BIG Prey!!!

[robbochicken777]

Recently I've seen big birds around that are bigger than usual. But Today i noticed that the head of the bird had a incredibly sharp beak. It was sort of goldish and had huge claws. A few weeks before, my dad said he saw an eagle breaking the eggs of my chicken and then just fly off. He saw it again sometime and told me that the eagle was trying to kill one of my chicks. The birds circle around my house in high air and might be coming because of the huge rat infestation.

 

[Ang]

Would this be your bird? If so you need to make sure you run is covered. Its a Golden Eagle. They eat rabbits, ground squirrels, prairie dogs and even domestic livestock. Be wary of these gorgeous creatures when it comes to your chickens.

 

[dacjohns]

Are you asking for help or just making a comment?

If you're asking for help in identifying the predator (prey would be your chickens) can tell us what part of the country you live in. Also the shape of the beak would help. Your description sounds like a hawk of some sort.

The two eagles native to the US are the Golden Eagle and the Bald Eagle. Neither one are goldish although the Golden Eagle has a golden nape (back of neck and head).

 

[robbochicken777]

I have also seen a huge black bird. Its a lot bigger than crows and raven and I've seen it in person before. at least twice. The first time I was hoping for it to land. The second time was weeks after and it landed on this pole like thing. It was like 3/4 of it. It landed on a huge arrow thingy that points to a certain direction.

 

[robbochicken777]

Yeah i live somewhere in California and it looks like the golden eagle but has dirty claws and some of the hair is sort of fuzzy.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

The big black bird sounds like a vulture or condor. They have been known to eat chicks.

The golden bird, sounds like it could be an eagle, but I'm not sure.

-Kim

 

[LynneP]

A golden eagle, if this is what you have, is capable of lifting and carrying away a newborn calf...

 

[Cetawin]

robbochicken it sounds like you are dealing with a young golden eagle or a hawk. It is after your chickens if it is hovering in that area and returning.

The only thing you can do is make sure the chickens are secure from an aerial attack. I do not advise killing it as both (and all owls, falcons, osprey and birds of prey) are protected by the federal government ... harming, killing or even harrassing one is a 5,000.00 fine and/or jail time to start.

The nice thing about them as a predator...you need only worry about aerial attacks, they do not dig and are not known to hunt from ground level.

Good luck with it.

 

[robbochicken777]

ok they barely come down. only when i let my chicken out will they level down.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I suggest you now let your chicken out. There is not much you can do to run this predator off, legally anyway. You can only keep your chicken safe by locking it up, or only letting it out when you escort it closely.

-Kim