Bald Eagles

[3xhhheather]

The past couple of weeks my husband & I kept hearing what sounded like an eagle, we looked up the closest nesting areas are about 10 miles away. Well, today I saw it! Just skating on the wind, it felt so wild to see it, but then of course this is a new issue to deal with. I have three guard geese that have kept all of my ducks and chickens safe from vultures and hawks....but an eagle? I don't really want to chance it. It would cost a pretty penny to enclose their pen with netting (and would netting be enough?) or would adding to the number of geese help be enough of a deterrent?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Do you have a wooded part of your yard?

 

[3xhhheather]

Do you have a wooded part of your yard?

Their pen is covered by several larger trees, during the summer it's almost impossible to see the birds from above, but right now there's no leaf cover :/

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Their pen is covered by several larger trees, during the summer it's almost impossible to see the birds from above, but right now there's no leaf cover :/

I'd assume that would be fine... If there's not enough area for them to safely come down and swoop back up, I don't think an Eagle would come down. But I could be wrong... @RoosterWhisperer?

 

[Goosebaby]

I’ve heard hanging cds and anything reflective or that moves can help to deter them.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Eagles prey on geese, so I'd err on the side of caution and keep them as secure as possible, like in a covered run.

I've tried deterring hawks with shiny, reflective pieces of material and hanging DVDs, and they pretty much just laughed at me. And preyed on my chickens.

 

[3xhhheather]

Eagles prey on geese, so I'd err on the side of caution and keep them as secure as possible, like in a covered run.

I've tried deterring hawks with shiny, reflective pieces of material and hanging DVDs, and they pretty much just laughed at me. And preyed on my chickens.

Do you think netting would be enough? Their space is just too big and awkward to do anything more permanent like wire fencing overhead.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Honestly, I'm not sure. Eagles are big and heavy - as you know - and they might try going through aviary netting. If I were in an area with eagle pressure, I'd go with heavy duty aviary netting, at least.

 

[jajeanpierre]

If you make it difficult for them to get down and up, they generally won't risk it. All bets are off with starving juveniles.

Things like fishing line strung between the trees can often deter birds of prey. Give your birds lots of cover to get under. I don't know what kind of eagles you are dealing with but bald eagles are a fish eagle. They are carrion eaters as well. They are also not very maneuverable in the air like a Coopers hawk.

 

[3xhhheather]

If you make it difficult for them to get down and up, they generally won't risk it. All bets are off with starving juveniles.

Things like fishing line strung between the trees can often deter birds of prey. Give your birds lots of cover to get under. I don't know what kind of eagles you are dealing with but bald eagles are a fish eagle. They are carrion eaters as well. They are also not very maneuverable in the air like a Coopers hawk.

It was a bald eagle, it was close enough I could see the white head and dang was that bird massive!

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Thanks y’all! Heavy duty aviary netting is a bit out of my budget at the moment, but I am getting some 2inch heavy knotted netting. Patching up any of the weird open areas we have and adding another large open shelter are priorities for me now.