed him. A full hawk will not attack my birds. Does anyone know if they will take raw chicken?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Grim said:


> Does anyone know if you can feed a hawk? I am so tired of the coopers here that I was wondering what if I just fed him. A full hawk will not attack my birds. Does anyone know if they will take raw chicken?


I think that someone here has actually done that. I'm pretty sure they'll eat raw chicken.


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## kalapati (Aug 29, 2006)

Grim said:


> Does anyone know if you can feed a hawk? I am so tired of the coopers here that I was wondering what if I just fed him. A full hawk will not attack my birds. Does anyone know if they will take raw chicken?



they're very picky...they like chicken from Ell Pollo Loco...lol


kalapati
San Diego
http://myracingpigeons.mypets.ws:81/jview.htm


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, a full hawk ends up making more hawks, you know.

Pidgey


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## Grim (Jul 28, 2007)

Oh well dumb idea I guess. I guess I can keep them locked up forever.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Grim said:


> Oh well dumb idea I guess. I guess I can keep them locked up forever.


What Pidgey said may be true, but, just because the hawk or hawks that are living in your area don't get a pigeon, doesn't mean they are going to starve and aren't going to make new babies. 
I for one, would say, why not try it? If it makes a difference in the frequency of hawks catching your birds, then it's a small price to pay. If it doesn't make a difference, then you'll have to decide how to proceed.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

I saw this and I thought, Grim can't be suggesting what I think!  So I was glad to see your alternative.  I have also heard of people feeding them and seems like it was with good results. Pidgey has a point and so does Renee. Regardless of how they eat, I think they'll reproduce anyway. . .but will feeding them teach them to bring their young, their friends and family, etc. to your house?? Probably. But they're there anyway, soooo. . . it's kind of a darned if ya do, darned if ya don't thing. Why don't you try it and see if it helps? A short experiment couldn't hurt, I wouldn't think. I wonder if they eat red meat? you might be able to buy scraps for cheap from the meat section of your grocery store. I know they sell things like chicken livers for cheap (for fishing). Good luck!!!


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## EgypSwiftLady (Jan 14, 2008)

One question... If you feed the hawk and it does come for food often won't the hawk expect to be food all the time at your house and in turn stick around more? and in turn just figure you have changed the menu from chicken to pigeon ???????


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Maybe you could feed the hawk so good that he would get fat and lazy..........to lazy to chase anything to eat it. Ummmmmmmmm


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Hawks in the wild hunt live food I think feeding raw chicken would not work. BUT even if some how a hawk did eat it. The hawk would know to make your place a stop over so it would threaten the birds more. Hawks as a rule when your birds do get hawk smart and fly and trap Then all you have to do is stay close And you will see very little birds taken. I lost 4 birds last hawk season BUT when they got hawk wise No hawks could get them They would fly up to the same altitude the hawk was if one showed up when they flew So the hawk could not dive on them and the hawk could not out manuver them. Then when they landed they traped in alomost as fast as they landed. Coopers mostly redtails would come but the birds did the same and red tails being much slower gave up faster.


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## Guest (Jul 10, 2008)

I personally would never encourage a hawk to be around your loft in any respect ..feeding them anything would mean its a free for all and will always come back for more and Im sure they wont see much of difference between the raw chicken and one of your fat birds .. Even hawk savy birds get careless from time to time and those coopers are always waiting for any opportunity to take advantage of something like that and they will


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## the bird man (Jun 18, 2008)

my suggetion thats work in my area is instead of feeding him with raw chick and bringing him to your house.start attracting local small birds like sparrows and black birds if possible crows.reasons:they allarm your birds, crows and black birds and a groupof sparrows will actually chase hawks away, and if you have alot of smaller birds then theres naturally some weaker birds around and because cooper hawks mainly prey on other birds nature will take its course.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Crows will definitely do their best to keep a hawk away. Mockingbirds are also fearless against hawks. I would opt for trying to attract crows to my yard rather than feeding the hawk.

Terry


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

I think it might be against the law to feed a hawk.


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

How about just figuring out how many birds you may lose to mother nature and raise a few extra? Keeping them prisoner cause your afraid to lose one or two seems cruel, let the birds do what they do naturally, I bet you'll find you really don't lose that many at all, My very first release had a hawk attack one of my birds not even five feet from me as we were all watching the birds going in all directions (crazy young birds lol) the hawk was scared away by accident because it startled us as much as the birds, the bird it hit had some punctures to the chest but has recovered nicely and is still flying like nothing happened, and it bugs me but that is nature so next year I'm just going to raise more than i need to apease mother nature!
The beauty in raising these birds is seeing them fly free and return to their home time and again, surviving all the pearls they face!


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## kalapati (Aug 29, 2006)

DEEJAY7950 said:


> How about just figuring out how many birds you may lose to mother nature and raise a few extra? Keeping them prisoner cause your afraid to lose one or two seems cruel, let the birds do what they do naturally, I bet you'll find you really don't lose that many at all, My very first release had a hawk attack one of my birds not even five feet from me as we were all watching the birds going in all directions (crazy young birds lol) the hawk was scared away by accident because it startled us as much as the birds, the bird it hit had some punctures to the chest but has recovered nicely and is still flying like nothing happened, and it bugs me but that is nature so next year I'm just going to raise more than i need to apease mother nature!
> The beauty in raising these birds is seeing them fly free and return to their home time and again, surviving all the pearls they face!





so it's just like paying taxes to uncle sam? with mother nature we just don't know what the hawks demand like what bracket or percentage do they require of us to pay. so maybe raising more YBs is a possible solution

so maybe we can think of the hawks like HBO's movie the Sopranos...


kalapati
San Diego
http://myracingpigeons.mypets.ws:81/jview.htm


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## Guest (Jul 13, 2008)

the problem with your theory is that right now isnt really the time hawks are hitting peoples pigeons.. but soon as we get to fall and the migration your gonna notice alot more action going on with heavy losses and if you keep flying your birds you'll be lucky to have half of what you did if your in a heavy hawk area .. when they get hungrier they get better at what they do, so you better raise alot of babys to keep up with the demand


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get!


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## birdbum (Jan 26, 2004)

I read a book about hummingbirds a while ago and it mentioned that hawks avoid them at all costs. They think that a hummingbird's long beak is a spear and they are fearful of them. Maybe you can set out some hummingbird feeders and attract them instead of trying to attract crows or sparrows? I find both extremely annoying, and some of them carry mites and the sort. Dogs are also good to keep them away; every now and then a hawk will come and set on the fence to watch my birds and my dog will chase it away every time.


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## little bird (Aug 11, 2006)

Sounds great.....but hummingbirds also migrate....so would they be on hand when you need them most???


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## birdbum (Jan 26, 2004)

lol I didn't think about that. It's possible that they might? I haven't tried it, I just read about it in a book..


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## Pixy (Mar 29, 2005)

You maybe realize that naturals selection may help you out. The smarter, healthier, birdswould make it (hopefully most of them) and in turn breed you some top quality hawk saavy birds!!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

the bird man said:


> my suggetion thats work in my area is instead of feeding him with raw chick and bringing him to your house.start attracting local small birds like sparrows and black birds if possible crows.reasons:they allarm your birds, crows and black birds and a groupof sparrows will actually chase hawks away, and if you have alot of smaller birds then theres naturally some weaker birds around and because cooper hawks mainly prey on other birds nature will take its course.


 Bird Man is right. One of my rescues was caught by a redtail, and the smaller birds set up such a comotion, that the homeowner ran outside to see what all the ruckus was about, and startled the hawk, which thankfully dropped the pigeon. It is true that they will scream and chase a hawk, therefore making it pointless to hang around, since it's presence has been so loudly announced.
As for the raw chicken, it does work. I knew a woman who, whenever she had chicken, would pull all the skin off, as eating chicken is healthier without it. She would put it outside, always on the same stump, and the hawks would come down and take it. The only problem with this idea, is that the more you feed, the more they will come to your place, waiting for another handout. You're safer hanging up the bird feeders and attracting the smaller alarm birds.


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## little bird (Aug 11, 2006)

Aren't the little birds in just as much danger of one of them becoming a hawk's dinner? Wouldn't a gathering of birds at a feeder be a signal for any hungry hawk to seek a weak one and attack?


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## the bird man (Jun 18, 2008)

not really becuase large hawks can't monuver as well as the small birds so it make's them almost impossible to catch.thats why small bird's aren't afraid of big hawks. they can't hurt a hawk but they pester the hell out of it until it leaves.and if it does attracht small hawks that can manuver their usaully to small to take down a pigeon and only interested in small birds anyway.if any thing the small hawks will be intimadated by the pigeons and spook easily.


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## learning (May 19, 2006)

the bird man said:


> not really becuase large hawks can't monuver as well as the small birds so it make's them almost impossible to catch.thats why small bird's aren't afraid of big hawks. they can't hurt a hawk but they pester the hell out of it until it leaves.and if it does attracht small hawks that can manuver their usaully to small to take down a pigeon and only interested in small birds anyway.if any thing the small hawks will be intimadated by the pigeons and spook easily.


I would have to disagree with you on this point, at least in my part of the country.

The smaller hawks are the most lethal around here. The Coopers and Sharp Shinned hawks that take so many birds down here aren't much bigger than the pigeons themselves. I actually witnessed a Cooper taking one of my birds off the roof of my loft once. It could barely carry the carcas and had to take it to the ground first.

Around here, we actually try to encourage the larger hawks like Red Tails as they seem slower and less of a threat to our pigeons. They are territorial though and seem to chase off the smaller, more lethal species. I am sure this is going to vary based on the part of the world you live in. At least we don't have to worry too much about the Peragrine falcons that the Australian fanciers seem to deal with. 

Dan


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## kalapati (Aug 29, 2006)

learning said:


> I would have to disagree with you on this point, at least in my part of the country.
> 
> The smaller hawks are the most lethal around here. The Coopers and Sharp Shinned hawks that take so many birds down here aren't much bigger than the pigeons themselves. I actually witnessed a Cooper taking one of my birds off the roof of my loft once. It could barely carry the carcas and had to take it to the ground first.
> 
> ...



inspite of coopers problem here in my place, i'm still thankful we don't have much peregrine population. the other day while my birds are loft flying a cooper flying at a very high altitude attacked my birds on a vertical stoop - peregrine style but he's too slow that my birds just flew and played around with him when they were all at the same altitude. if that could have been a peregrine i'm sure there's no way a bird can escape for the peregrines have been clocked to drop more than 180 mph chasing their prey.

here's a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnT2joxnkqY


kalapati
San Diego
http://myracingpigeons.mypets.ws:81/jview.htm


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## kalapati (Aug 29, 2006)

*The Peregrine's Stoop*

here's another one:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKqt05iR9WI




kalapati
San Diego
http://myracingpigeons.mypets.ws:81/jview.htm


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

little bird said:


> Aren't the little birds in just as much danger of one of them becoming a hawk's dinner? Wouldn't a gathering of birds at a feeder be a signal for any hungry hawk to seek a weak one and attack?


If the smaller birds are given enough cover, they usually get away. They just dive for the bushes. I see it all the time here. If it were not for the smaller birds screaming and bombing the red tail that had my latest rescue Rusty, sending the homeowner out to see what all the racket was about, causing the hawk to drop the pigeon, he would not be here now. Because of the smaller birds, he got away. They are wonderful alarms, and usually smart enough and quick enough to get away if there is somewhere they can dive into for cover.


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