# I hate hawks, all birds gone!



## tompetey (Jul 5, 2011)

Well I lost all of my birds a few weeks ago, so I got 13 more let them out for the first time today things were going great then a hawk flew by and all birds scattered and now all missing I dont think I can even have homers at this location I dont know what to do


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## jboy1 (Jan 26, 2005)

I dont know where you are located, But this is a bad time of yr to be letting new birds out.From now and thru winter the hawks are very hungry.


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

If you enter what state you live in,(fill out the PT location) personal history page for your handle,maybe someone can give you some expert advice for your area....Untill then,we don`t know what to tell you,to help you save your birds.....Alamo


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## blueflyer (Aug 23, 2011)

*blueflyer*



tompetey said:


> Well I lost all of my birds a few weeks ago, so I got 13 more let them out for the first time today things were going great then a hawk flew by and all birds scattered and now all missing I dont think I can even have homers at this location I dont know what to do


we all get setbacks dont let it get to u i had a cat kill most of my pigeons one time broke my heart, you never said whit type of birds you had, there are sum birds that can outsmart,and out fly them, if you do and i relly hope u do get more pigeons keep them in let thrm pair up then only let out your cock,s leave them hungry, try and get birds that can fly well and aregood acrobatics ther are lots to chose from besi of luck mark


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## umaximus (Nov 12, 2010)

tompetey said:


> Well I lost all of my birds a few weeks ago, so I got 13 more let them out for the first time today things were going great then a hawk flew by and all birds scattered and now all missing I dont think I can even have homers at this location I dont know what to do


Bro, hang in there. It takes a little bit more time to better understand pigeons and situations. When to feed feed them, when to let them out, etc...

My first few years into the hobby I had problems pairing them up, breeding, settling the ybs, feeding, medicating, sickness, training, controlling the moult, and on top of that worry about racing. 

Take your time. Have fun with it. Ask around and stick to what works for you and your loft.


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## tompetey (Jul 5, 2011)

sorry I am from southern MN all birds were from good homing lines this was the first time being let out, I thought I would give it another try after loosing my last 6 birds last time but at least now I know what has happened and its not something I did the birds were flying great around like they are suppose to and then I saw the hawk and just like that they were all out of sight I am very upset about it and living in town I cant shoot the hawk


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## Granny Smith (Jul 16, 2011)

Tom:

I have also had a rough go of it this year trying to get established with donated young birds. However, I have modified my plan of establishing a loft. I have 7 birds remaining (3 cocks, and 4 hens - I think) and I do not plan on letting these birds out again until next summer. Although they have been loft flying and routed, I am basically going to treat them like prisoners until they have mated and I get young birds out of some of them next year. My mentors are telling me that YBs born in your loft are much easier to settle than donated YBs. I'll tell you if this is true next year.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

tompetey said:


> Well I lost all of my birds a few weeks ago, so I got 13 more let them out for the first time today things were going great then a hawk flew by and all birds scattered and now all missing I dont think I can even have homers at this location I dont know what to do


*Hi TOMPETEY,First I must ask how long did you have this last 13 birds? Next did you have a settling cage Can you post a picture of your loft.We need to know these things in order to help you. While the hawk is part of the problem there may be other reasons that you lost all of your birds.*GEORGE


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## JaxRacingLofts (Apr 11, 2010)

tompetey said:


> Well I lost all of my birds a few weeks ago, so I got 13 more let them out for the first time today things were going great then a hawk flew by and all birds scattered and now all missing I dont think I can even have homers at this location I dont know what to do


 I'll wager you will get some back this evening or tomorrow..but like skytx says "I'm probably wrong about this too"

Seriously though 1 hawk can't kill all of your birds so chances are good they are in your neighborhood and are waiting until the "coast is clear" to come home. 

Try calling them in even if you don't see them..sometime my birds hide up in my neighbors trees and I think they are off routing and really they are just slacking.


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

i kinda agree with what was asked up above, how long did you have these 13 and the 6 and did you trap train for at least 2 -3 weeks or so before you let them out? they may not have settled completely before you let them out.


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

TOMPETEY......What time of the day do you let your birds out to fly ?? You will have to get a pencil and paper,and write down every time you SEE a hawk....If at all possible,someone in your family can do this if you are at work...After a week,you will see a hunting pattern in your area...Then,you will know what time to let or NOT let your birds out to fly...Also answer the other question the other guys have asked you...This will also help you...Alamo


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## jboy1 (Jan 26, 2005)

This time of yr and thru winter it does not matter what time you let theme out the hawks are hungry they dont have a watch, If i were you i would get some young ones in may or june and start over.


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

JBOY1.....I respectfully disagree with you on the time of day the hawks hunt...Around my loft area,between 10am and 11am is BAD,all year long...And more so when the hawks have babies....If they do not migrate,they keep the same time pattern of hunting area`s.....I have been doing this since 1985....I also know after 4pm is no good either here....I would say that,if you are in an area where hawks migrate to and from,it will be alot more dificult to come up with a pattern on hunting times...Alamo


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## JM1120 (May 30, 2011)

I had a hawk kill one of my birds for the first time last week. Quite a shame, too, seeing as the one he killed was a hen I saved from canker as a squeaker.  I can't help but secretly hope that one of my dogs or cats will get him.


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## NayNay (Mar 16, 2011)

Tom, if they scattered that good they might have been a little strong on the wing for their first time out- but like has been mentioned, usually after a scatter from a hawk, the ones that didn't actually get hit by the hawk will be back the next day- esp if they know where home and food and safety are. I lost 4 that were too strong, but one came back the next day- and the another after 2 months! She came back with birds I had out routing. Now she wants nothing to do with the perils of freedom. 

I have had 2 Falcon sightings in a week, so I am gonna go on lockdown till they move on- which is going to be a while, as they are migratory here. But I have 2 super late hatch that are going to have to get oriented and trap trained very carefully so that come springtime they will hopefully be able to loft fly without taking off.

It is a hard sport what with the losses and all- but I went from 9 to 30 birds in one weekend after my first training errors left me down to birds I was keeping as breeders- but then local club member gave me 8 to fly, and 2 PT members gave me 13 breeders. So, the math works in both directions. Plus they reproduce like bunnies, so If you keep the ones who come back as breeders, you will rebound in the spring.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

tompetey said:


> sorry I am from southern MN all birds were from good homing lines this was the first time being let out, I thought I would give it another try after loosing my last 6 birds last time but at least now I know what has happened and its not something I did the birds were flying great around like they are suppose to and then I saw the hawk and just like that they were all out of sight I am very upset about it and living in town I cant shoot the hawk


a hawk can only eat one bird at a time... not all 13... so if they got scatterd because of a hawk being seen, it does not mean they will not come back to trap in and eat when they are hungry if you trained them well and let them out at the right time.. it is late in the season to be training young birds... young birds do better in the late spring or summer that are let out for the first flight.. usually hawks are busy with theirr own nests and young..so they are not as much of a problem then.. perhaps you should train young in the summer months and see if that is better for you in your area. hawks do come or they also can be a resident of your area which is a problem.. but not sure why your training young this time of year... as you have seen it is problematic..


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## tumblebirdy (Sep 28, 2011)

found a blog: http://pigeonmumbler.blogspot.com/2011/09/hawk-deterrent-test.html

mentioned on a site I visited today (hoping for info on my found pigeon)

http://allbreedinternational.freeforums.org/lost-a-bird-today-t12.html

something about a green laser? and cd of owl calls? learning...


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## tumblebirdy (Sep 28, 2011)

JM1120 said:


> I had a hawk kill one of my birds for the first time last week. Quite a shame, too, seeing as the one he killed was a hen I saved from canker as a squeaker.  I can't help but secretly hope that one of my dogs or cats will get him.


Just a thought - better a hawk for food then some crazy neighbor kid with a beebee gun!! That's what I am up against. And predatory birds. And really strange neighbors that just do NOT like wild animals. I have had to deal with the guy next to me poisoning squirrels - that somehow came into MY yard and made my three little dogs deathly ill (to the tune of $1200 vet bills). A woman on the street over trapping animals near a creek and only God knows what she is doing with them! 
Another home that has five feeders out but wants to trap/kill bunnies that visit, because of flowers?? 

At least a hawk does it for food. My neighbors? They need hobbies? (Could it be the gluten in their diets making them crazy, maybe??!!)


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## conditionfreak (Jan 11, 2008)

Hawks are part of the sport. You MUST prepare your birds for them. As has been mentioned, there are several things you MUST do to save most of your birds. You will not save all if you let them fly.

First, you MUST train them in trapping and you MUST settle them properly. You also SHOULD get your young birds at a certain time of the year. Preferably springtime. You SHOULD (as Alamo suggested), let your birds out at the times of day that experience or observation, tells you is a good time to do so. Hawks start hunting early in the day and usually have eaten for the day, early. Therefore later is better to let your birds out initially. But it is not guaranteed. Hawks will learn YOUR habits and may adjust to when you are letting your birds out. Therefore you SHOULD not have a schedule of when you do. Change up the loft flying times.

Also, young hawks just learning to fend for themselves really don't know what they are doing and may hunt at anytime of the day. Just flailing away at whatever they see. If they happen to get one of your pigeons, they are locked in to your pigeons as the first thing they look for everyday. They will not be swayed just because you are out there with the birds, or because you have a dog in the yard, or whatever.

I know it takes some of the enjoyment away from having pigeons, but many flyers with experience, lock their birds up once the races are done, until the following year when they have to train them for racing again. Keep them locked up during the winter for sure. They won't suffer from it. Surely not as much as they would if caught by a hawk, or lost in the winter.

It ain't easy to outfox a hawk, but try too. You will lose some birds, but not a whole flock at once.

I noticed that in your first posting, you stated something to the effect that you can't shoot the hawk because you live "in town". Just to let you know, it is a federal offense to kill or harass a predator bird. They are a protected species, although their numbers are such now that the government should reconsider keeping them that way, in my opinion.
Most or all of the "remedies" on the internet (CD's, plastic owls, etc), will not work for very long. Hawks adjust and learn very quickly. Hunger is a great motivator and teacher.

My wife uses it to teach me lessons.  I can't cook a lick, and too lazy to learn.


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## steveeman (Mar 18, 2011)

I hate Hawks. A hawk attacked my homers couple days ago and the good thing is he missed.


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## USA4thewin (Oct 10, 2011)

This was at a friends place he has racing homers I was having a look at when this hawk came along and started preening on his roof top. we managed to shoo him away from the roof pigeon flew around the house then all came back to inside his loft.


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