Eagle Protection - Guard Geese and Electric Poultry Netting

[hannahbear]

Hey Guys, I'd love some input here. I am planning on free ranging our 8 ducks out in our pasture along with our two geese. However, we're in the PNW and we have a lot of eagles. I have 4' electrified poultry netting to protect against our ground predators (mostly coyotes - and they're are safely locked away at night) but I am wondering if I should do anything extra for the aerial predators. I'm hoping that the geese should give them advance warning to run to their house out there and that if I configure the run to be narrow and long that they will have a hard time swooping down on them. I know they could potentially just land in the run and grab one and go. Any thoughts on if the geese will be sufficient deterrent? Everyone's pretty young so they've been close to our barn and pretty well protected. The goslings are full grown now, and definitely watch the sky but I haven't heard them straight up honking yet when the eagles are around. The grass is rather long right now so it will provide some cover. Should I build extra protection or anything? I'm hoping to move the set up every other day for fresh grass, so the less stuff I have to move the better. Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Parront]

Eagles can carry away only ~ 2 or 3 pounds, but will hit a duck on the ground and eat some and then carry away a piece to the nest. Close by eagle nest would be a concern for small ducklings. Eagles really like fish best. Falcons hunt other birds, and we have both of those. I am planning to keep my chickens in a covered pen, surrounded by the electric fence like you have, especially while they are small.

 

[RiverOtter]

Helium filled Mylar balloons, the kind with a dark colored side and a silver side, do a good job detering birds of prey.
Anything will stop working if over used, but if you see one start scouting, put a balloon out for the couple of days it lasts, move it around a bit.

 

[hayley3]

Hey Guys, I'd love some input here. I am planning on free ranging our 8 ducks out in our pasture along with our two geese. However, we're in the PNW and we have a lot of eagles. I have 4' electrified poultry netting to protect against our ground predators (mostly coyotes - and they're are safely locked away at night) but I am wondering if I should do anything extra for the aerial predators. I'm hoping that the geese should give them advance warning to run to their house out there and that if I configure the run to be narrow and long that they will have a hard time swooping down on them. I know they could potentially just land in the run and grab one and go. Any thoughts on if the geese will be sufficient deterrent? Everyone's pretty young so they've been close to our barn and pretty well protected. The goslings are full grown now, and definitely watch the sky but I haven't heard them straight up honking yet when the eagles are around. The grass is rather long right now so it will provide some cover. Should I build extra protection or anything? I'm hoping to move the set up every other day for fresh grass, so the less stuff I have to move the better. Thanks for your thoughts!

I would make sure they have cover that is close by, so they do not have to run very far. How much land do you have? If you had enough space, I'd get a donkey or some other big animal to be in the pasture with them. An eagle can pick up a goat although probably rare. If an eagle can perch, then it can just drop down inside the run.
My chickens hang out under my pine tree...it's like a play house...20 ft wide x 20 ft at the bottom. They will at times all come out like they know it's safe but they spend a lot of time under there. So you should plan on something they can hide under all the time. I have 10 chickens, 2 ducks and one goose and there is enough room for all of the to walk under the tree and stay hidden. I am lucky I have a tree..if I didn't have one, I'd make something with tposts and lattice or something similar.

 

[cmom]

I don't free range anymore because of losses in the past but my birds have nice large covered pens.

 

[Molpet]

Somewhere on here, someone put a PVC pipe in the ground and inserted a smaller pipe with tees and pipes like arms in that. The smaller pipe would rock if a bird landed on it, the arms would help block the raptors flight path and it could be pulled out of the bigger to mow

 

[RiverOtter]

If you had enough space, I'd get a donkey or some other big animal to be in the pasture with them.

I have horses, a mule, goats and cows and they don't deter eagles in the slightest, except for my one young horse who likes chasing them if they fly low enough. He thinks he's Spirit. Eagles and the local Cooper's hawk have all landed in the pastures with the bigger creatures, and one young eagle took chickens with the herd right there. Unless the birds run under a bigger animal, they're no protection.