Bald eagle attacked my flock!

[gander007]

Wow to see a Bald Eagle in your area nice ....

You need to protect your flock so you'll also need to cover the run as you chickens are not protected by Federal Law ....

 

[chickengeorgeto]

..... Wounding or killing a bald eagle is a federal crime! You could add some netting in the area up on high poles or strung from the trees.

It is technically a Federal crime to shake your coat tails at an eagle or a hawk. It falls under the Federal crime of raptor or eagle harassment. I guess netting is also ill-eagle if the bird gets tangled in it and hurts himself. It is better if you call your netting "synthetic chicken containment fabric."

 

[romeo2donkey]

They are beautiful but have become a nuisance in our area there are dozens of them in our area they are killing small livestock I have lost many ducks, chickens and guinea .The Eagles perch in the corner woods of my pasture and wait I have had four of them at a time sitting waiting I just fire off a warning shot .Not only do they kill livestock they kill fawns , cats, dogs my sister witnessed a Eagles swooping down to try and get her small dog she ran out just in time to scare it off my cousin witnessed one swoop down in he middle of town and grab a cat and take off with it we are getting over populated here I think they need to start relocating them .

 

[Chooks n Kids]

Hi all update...
My lil boots died...
I believe her lung was punchered..
Poor baby!
Since than I have come to find the bald eagle is teaching it's eaglet how to hunt chickens!
& yes the eagle is that big...
It's wing span is just under 4'5
I know this because it crashed down my entire netting system over my run.. I personally saw it do so. As I ran out there to intervene I was face to beak with it!
While talking to conversation I can not kill the eagle but I can use whatever means nessacarry to protect my flock. Not resulting in death!
I now have a pellet gun on my deck & also a type of noise maker "banger" used to scare bares.
I will have no issues scaring this eagle off my property..
He explained to me how they will memorize your patterns, & make it a routine to see if food (chickens) are available to be taken as they are in fact a lazy hunting bird.
He could just as easly pick up my puppy!
I live on Vancouver island where bald eagles are more abundant than u can imagine!!
More if a nuisance bird to those of us with flocks & ponds!
So here is to hopping repaired netting & big bangs are sufficient!

Another Vancouver Islander here and another who has lost 1 hen and 4 roosters in the last 18 months...plus one very lucky hen who managed to make it under the fence into the neighbours' hedge. Almost every morning I go out to feed and there is one sitting in a tree watching...one morning I had the eagle 200 ft from my coop one direction and a red tailed hawk 200 ft in the other direction. Everyone stayed in the run that morning and quite willingly as the roo had already spotted the birds. I am in the process of building a new coop and run and will put fishing wire and CD's over the run...I will still free range the birds as they have a few places to hide. Plus I will be building some covers for them to hide under. They are a beautiful bird but it is pretty ugly when they take one of your hens or lambs. Every day when I walk to the barn I look up and say to the eagle Winner Winner there will be no Chicken Dinner for you!

 

[karengracia]

Quote:
Eagles don't grow that large

Did you SEE the eagle attack your birds?
I suspect something else is killing them

Yes and there was even one in my pond on top of my duck Eagles are a lot bigger than you think they are and if birds of prey they'll take anything from small dogs to cats two ducks even my Muscovy got it couldn't lift them but killed them and then came back to eat them which I was unaware of because we were not home at that point. I live in Upstate New York I border Pennsylvania I live less than a mile from the Delaware River I am surrounded by lakes and the Eagles are prevalent up here, the only thing I do to keep the Eagles away is every time they come in to steal one of my birds I get my 22 out and I pop a shot off in the sound scares them off ,I never shoot at them just make it loud enough for them to get the message, I had three different Eagles in my yard Last Summer, one loud sound and they've never returned but there's so many up here I'm sure different ones will be back this year, and then I have to worry about brush wolf, Fox, Fishers and just about everything else including black bear,so good luck I'm gonna try this year to keep my flock safe and healthy❤

 

[karengracia]

Yes and there was even one in my pond on top of my duck Eagles are a lot bigger than you think they are and if birds of prey they'll take anything from small dogs to cats two ducks even my Muscovy got it couldn't lift them but killed them and then came back to eat them which I was unaware of because we were not home at that point. I live in Upstate New York I border Pennsylvania I live less than a mile from the Delaware River I am surrounded by lakes and the Eagles are prevalent up here, the only thing I do to keep the Eagles away is every time they come in to steal one of my birds I get my 22 out and I pop a shot off in the sound scares them off ,I never shoot at them just make it loud enough for them to get the message, I had three different Eagles in my yard Last Summer, one loud sound and they've never returned but there's so many up here I'm sure different ones will be back this year, and then I have to worry about brush wolf, Fox, Fishers and just about everything else including black bear,so good luck I'm gonna try this year to keep my flock safe and healthy❤

One mere thing having an alarm bird would help like a guinea hen or even a goose.

 

[cmom]

Yes and there was even one in my pond on top of my duck Eagles are a lot bigger than you think they are and if birds of prey they'll take anything from small dogs to cats two ducks even my Muscovy got it couldn't lift them but killed them and then came back to eat them which I was unaware of because we were not home at that point. I live in Upstate New York I border Pennsylvania I live less than a mile from the Delaware River I am surrounded by lakes and the Eagles are prevalent up here, the only thing I do to keep the Eagles away is every time they come in to steal one of my birds I get my 22 out and I pop a shot off in the sound scares them off ,I never shoot at them just make it loud enough for them to get the message, I had three different Eagles in my yard Last Summer, one loud sound and they've never returned but there's so many up here I'm sure different ones will be back this year, and then I have to worry about brush wolf, Fox, Fishers and just about everything else including black bear,so good luck I'm gonna try this year to keep my flock safe and healthy❤

Thanks for reviving this older thread. Be careful of where you are shooting a 22, they have a decent range. We have bald eagles here I have seen adults, and juveniles who don't get the white heads and tails until they are around 4/5 years old. They are big birds. We also have plenty of hawks too. We live on a hill and at the bottom of the hill is a lake with hammocks as it's a man-made shallow lake, dammed river which the eagles and other birds nest. I don't free range anymore due to losses in the past but do have nice large covered pens which solved my birds of prey problem. I also have electric wires around my coops and pens. Nothing gets past the electric wires, nothing. If anything touches them they will hurt for a couple of days. I also put concrete under the gates. Everything was done because of losses from predators in the past. I have a very powerful fence charger. Anything including a bear, if it touches the electric wires won't try again. I have heard critters come in contact with them. 7,000 volts will deter most predators but my fence charger averages over 14,000 volts. One gals husband accidentally touched their wires which is the same as mine and he hurt for a couple of days. I got tired of loosing birds to predators. Fishers are another thing. Luckily I haven't had to deal with them. Apparently we do have weasels but they are rare. Good luck...