Bald Eagles are after our chickens

[ValerieJ]

I do love a good rooster. Good, being the key word. I lost a wonderful rooster to a rotten dog last year. I have a Russian Orloff cockerel now. I'm hoping he is a gentleman.

Yes, I know what you mean. I have had 3 roosters and I've yet to find a nice one. My first rooster almost killed one of my chickens, so now when I see a rooster get too rough with one it's curtains for him. Sad, I know, but I'm so fond of my girls.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Oh no. It is a very small orchard, about a dozen trees and berry bushes. It's a hand pick sort of place. LOL

Maybe put up lots of cover obstacles, like growing tunnels, tables and chairs, etc. I don’t think Eagles like to get on the ground to try to get prey.

 

[ValerieJ]

What about making a chicken tunnel?

Due to cost restriction, you may not be able to given them the entire orchard though.

I'm picturing hardware cloth or welded wire fencing. Chickens are under 2' tall, so you could buy a number of 8' to 14' 2x4s, cut them every 2', to run the fencing across the top of.
You could choose to box in the sides or not. Even just doing a long strip of this wire supported by timbers (or bricks, stumps, suppose anything works) would give them a large area where the nasty buggers can't swoop down to grab them. In theory, they should still feel free and carry on business as usual.

My orchard can fit the tractor down each row, can yours? Making this tunnel in the big open row plus maybe adding a few other objects to hide under might help. I don't know if eagles will swoop down and then attempt to retrieve a chicken from under an object...maybe someone else knows. If they won't, you could use pallets leaning together, pet igloos or carriers, a trailer, etc.

Lots of good ideas! Thanks! That's what I'm thinking too, that eagles wont land somewhere and then hop over and catch a chicken. The chickens are much more agile on the ground. I watch the eagles all the time, and actually love them. They swoop for the kill and they are a bit clumsy once on the ground. I feel privileged to live around them, but I love my chickens more. No tractors. Small orchard.

 

[ValerieJ]

Maybe put up lots of cover obstacles, like growing tunnels, tables and chairs, etc. I don’t think Eagles like to get on the ground to try to get prey.

I agree, obstacles seem to be the predominant theory here. I'm definitely going to figure that out.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Lots of good ideas! Thanks! That's what I'm thinking too, that eagles wont land somewhere and then hop over and catch a chicken. The chickens are much more agile on the ground. I watch the eagles all the time, and actually love them. They swoop for the kill and they are a bit clumsy once on the ground. I feel privileged to live around them, but I love my chickens more. No tractors. Small orchard.

Yes, eagles and hawks like to swoop and grab. I basically have made my yard so they cannot do that and if they want a chicken they will have to swoop by, then return and land on the fence and then hop down to the ground. I don’t think they would do that, they are not fast on the ground and I don’t think they like to leave themselves susceptible like that. They are good predators and don’t like to make themselves prey.

 

[ValerieJ]

I feel for you. I'm also in Washington state, and the eagles are especially prolific this year. I free range in my orchard as well and lost my little call hen last month to a giant bald eagle. Came right up next to the house to get her. I witnessed three additional attempts at my standard ducks down in the field, but was able to run the eagle off before any casualties. I know that they're beautiful and it's nature and all that, but I really wish we were allowed to treat them like other predators.

You may have a different experience, but I have never found reflective tape to be effective against aerial predators. The only thing that works around here is plenty of cover. I have a ton of river willow and weeping willow trees that the birds take to when they see a big shadow. We are also currently in the process of building a much larger coop so that we can keep them shut in for a week if necessary when the eagles are particularly bad. I say to give your tomato cage idea a try — I'd be delighted to hear if it works!

I'm not using the reflective tape in the normal sense. I have criss-crossed between trees and fencing to form a web. If an eagle tries to land he'll get tangled in the web. But, I need some areas where I can walk around as that is pretty low, so that's why I'm looking for a different sort of obstacle in those areas. I'm on the Cowlitz, so the eagles are usually not a problem for us. They eat salmon. But, the hatchery accidentally destroyed a bunch of fish a couple years ago and our stock has not built back up. I think the eagles are getting desperate to feed their young. It's sad all around. Thanks!

 

[ValerieJ]

Thank you so much everyone!!!! I have gotten so many good ideas here, and it does seem like a rooster is in my near future. Meantime, I am definitely putting up a bunch of obstacles, tunnels and whatever else I can to protect my girls. I might even talk to my hubby about building a large coop where I feel I can close them in when we are having eagle troubles, but that wouldn't be my first choice. I'll try everything else first. How in the world do we get so attached to these little fluffy bottom creatures? The things we will do for them...

 

[ValerieJ]

Yes, eagles and hawks like to swoop and grab. I basically have made my yard so they cannot do that and if they want a chicken they will have to swoop by, then return and land on the fence and then hop down to the ground. I don’t think they would do that, they are not fast on the ground and I don’t think they like to leave themselves susceptible like that. They are good predators and don’t like to make themselves prey.

Awesome! And how did you make your yard swoop proof? That's what I'm trying to do in the orchard and berry patch.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

I'm not using the reflective tape in the normal sense. I have criss-crossed between trees and fencing to form a web. If an eagle tries to land he'll get tangled in the web. But, I need some areas where I can walk around as that is pretty low, so that's why I'm looking for a different sort of obstacle in those areas. I'm on the Cowlitz, so the eagles are usually not a problem for us. They eat salmon. But, the hatchery accidentally destroyed a bunch of fish a couple years ago and our stock has not built back up. I think the eagles are getting desperate to feed their young. It's sad all around. Thanks!

Awesome! And how did you make your yard swoop proof? That's what I'm trying to do in the orchard and berry patch.

I have about 17 trees in my backyard and I am trimming them all like umbrellas. I also have a chain-link fence about 4 feet high all around their chicken yard and their coop and run are inside the chicken yard also growing tunnels in their yard. I also have various chicken wire fences up around in my yard for when they free range around the trees that I use as growing areas for myself and my chickens.

 

[ValerieJ]

I have a lot of hawks, so I just also try to provide a lot of bushy plants and I also place growing tunnels so they cannot swoop down and grab the chickens. I just put up tons of obstacles and hope that by the time something lands on the fence or something that they will go and hide. Mine are just miserable when they cannot be free.

Yes, thanks for saying that. I think my girls would be miserable all caged up too. They are fenced in but they have lots and lots of adventurous space. Really the trees have worked until now, but the eagles are just not finding enough food right now. I love the tunnel ideas I'm getting and will definitely talk to my hubby about that. Building is his department. LOL