Do turkey vultures kill chickens?

[gritsar]

We have both the turkey vultures and the ones we call black buzzards. Neither bother live creatures here on the farm.

 

[AGoodKing]

Black Vultures eat carrion mostly. It may scavenge at garbage dumps, but also takes eggs and decomposing plant material and can KILL or INJURE new-born or incapacitated mammals. also occasionally feeds on livestock or deer. It is the only species of New World vulture which preys on cattle. It occasionally harasses cows which are giving birth, but primarily preys on new-born calves. In its first few weeks, a calf will allow vultures to approach it. The vultures swarm the calf in a group, then peck at the calf's eyes, or at the nose or the tongue. The calf then goes into shock and is killed by the vultures. Toshabell, as for the talon marks on the hen you found, it 'probably wasn't a vulture , their feet are flat, fairly weak, and are poorly adapted to grasping; the talons are also not designed for grasping, as they are pretty much blunt. Other birds of prey can look similar from a distance. We have several puulets from this year that escape their protective enclosure and wander around near our ruined barn, where a Black Vulture has been brooding the last four years. She has two young right now, and has not 'yet' killed any of our birds. The roosters put up an alarm call that lasts about four minutes whenever she rousts herself in the morning, so they definitely are threatened by her. Turkey Vultures (Buzzards) are characteristicly similar to Black Vultures. Basically, keep an eye on your birds when they are out in the yard.
=Fitz

 

[centrarchid]

Turkey vultures will occasionally take live prey. When we cut hay and make windrows, cottontail rabbit nest are exposed. The turkey vultures and sometimes bald eagles then start walking about and pulling baby bunnies out of nest to eat them.

For the OP's observation of vultures hanging about and possibly in barn. Take a look around in areas under mangers or cave like areas in loft or among hay. You may find a puker (a.k.a baby vulture). If you do, then do not get to close as they projectile hurl some nasty puke. They are kinda cute though. We had an unused two story cattle barn that each year was stocked with a trio adult games and young they produced. Vultures raised their own young there each year without incedent in respect to chicken losses.

 

[MiddleChild]

Re vultures: "they're rather slow and stupid." Hey - they're smart enough to choose groceries that don't fight back!

 

[Gooter]

Quote:
Vultures do not have 'talons' like hawks and owls. Their feet are too weak to hold prey and carry it off, which is why they will remain in the ground to eat rather than pull even a squirrel off the road where it would be safer. Their nails do not grow long like other birds of prey. BLACK vultures will kill newborn lambs and goats in a field, but it's only because they can get to them before they can get up and run off. The only tools they have to kill are their beaks. They kill them by simply eating them to death. They die of shock, and the vultures consume them the rest of the way. Turkey vultures rarely (if ever) do this, however they often hang over newborn animals to eat the afterbirth.

If your chickens were DROPPED and had talon marks, then it was a large hawk that took them. Or possibly even an eagle...maybe more likely.

A good rooster will protect the flock from hawks.

 

[epeloquin]

Turkey Vultures are exclusive carrion eaters. They travel single spy, maybe two or three. They are most readily identified by their red heads.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/lifehistory

Black Vultures on the other hand, ARE known to take small live prey, they travel in numbers. If anyone is seeing vultures take live prey my money is on the culprit being Black Vultures. They do share home range.

Unless you're close enough to see their heads they can easily be mistaken for each other.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Vulture/lifehistory

 

[centrarchid]

I have lived most of my life where both species occur. They are very easy to distinguish without seeing head. Coloration, wing shape in flight, wing beat pattern during flight and posture while on ground all very reliable characters for telling them apart. No book learning required.

 

[epeloquin]

Quote:
Yeah...but most people don't know that so the easiest and most distinguishing characteristic is that the Turkeys have red heads, the Blacks don't. Their coloration isn't THAT different, and yes, their wingbeat pattern is different with the Blacks flapping more than the Turkeys. Again, many people may not know these characteristics.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Yeah...but most people don't know that so the easiest and most distinguishing characteristic is that the Turkeys have red heads, the Blacks don't. Their coloration isn't THAT different, and yes, their wingbeat pattern is different with the Blacks flapping more than the Turkeys. Again, many people may not know these characteristics.

I am one reporting predation by turkey vultures on rabbits.

Seeing two species side by side, like at commmunal roost, makes subsequent determination of species ID easy.

Based on memory without referring to a text:

Coloration of black vulture dark slate grey with much lighter grey patches under wings. Turkey vulture has browns mixed into brownish grey base coloration.

Blacks fly almost bat like.

Adult turkey vulures only have red head. Juveniles of same have brownish grey skin.

 

[epeloquin]

Quote:
Yeah...but most people don't know that so the easiest and most distinguishing characteristic is that the Turkeys have red heads, the Blacks don't. Their coloration isn't THAT different, and yes, their wingbeat pattern is different with the Blacks flapping more than the Turkeys. Again, many people may not know these characteristics.

I am one reporting predation by turkey vultures on rabbits.

Seeing two species side by side, like at commmunal roost, makes subsequent determination of species ID easy.

Based on memory without referring to a text:

Coloration of black vulture dark slate grey with much lighter grey patches under wings. Turkey vulture has browns mixed into brownish grey base coloration.

Blacks fly almost bat like.

Adult turkey vulures only have red head. Juveniles of same have brownish grey skin.

Yeah...provided that the ID is correct! I guess you just MUST be correct. Look, all I am posting is what the studies show...Turkey Vultures do not predate and are often mistaken for Black Vultures. Most likely if people have lost animals to vultures they were Blacks. I live around Turkey vultures and have NEVER seen one predate on anything but I HAVE seen many, many people mistake them for other birds of prey. Misidentification is very easy with these birds.