Barred Rock Rooster vs Raven?

[Rogdog]

We have a small flock of Doms, Wyandottes and Orpingtons. Now two months old. We've been letting them out into the pasture near the house recently as they are too many for their little enclosure ( until the cull ) We've lost two Dominique pullets to a raven. Yes, I'm sure it's a Raven and I'm sure it's the culpret and the next time I see him I'll be armed. But, I'm not always right there.

It's been suggested that a Rooster may be the answer to this security problem and I have a neighbor that will let a one year old Rock rooster go for free. How do you think a new, mature rooster would do with my flock of two month olds? There are 25 left and seven are cockrels.

 

[bryan99705]

I'm fighting the same battle. So far, this year, I've lost a half grown goose to a raven and broke up a fight between a raven and my roo with a goose helping him. Hope you can find a roo that can whoop feather as I hope I've done but we'll see. A game cock was suggested, which is hard to find up here, also a giant roo was recommended but I don't know if they're fast and agressive enough. A tom turkey was suggested but all mine are young ones. The only thing I've been able to do is build a small run for my young birds and put deer netting over it, which has been closely inspected by the ravens, and drag in a brushpile and park a trailer in the field for the birds to hide under. If you come up with a idea, please let me know. Good luck with your fight

 

[Rogdog]

I'm thinking the occasional North Idaho Raven is not as formidable as the Alaska type. They're certainly not as numerous and soon to be decremented by one.

I put my chicken enclosure on skids so I can move it around with the tractor. But it was never meant to be a "chicken tractor" the enclosure is too small for the number of birds I have. My plan was to confine them at night and let them roam in the day, re-locating them from time to time. Moving a larger, covered enclosure would be a pain. I hope I don't have to go that way.

BTW, why the Dominiques? They were 25% of my flock and so far; one grabbed by my neighbors dog, not killed just carried home and two killed by the Raven. The Wyandottes and the Orpingtons? No problem so far. The Dominiques don't seem any slower or dumber than the others. In fact the Wyandottes are quite trusting. You can pretty much just reach down and pick them up. They don't even run from my Boxer. I'd think that would make them easy targets.

 

[paperdragonfarm]

Would acquiring guineafowl work for any of you? I've been told the males are about the closest thing to velociraptors money can buy and science should mess with.

 

[Rogdog]

I think I'd rather feed my chickens to the Ravens than have Guenea fowl running around.

I brought some home from the feed store as a kid. Thought they'd be cool to add to my chickens, ducks, rabbits, sheep and horse managerie. They flew directly into the trees, never to be caught again, crapping and making that horrible noise they make. Mom had Grandpa come down with the shotgun a week later and deal with them.

The only possible worse thing to have is Peacocks.

No thanks.

 

[bryan99705]

Quote:
Rather than fighting your enclosure, how about either cattle fence panels or building simple wood framed fence panels you can tie together at the corners and take apart and move in pieces, then throw a net over. As for the birds, maybe it's color or roaming habits?

 

[bryan99705]

Quote:
I was looking into that too but the people who I talked to said they alert great but are not agressive toward raptor attacks, but they are death to snakes and bugs