Just need to vent.
Cooper’s hawk has been working my area for the past month. Lost 8 birds in the last two weeks including my best racing hen.
Tried everything - fake owls, hawk balls, varying release times. Nothing works. He sits in the tree across the street and waits.
Feeling pretty discouraged right now. 15 years in the sport and this is the worst predator pressure I’ve ever seen.
Anyone else dealing with this?
Sorry to hear that Dave. Hawk losses are the worst part of this hobby.
We’ve all been there. Lost my foundation hen to a Coopers back in 2019. Still hurts.
Only thing that’s worked for me is completely changing the routine. Different release times, different directions, sometimes keeping them in for a few days. Hawks are smart but they’re also creatures of habit. Break the pattern and sometimes they move on.
Hang in there.
Had a terrible hawk year in 2022. Lost 12 birds.
What finally helped was adding a covered section to my aviary. Birds can see the hawk coming and have somewhere to hide. Won’t help when they’re out flying but at least they’re safe on the loft.
Also started loft flying in groups of 20+ instead of smaller batches. Safety in numbers.
That’s awful. I’m so sorry.
No real advice, just wanted to say I understand how you feel. Lost my first bird to a hawk last month and cried for an hour. Can’t imagine losing 8.