Over the past couple of days, two of our chickens have been killed by a hawk. We had this problem many years ago and had to enclose the chickens. Since they were for show, I didn't mind not allowing them to run free. The chickens we have now are for food. I want to allow the chickens to run free, but it looks like we will have to isolate a special area where hawks can't get to them. I was reading about making a webbing instead of enclosing the top of area. This allows for a much larger run. In most cases, hawks will not go into areas where they will have trouble escaping. At least, this is what I read. Have any of you chicken owners ever tried a webbing? If so, did it keep hawks out?
They sell poultry netting for this purpose. THis might be interesting: http://www.amazon.com/Netting-Bird-Poultry-Aviary-Game/dp/B001W2AG2M If you enclosure is small, you might try some of that green plastic flexible fencing. You might be able to weave some clothes line through it and use that to hold it up. ( overlapping it a square or two). Basically it is a green version of the orange fencing contractors use to keep debris out of ditches and ponds, or as snow fencing. This stuff also comes in black. Lowes sells it. I will get this netting if I ever loose another bird to a hawk. I lost a couple when they free ranged, but lost more to coyotes. I have an electric fence with a solar charger and the birds have a 40x40 pen that gets moved. I always include a large tulip poplar inside the fencing and of course it is attached to the opening of the coop. I think it helps to discourage the hawks from diving at the girls. It also give the girls some place to run when they see a predator over head. When they are not feeding they often lounge about under the tree. I move it as much as possible about every 8 week and change the shape of the area so they get as much new terrain as possible. I then over sow the other areas if they are bald. I have an attachment for the weed wacker that turns it into a little tiller and I loosen up the ground and sew it in fall and spring so the areas not in use can get some grass on them before they are used again. I found that total free ranging is bad for the health of my girls. They got free food and became free food. LOL Now they get the weeds the my neighbors take from flower beds and gardens. They drive and drop them in bags at the end of driveway etc.
