Encouraging the owls to nest here.... bad for chickens?

[JNorth]

Hopefully this is the right place for this question...

We have an Eastern Screech Owl that has been coming to our property for quite some time, the same time each night. I don't think it is living here however, since I can hear it's mate off in the distance and always in the same place. Always the same tone and sound to their call. We have a small patch of woods on our property and have noticed that even though we have walnut trees we have no squirrels or chipmunks... ever. I think the owl is the reason why. What we do have is voles... LOTS of them!

Our chickens are not free range because of neighboring animals (dogs) and there are a few roosters around that I don't want them running into and ya know......

. Their run is completely enclosed and they are shut in the coop every evening.

So what I was wondering is, would it affect the chickens in any way to encourage the owls to nest here (via nesting boxes specifically for this size owl)? I'd love the idea of getting rid of these voles naturally since we do not use chemicals at all, unless it's absolutely necessary. Plus I love listening to the owls at night.

 

[sourland]

Screech owls and barn owls are great to have around. Primarily predators of rodents they MIGHT take a small chick, but basically poultry are safe from them.

I had a serious vole problem in my flower beds until a feral cat adopted this place as her home. I provide feed for her, but she is an excellent mouser and has wiped out the vole population.

 

[JNorth]

We have an indoor cat and he has been taking care of the voles that make in into the basement. However, they are doing a great deal of damage. We are trying to find all the places that they are getting in but they still manage to make it into the basement. Before we realized that were down there they were able to make nests and pee all over our stuff. We've ended up throwing away anything that cannot be put into the washer or sanitized. They've become a real problem.

 

[sourland]

Prior to the arrival of the cat, I used one of those 'bar type' rodenticides. They ate it well, and it killed them. In the house and for the safety of your cat, you might try the 'sticky boards' placed along the cellar walls. It is amazing how rapidly they can multiply.