Great-horned Owl Fun in 2020

[centrarchid]

No owl before dark tonight. Chase may last night may have put a damper on it. Adult shepherds and daughter spend at least an hour with chickens every evening. Chicks are mangling yard in front of one pen. Ben is way to much into sniffing chicks, especially during stage when daughter get young birds to roost. About 1/3 of chicks American Dominiques, 1/3 Missouri Dominiques with the balance being games. They are in groups of roughly 20 making for a lot of double checks to make certain all in before closing up pens.

 

[centrarchid]

Owl working pens and caused a game hen with juvenile offspring to move from woods to tight spot under a pen cover. Last night hen and offspring were walking around in dark near back of house after being flushed from tree. Dogs expended a lot of effort barking at owl. Owl also worried penned birds. As it got dark this evening the owl came in disturbing mockingbird causing female English Shepherd to run in that direction. The roosters gave cackle for owl and she then ran in that direction. I have begun clumping pens to together (never rooster to rooster or hen to hen) and placed roost bars so owl could not get at roosting chickens from both sides. Chickens work well with that.