Owl swooped in

[brownrooster]

Yes. Luckily I live in arkansas. But the laws are similar I'm sure. Best and only way is to contact my local AGFC and report a nuisance animal I know enough to to let them handle these situations. It's sad that I can't protect my extended family . :-(

 

[centrarchid]

The act in eyes of law likely means owl is actually has chicken in its talons, not simply in the area or looking at one. Similar laws on books for many states but they are trumped by federal law which in this case states you must have a permit that is very hard to get to kill owl. You still have ability to protect chickens, it is just that persecuting the owl is not one of the options. I have relatives that used to go after owls very successfully as you indicate to protect many valuable chickens. In the end either confining birds at night or having dog out with them was more effective than the trap on pole trick.

 

[dandrews1971]

I also believe in the three S's.....shoot, shovel, shut up. We are in a very rural area with little neighbors. Shooting is a very common thing around here.

 

[Margiechickmom]

Sorry for your loss. I had a hawk attack earlier this week. Like you, I had not had any trouble with predators. Wednesday evening as we were sitting down to eat supper, my flock of 12 was free-ranging in my fenced in back yard. My husband looked out the window in time to see a hawk divebomb my chickens. Thankfully, they were under a tree so the hawk didn't make a direct hit. My husband ran outside shouting and flapping and the hawk flew away. There were feathers on the ground and my rooster has been limping a bit since the attack.

Scared the mess out of me. I've only let them out once since then and watched them the entire time. They seemed scared to go out too.

Those predators are bad news for our chickens.

 

[centrarchid]

I also believe in the three S's.....shoot, shovel, shut up. We are in a very rural area with little neighbors. Shooting is a very common thing around here.

You are violating the last S by posting here.

 

[4 the Birds]

The act in eyes of law likely means owl is actually has chicken in its talons, not simply in the area or looking at one. Similar laws on books for many states but they are trumped by federal law which in this case states you must have a permit that is very hard to get to kill owl. You still have ability to protect chickens, it is just that persecuting the owl is not one of the options. I have relatives that used to go after owls very successfully as you indicate to protect many valuable chickens. In the end either confining birds at night or having dog out with them was more effective than the trap on pole trick.

+1

Unfortunately, a trap on a pole may kill a bald eagle or other endangered bird species . Owls hunt at night so if the chickens are in a secure coop/run at dusk then that is the best solution. A fake owl near the coop may also deter aerial predators from the area and they will move on.

 

[dandrews1971]

As I stated before. Its not illegal in OK to kill them.if they're after my birds. And...I haven't done anything to it at this point....

 

[sourland]

As I stated before. Its not illegal in OK to kill them.if they're after my birds. And...I haven't done anything to it at this point....

Federal law trumps state law, and the act has been revised since the dates of your state law. Do what you must do, but don't advertise. Question the seriousness? Do a search on "Operation High Roller" - a federal 'sting' operation where a group of pigeon flyers had their group infiltrated, taped, and filmed in the taking and killing of hawks. The result: severe fines and some jail time. Sites like this are monitored, and these guys are serious about their job.

 

[Nambroth]

Unlike hawks, owl predation is usually easier to prevent in the first place. They are much more likely to take birds off the roost, or very early in the morning / late in the evening. Letting the girls out a bit later in the morning and shooing them in earlier at night and keeping them secure at night will not only prevent owl predation, but will stop a number of other critters from having chicken dinners too.

I value (largely) nocturnal owls greatly for their pest control services. They are relatively easy to avoid.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

My neighbor lost a hen to an owl; I've lost one to a hawk. Both of ours were mid-day.

I locked them up in their coop and small run for several days; put up lots and lots of hawk netting with reflector tape over their extended run; and did not let them free range in the yard for at least a week, longer if I saw a "fly by." Really helped me.

Good Luck
Lady of McCamley