Chickens Can Exhibit Flatulence

[roosterhavoc]

Yes exactly.
There’s so many predators too many. But I never loose a wink of sleep over owls.

I’ve never lost a bird to an owl. I most definitely wouldn’t feed my chickens to them either. Even if I was trying to catch them which is illegal I wouldn’t use my chickens as bait live or dead.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I wanted to warn you for your own good that it’s highly illegal to harass owls in any way shape or form. That would include live trapping without the proper permits from your respective dept of Fish and Wildlife.

I’ll leave it to the OP to speak for his/herself, but I’ve been following their owl thread on Predators and Pests and they have some kind of an owl photographing/chicken behavior thing going on. I’ve been reading with interest but I must admit that I’ve missed the goal of the owl endeavor...

 

[Hardknockshomestead]

I’ve never lost a bird to an owl. I most definitely wouldn’t feed my chickens to them either. Even if I was trying to catch them which is illegal I wouldn’t use my chickens as bait live or dead.

Yep, I agree with you! My chickens rely on me to keep them safe and secure from predators. It's not fun at all if my chickens are in harm's way for any reason!

 

[centrarchid]

I am finding this disappointing.

 

[centrarchid]

I’ll leave it to the OP to speak for his/herself, but I’ve been following their owl thread on Predators and Pests and they have some kind of an owl photographing/chicken behavior thing going on. I’ve been reading with interest but I must admit that I’ve missed the goal of the owl endeavor...

Purpose is to provide insight into what goes on so not a guessing game when investing disturbance. Many on this site do employ poultry keeping systems that are "leaky" when it comes to predator management. Those that stay in poultry often proceed through a series of upgrades that are promoted by experience of losses. I am trying facilitate understanding how one predator causes issues and how to interpret signs.

 

[centrarchid]

See...the thing I just will not ever understand is...owls are one predator you CAN protect your birds from 100%. I just don’t get it.

Same can be said for foxes, raccoons, opossums, snakes, hawks, dogs, and pretty much everything except mice. Think real hard about when that is realized and consider where that is along the spectrum of poultry keeping.

 

[centrarchid]

I’ve never lost a bird to an owl. I most definitely wouldn’t feed my chickens to them either. Even if I was trying to catch them which is illegal I wouldn’t use my chickens as bait live or dead.

I do not believe that from a guy that has birds roosting in trees. I bet you do have losses and you kill the offending owls and say nothing.

 

[centrarchid]

The flatulence might be problematic with predators locating you by scent. It may be best to pass gas in a manner that makes locating passer more difficult. Otherwise, the behavior is just interesting.

 

[aart]

The flatulence might be problematic with predators locating you by scent. It may be best to pass gas in a manner that makes locating passer more difficult. Otherwise, the behavior is just interesting.

Do you think the gas is more attractive/farther reaching than feces?

 

[centrarchid]

Do you think the gas is more attractive/farther reaching than feces?

I think you can gather the chicken is currently close and in what direction. Feces may be an indication of close, depending on time of day, and it can mean look up. Flatulence can allow tracking horizontally.