I’ve been lucky that so far no hawk has been able to attack my chickens and ducks. I lost one chicken, which was left out of the coop one evening (she refused to go in) and either a visiting dog got her or perhaps the owl we sometimes hear during the night got her. But, as beautiful as birds of prey are, I am no longer as enamored of them as I was because I’ve become attached to my small flock, each of which has her own personality and are great egg layers. So far I’ve either seen the hawks flying near by, grabbed a treat for the flock and managed to call them into the covered pen or the hens have raised a loud alarm and I’ve gone out and again managed to get them safely fenced in.
We adopted a 9 y.o. Aussie mix last year, wonderful dog, not much of a barker once he realizes what belongs in the neighborhood and what doesn’t, except for hawks. When he sees a hawk soaring overhead, he barks his head off. Since he came from a rural community, we figure one of his jobs was to alert his previous owner of potential hazards to the flock.