Hawks taking Koi
orenthal
15 years ago
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kevandkaren
15 years agocmykoi
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Koi died -What kill it? (warning:dead koi shown)
Comments (8)you probably have a few things going on. Since the koi lived long enough to get a nasty infection, we can pretty well rule out parasites such as costia and ich since those can kill pretty quickly. I suspect a parasite was still responsible, possibly flukes. Flukes are irritating and cause a break in the skin. The bite gets infected, causing an ulcer. The fish is now sick, and a fungus called saprolegnia starts growing on the ulcer. Saprolegnia releases toxins into the fish making him even sicker. SAP alone can be deadly. I realize it is too late for this one, but in the future here's how I would treat that fish. Catch the fish and sedate. Gently scrub the wound with a q-tip and betadine. Remove all traces of fungus or it will grow back. Be sure to keep betadine out of the gills!! Treat the sore with a paste made of potassium permanganate (dangerous stuff....handle with care), or malachite green. Seal the wound with denture powder. With an ifection as bad as that one, I would also treat with an injectible antibiotic such as amikacin. The fish needs to be returned to a clean QT and the temperature needs to be slowly brought up from the pond temp to around 70°. A koi cannot heal in cold water. Further investigate the possibility of flukes on other fish. Symptons include flashing, jumping, excessive slime coat....See Morehawk killing koi
Comments (4)Hey there. I have a middlin' size pond, 1000 gallons, and the birds in the day time and the raccoons at night certainly put me on a learning curve. I'm sure there are some other critters out there anxious to get their share of the fishies too. The best results I have had are with the Scarecrow water cannon and a bird net stretched over a six sided gazebo frame. I use only the top of the frame and actually it doesn't look all that bad. I also put out two heron statues to tell the other herons that a pair has this area staked out. I don't know if any of this if helpful to you but the scarecrow has caused a lot of laughs and the preditors slink away without dinner. Sandy...See MoreHawk Id Please.
Comments (3)There is a raptor forum maybe you should post the picture there. It's a great shot. Maybe these pictures will help. To me if they're large they are redtails. If they're small they're sharp shinned or coopers. Sarah Here is a link that might be useful: hawk id...See MoreHunting habits of hawks
Comments (69)For the last two years, I've been experimenting with methods used to deter hawks. I wanted to see if any particular method worked better than another and, I was hoping to find their achilles heel so I could perhaps create a method that would help people who want to enjoy the critters in their yard. I did this for not only songbirds but mammals, such as rabbits. I found that tape, for the hawks here, did nothing. I didn't try CD's but I would think they'd have little effect on a seasoned hunter. I tried that easily torn regular bird netting and fishing line. This did deter bigger hawks like a redtail or goshawk and definitely eagles. It did nothing to deter male coopers hawks, peregrines or sharp shins, assuming they could find a tiny gap between pieces of netting. Now if you get the holes small enough with the fishing line, it could have an effect but a quickier and easier alternative would be the aviary bird netting. I bought some on amazon. It's very strong, and the holes are 2" x 2" which is too small for any hawk to enter. That did deter them, as long as the netting completely covers everywhere the prey animal is located. So basically, a barrier is needed since gadgets used to 'frighten' or 'confuse' don't usually work. A bigger hawk, like a redtail, could possibly go crashing into the netting and if it isn't stuck in it, it would not only ruin your set-up, it would probably kill the prey but redtails here tend to avoid netting. For smaller mammals like rabbits, I recommend burying the surface of a solid corrugated pipe at least a few inches deep from the surface, not in a low spot where water can sit and possibly get in an entrance, covering up with the soil and putting a brush pile over top. Hide entrances in shrubs if possible. Make sure the pipe is pretty long at least 12 feet but preferably 18 ft or longer as hawks will try to flush the rabbits and this is less likely if pipes are longer. If you have larger mature rabbits in the area, I'd recommend you buy 8" if offered, or split the 6" pipe (that's the only size pipe our stores offer) and open it up a bit before burying, to allow a bigger rabbit entry. If trying to protect a small dog or other small animal, I'd definitely go with chicken wire whenever possible but otherwise, the aviary bird netting is strong and on a strong frame, should deter most attacks. It's also black which makes it blend in much better than chicken wire. I've tried water guns, nerf guns, clapping and yelling. Yelling is very effective if you see a hawk chasing down prey. It distracts them for a moment and the prey gets away but given you'd have to be monitoring constantly, that's not practical. But if you see it, a great big 'hey!' usually is enough to break up the chase. Nerfs work but again, you have to be there constantly. Recordings of owls or a peregrine falcon will work but usually only on juvenile hawks. I've buried pipe but found the pipe wasn't long enough and wasn't hidden well enough. All the hawk has to do is be able to put a talon at the opening of the pipe and the rabbits or whatever small animal is hiding, will flush from cover that the hawk couldn't possibly have accessed. So best protect entrances with brush or a large stone. In conclusion, hawks will go where the food is. They are also capable of retaliation when they think you're trying to stop them (confirmed by a falconer and my own experiences) and will try that much harder to thwart you. The best thing is to not concentrate any animal or bird to avoid attracting them and if you do decide to feed, hide feeders or mammals/buried pipe under trees and shrubs before they discover it because once you get on their radar, it takes a couple of years for them to forget you....See Moresleeplessinftwayne
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