Bald Eagle Predation

[BoomChickaRocka]

a couple cherry bombs will work.

 

[cybercat 2]

pips&peeps :

I have bald eagles here every winter and have never had an issue with them. Last year one morning I counted 30 of them in the fields below my house by the lake.

Wow! That must have been incredible. I'd love to see that. So now I wonder if all is not well with my eagle family, since I've seen them overhead every other day for a couple of weeks.​

 

[Minniechickmama]

I have the same thing here. I suspect they have gotten a meal or two out of my flock since I had lost some a couple of weeks ago, and it had to be during the day.
Just two days ago I was working out in the yard and heard one of the roos warning the flock and sure enough, it wasn't long after I saw a Bald Eagle up above. Funny though, the 5 or 6 crows that were hanging around the field went right after it and chased it off. I had read somewhere that crows are great for keeping flying predators away from your place. Unfortunately, that comes with a cost too.
I love seeing Bald Eagles, but I sure wish they would find their food elsewhere.

I think the only sure way to keep from losing them is to have a covered run. If you free range, then you are taking your chances.

 

[Kevin565]

Harassing Birds of Prey is illegal and can result in a fine. Also it is pointless. For every predator you kill there are about 3 more ready to take it's place. I would advise a proper run but i know many people do free range. Make people hang cds so the sun will reflect the shine. Running string across the area is also common. Some people used fake owls but I've never had much luck with those. Leaving a radio on outside is also a method used.

 

[cybercat 2]

Quote:
Killing the eagle is the last thing I'd ever do. My birds are free range, so until I get some additional covered runs built, the birds need hiding spots. Do you think that the CDs would work on eagles? The radio is an interesting idea as well. I might be able to run string across a couple small areas, but I can't do that on 1-1/2 acres- especially as there are llamas and mini horses in there too. Thanks for the suggestions!

Edited to add: maybe I will string some wire across the field with CDs attached to it way above the llamas heads. Can't hurt to try...

 

[cybercat 2]

Quote:
(Yeah, I can imagine!

Too bad they are illegal here.) I have an interesting thought, though. Since we are in an agricultural area, a farm sometimes shoots off those big cannon things to scare birds. With the eagles here now, I wonder if that practice will have to stop. Hmmmmm.

 

[cybercat 2]

Quote:
We have a lot of crows and hawks too, so the eagles don't seem to be scaring them yet. I guess we've been lucky for 11 years, not having had huge losses from the air before. Before this, my problems have been mainly coyotes and stray dogs. We've spent so much effort protecting against 4 legged predators that I slacked off on the aerial aspect.

 

[frostbite]

Quote:
Say what? Which Alaskans are you talking to?

I'm in Alaska, and I haven't shot bottle rockets at anything, nor have any of my friends that raise chickens.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Maybe you can make a scarecrow that has arms and legs and flaps in the breeze that would make the raptors think a person is there? I haven't heard of that being used, but it is worth a try. The eagles and hawks never come swooping down when I am out there. I would also make sure I used colors that were clearly visible to them.

 

[StupidBird]

When you're making those temp shelters against the fence, make sure they are just tall enough for the chickens to scoot under and too short for the eagles. I just had a vivid mental picture of the eagle strutting under the wood to snatch your birds.

For hawks and summer shade, I put an old sheet of framed plywood (hey, it came that way) on some rocks and cinderblocks. The chickens love it to hang out under and dust bathe.