Finally caught the mystery 'beast'

[HennysMom]

if your dog killed a bird of prey and you knowingly watched while said dog attacked it and didnt try to help the bird get away or get your dog off the bird....and someone saw it - then yes..you'd be fined - but all that is hypothetical of course - and like Pineburrow said....

as for the groundhog - ya ever seen the teeth on those things?

I'd be PULLING my dog away from one of those bad boys... they're nearly blind but boy are they mean when confronted and are as big as a dog when they are full grown.

Hubby got chased by one at a B&B in July... was comical but...if it had caught him ..ouch! He was trying to show it a way out of fencing when it got caught and cornered (yes I'm a softie at heart and I try to free all animals regardless of what it is)

 

[Reinbeau]

My husband saw a great horned owl silhouetted in a tree right over the coop the other evening. They're on the move right now, probably the same owl had been sighted about a mile from me just that same afternoon.

They're truly beautiful birds - and protecting your chickens in a way protects them. You won't be tempted to kill them if your birds are safe. I would never kill one or even try to relocate it, I'd just make darned sure to tighten security up around here. They're only trying to feed themselves (a few posts back someone made it sound as though they were sport killers, come on, now, humans kill for sport, some animals seem to, but really, that's anthropomorphizing to a large extent).

 

[Dandelion007]

I do know my dogs will get moles and gophers. Never seen them do it but I find them. I haven't ever seen a groundhog here. Don't think we have them. I was just curious about dogs and whether I would be liable for their actions.

 

[goobhen]

I understand that the owl killed the chickens, that is what predators do. I have a mated pair of barred owls & mated pair of red hawks in my woods. I have the neighbors dogs, barn cats, feral cats, possums, etc too. I do not have my chickens yet, I have ordered them for April 09. I plan on having enclosed runs for them. I will let them out in my enclosed garden, for all the above anilmals....I will have to watch them & be with them while they are in the garden.. I still love the hawks & owls..

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[Cara]

Just to clear things up:

1. The netting was not put up to catch the owl. We didn't even know it was an owl (or other bird of prey) for sure, and the intention was to deter it from flying into the barn, not to trap it. At first we put up a game camera, but never got any pictures of the offender. The owl had actually walked around the bottom of the net several times and found his way back out again before this happened. Great Horned Owls are known to walk through pop doors in coops or runs.

2. Killing this bird (which is illegal) would not have helped. If this bird could get in, another bird could. By catching the owl (which we didn't mean to do) we found out what the problem was and how to overcome it, without having to kill anything or losing any more birds. They had long been moved by the time we caught the owl. If we had been trying to reinforce against a skunk or rat, when it was an owl doing the killing, we'd have lost far more birds.

3. The game warden would have let us kill the owl if we presented him with the carcass and evidence of what it had been doing. We had kept several of the dead chickens just to try and figure out what was doing it. Relocating was a better option than shooting, and if he comes back he comes back. We have a healthy rattlesnake population and he can help compete with them for food. He is still on our ranch, just not near 'civilisation'. The coop will be empty until it is reinforced.

Sure if anyone wants to print out/use the photos feel free to! I'm glad i could share such an awesome bird with you all, even if it did get some people's knickers in a twist

 

[Clay In Iowa]

What a beautiful bird!!!!!!!!!!! We hear one in a huge pine tree right outside our house often but have never managed to get a good look at it. Only a fleeting glance in the very early morning when it's too dark to really see. I'd love to get some photos of him but he keep to himself and in the shadows at night.

 

[the1much]

i have 1 just like that 1 in my freezer,,, was watching it 1 morning before light,, and another came and tried mating with her,, they hit the wires on the electric pole,, she fell, then got hit by a car,, was sad,,,,, i dont mind owls a bit,,, they hunt at night,, when all my birds are in their coops,, every morning an hour before daylight,, i can still see the male flying around,, if i could have 50 of em living in my trees i would love it.

kudo's for releasing it

EDIT: ta add,,, she's in my freezer because a dude teacher like person from the local collage is gonna come get her,,,,,, so he said

 

[SpottedCrow]

What a beautiful bird.
We had one outside a couple of summers ago hoohoohooing outside in the pine tree by the driveway. it was like one in the morning and I woke up DS so he could hear it. He loves owls.

 

[Mahonri]

Wow Cara. You were very nice. I wonder if I had that many birds killed if I would have been so nice.... but you've made me stop and think anyway.

 

[nnbreeder]

We had an American Short Eared owl get into our run late one night and him and mama Campbell were a trading blows in the corner when I got out there. He would try to escape by cllimbing and that duck would reach up and pull him back down and wing-whip him some more.

Got the net and rescued him from the pen and turned him loose right there. I see him and his mate on occasion but for some reason they no longer stop by.