One of the birds that are known for their preying behavior is Hawk. But this preying nature of this bird becomes a big problem for people who have livestock in their backyard.
I have faced the same problem in the past. I have livestock in my backyard. Many times they get attacked by the hawks.
To keep my livestock safe, I came across some methods to keep the hawks away from them. All those methods were effective and work efficiently for me to keep the livestock safe.
I know many other people are dealing with this problem on daily basis. So In this article, I have mentioned all the methods that are effective for keeping hawks away from your yard. Let’s get started.
How I Keep Hawks Away From Backyard
Method 1: Cover Your Bird Feeders
If you have installed bird feeders for the songbirds, then it is important to keep the bird feeders covered. This will help you to keep the hawks away.
It is so because, hawks fly in search of their prey and if they know the popular hangout spot of these birds, then hawks will definitely come to prey on them.
You just need to move the bird feeder under an umbrella, a gazebo, low-hanging tree branches, or roof awning.
The other thing you can try is to use a caged bird feeder. The bars of the feeder will help you to keep the birds safe from hawks.
Method 2: Use Noise or Loud Sounds To Keep Hawks Away
Like any bird, hawks are also afraid of loud sounds or noises and this can help you to keep them away.
You need to find out those certain sounds that have that frequency which can help you to keep them away.
In this case, an effective sound needs to be loud, erratic, and irritating to birds. For this, you can buy an ultrasonic bird repeller.
This will work great for keeping the hawks away. Some ultrasonic repellers have customizable settings for frequency, volume, and sensitivity. You can easily adjust the sound as per your requirement.
Method 3: Make Use Of Roosting Spikes
Another tip to keep the hawks away is to make use of roosting spikes. As per this tip, you need to make use of spikes in all the areas where hawks can roost.
Install the roosting spikes to all the areas where you think the hawks could be waiting. One of the most common spots for these birds can be any rods that jut out.
At such spots, the hawks used to stalk their prey but with roosting spikes, you can make that ledge unviable.
Spikes usually come in segments. Therefore, you need to install segments one after the other to cover the length of the ledge.
However, many people positioned these spiked on a ledge that is right up against the wall.
This combination of spikes can provide better support for nests. Therefore, install it correctly if you don’t want any bird to build their nest on these.
Method 4: Use Nets To Cover Your Livestock
In case you have livestock in your backyard, then it becomes necessary to keep hawks away from them. Chickens can be the first prey of the hawks.
Therefore, to keep them safe, use anti-hawk netting in between them in the form of a chicken pen.
A chicken pen is like a large cage that can help the chicken to have valuable outdoor time. Therefore, it keeps the flock inside and the potential predators out.
You can buy a ready-made chicken pen and the one-time setup is easy. You can use the instructions for that setup.
Method 5: Removal of Food sources
One of the reasons that hawks are roaming around your yard is the food source that is available in your yard.
Such food sources make the hawks visit your yard again and again. Hawks eat smaller animals or are slightly bigger than they are.
This includes chickens, quail, rats, voles, squirrels, rabbits, small snakes, and small frogs.
Hawks also carry off the puppies and kittens. Therefore, if you have such food sources, then find a way to get rid of them.
Method 6: Roosters Can Be The Solution
Hawks usually have major issues related to poultry farms and they used to prey on chickens.
If you want to keep your chickens safe, then buy a rooster. A rooster is a large bird that can tackle a hawk attack and they can protect the chickens.
However, you may need to do some paperwork to bring the rooster. It is applicable in some areas only. You need to enforce some measures to keep the rooster from getting aggressive towards the hens.
Method 7: Dogs Can Be Your Livestock Guard
If you want to keep your chickens safe from the hawks, then you can get a guard dog.
The patrolling dog on your property can keep the hawks away from your chickens.
However, if you are getting a guard dog, then you should know that it is a big responsibility. You have to commit to pet ownership and have to bear some cost.
A dog needs full care and love so that it can help you in keeping the hawks away. In case, you are ready to take such responsibility, then you can get a guard dog.
Method 8: Use Scarecrows To Keep Hawks Away
The use of scarecrows is prevalent since ancient times. In this case, as well, the use of scarecrows can effective.
You can make a scarecrow by using two narrow planks of wood to create a lower-case letter “t”. You can use an old shirt or button-down for it.
If you really want to scare a hawk, you need to make it very realistic. It should be of human size and create lots of erratic and unpredictable movements. If you can manage it and make it spin, then it is better.
Method 9: Use Reflection To Scare Them Off
Hawks are not very attractive to the things that reflect. This method can be the cheapest method to scare them off.
You can use household items like old CDs, reflective tape, small mirrors, or aluminum foil for this purpose. You just need to hang them across your yard.
The other way to have some reflection items is to buy ready-made yard reflectors. Such reflectors are easy to install and are designed to be durable for outdoor use.
Method 10: Avoid Ground Feeding
If you are feeding birds by scattering their food on the ground, then you should avoid this. Ground feeding birds is a good way of ground feeding hawks.
Hawks can hunt these small birds for their food. Hawks are extremely fast and quiet and they can easily prey on these small birds feeding on the ground.
However, if you want to avoid such a situation, stop ground feeding. You can use other ways to feed the songbirds and protect them from the attack of hawks.
Conclusion
Hawks are predatory birds that just find ways to get prey. It became a problem when we have livestock in our backyard.
And In this article, I’ve listed the top tips that will work in this case. Therefore, try these methods to keep the hawks away from the yard and to protect the songbirds & livestock.
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