That morning I found a hawk sitting on my coop roof

I was in my backyard in Eugene at 7am letting the girls out and saw a red-tailed hawk just perched on the ridge of the run. My heart dropped because I had left the pop door open overnight by accident. I ran out yelling and it flew off, but I checked all 8 hens and one of them, my barred rock named Gertie, had a chunk of feathers missing near her tail. Now I double check that latch every night before bed - has anyone else had a close call like this with predators?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.jordan6d ago

Not sure I see it the same way. I mean yeah, it's scary seeing a hawk that close, but honestly? A single chunk of missing feathers is about the best possible outcome there. My own coop sits under a big oak where red-tails love to perch and I've had them eyeing my flock for years. They're not exactly breaking into coops to grab birds through the hardware cloth (they're ambush hunters, not burglars). The real danger is letting them free range unsupervised - that's when they'll snatch a hen. Focus on the run being secure and don't beat yourself up over one latch mistake.

the_charlie6d ago

Honestly that sounds terrifying. I had a similar thing happen with a Cooper's hawk last fall and now I check my coop latch like three times before bed every single night. Ngl you got lucky with just missing feathers though, those hawks will take a whole hen if they get the chance. I ended up putting one of those automatic doors on my coop and it's been a game changer for peace of mind. Tbh I still double check it anyway because that one close call really stuck with me.