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Owl is hunting cock pen area from trees about 30 feet up. Rabbits are clearly the preferred target. If chickens were target, then dogs would be going nuts and birds would be cackling, all fluffed up and sometimes on the ground. Either way I will be getting out the magic deer netting that the...

Call local fire department to give a heads up. Have some experienced help. Mow perimeter lane at least twice as tall as tallest vegeation left standing in burn area that will be burned. Wet lane with hose and have water standing by. Start burning on down wind side or up hill side.

Going back to what I recall about night rooster was killed. I could here owl biting through bones of rooster even when I was 200 feet away. At that time the owl was on rooster at kill site otherwise I would have been able to see it using the spot light.

Diurnal raptor that was working on owls kill during day is a Red-tailed Hawk. It is posted about 25 feet up in tree of fencelince SW of barn. Chickens seem not concerned. I am because just released a broody hen with chicks to dust bath. Hawk is likely after the rabbits but may experiment...

Birds are now penned up. Odds are owl will spend next few nights probing for chickens it can get at. Further adjustments need to be made to prevent owl from trying pull sleeping chickens through pen walls. Dogs run owl off a lot but the get literally bored with the effort, especially when...

I jumped gun with post above, Owl did come back leaving a pile of feathers where carcass was tied down last night. When I got home the evidence for further processing and consumption could not be found down hill where owls have often taken carcasses before. As of this morning, the chicken...

Owl does not appear to have come back in. Hunting for GHO's exceptional here so it may be cherry picking and doing luxury consumption. Dogs also worked that area of yard harder last night as they can see owl pretty easy even when I cannot see a thing without light.

During the day another raptor consumed at least a lb of meat. A lot for one bird. Carcass moved very little. Carcass now tied to T-post. We wait.

If all goes well this will be the last loss this season to GHO. Simply making chickens inaccessible to owl will not make owl move on. Owing to how I have been managing area the abundance of Cottontail Rabbits is high and owl will continue coming in for those. Son and I will do a little rabbit...

Victim a free-range American Dominique cock approximately 7 lbs at time killed. He was roosting with three others in an exposed location. Closeup of carcass. Carcass with a little evidence for processing. Midway point between carcass and kill site where additional processing too place to...

I think it has started again. Likely lost first bird to owl in 2016. Crime scene pictures to come.

The person posting the blog linked below is not all that far from me and will be giving a talk very soon. http://forestparkowls.blogspot.com/

Great-horned owls no coming in causing all free-range hens to roost on ground in high weeds. Penning all outside birds up tonight. Deer netting will be put up on barn to keep owls out. Will likely catch an owl in netting before they figure they cannot get in.

Screeching is young ones (GHO's). They will do it well into October. The young ones often will either ignore you or even follow you about, Crows have advantage only during day. GHO biggest predator on crows. Also a big eater of hawks. They are tough dudes after dark.

When I have juveniles (currently do around research facility at work), the family with the noisy juveniles will concentrate around their honey whole where juveniles screech a lot as you are observing. They hunt but also have at least one parent proving eats. Juveniles are a bit stupid. Last...

"Screeching"? Are the owls juvenile or are you hearing screech owls? I have an owl that perches every morning for about an hour before dawn in a tree about 100 yards east of house. Upper part of tree dead so owl very easy to see in the twilight. He hoots a lot while roosters in cockyard...

Adult owls now hooting in woods behind house during the day, even midday. No sign of juveniles. During evening firework detonations may be causing the owls stress. Dogs and chickens clearly stressed by same.

Adult Great-horned Owls now hooting to east every night. I have yet to hear calls of juveniles. Juveniles typically moving into our yard every night by now. Maybe their breeding effort this year is a bust. I am also seeing very little hawk action. Dogs are eating more baby birds and rodents...

I do not know what it is catching. As for relationship with my chickens see thread linked below. Losses light but efforts were made by owls. Note multiple. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/979818/great-horned-owl-fun-in-2015

We have gone for roughly 3 months with very little owl action. It is not they have left the area, they simply changed their habits. Apparently male owl hunting my pasture has brood at least 1/4 mile to the northeast across highway OO. We have noted him multiple times flying overhead in that...