Great Horned Owl

[Kessel23]

A Great horned owl will take chickens, the best way to prevent attacks is to keep the secure at night. Lock the chickens up in the coop at night. If you have a run attached to your coop also make sure to block off the entrance to the run so if the owl breaks into the run it can't get into the coop. This also works for the majority of predators, most animals attack at night and if your birds are locked up inside the coop at night then you stop the majority of predator related deaths. During the day a owl will rarely attack, they usually spend the day hiding from crows or guarding their nest, if they have chicks/eggs. To prevent raptor attacks, owls & hawks, you can set out fake crows in the trees and around your coop and run. Also, you can weave string through the trees above the areas your birds free range, this will slow down an attack because it will surprise a hawk as he smashes into the string, this usually makes the hawk stop the attack and if it doesn't the chicken will usually be out of there by the time the hawk realized what happened. Hawks can see the string and some will avoid it but those who do not will avoid it in the future. And one last thing you can do is stand out by the chickens while they free range, a hawk will not attack if you are standing there, but the hawk will watch and wait for you to leave, if you go inside the coop for a second or run inside to get something quick the hawk will take its chance and attack your chickens.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

My neighbors apparently didn't put a cover on their run and their coop wasn't secured... This was before I moved in... They told me not to bother getting chickens because owls ate all of their chickens. It sounds to me like they didn't have the proper protection for their flock, and that was their major problem...

 

[Meg-in-MT]

They will definitely kill chickens. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but owls generally hunt at night, right? I imagine they will eat during the day if they are hungry...We have had issues with owls in the past killing our ducks, but only at night and only in the winter. I hope you don't have that happen!

 

[Kessel23]

They will definitely kill chickens. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but owls generally hunt at night, right? I imagine they will eat during the day if they are hungry...We have had issues with owls in the past killing our ducks, but only at night and only in the winter. I hope you don't have that happen!

Correct, owls mainly hunt at night or during snow storms in the winter, whenever they have cover to help them avoid crows.

 

[Molpet]

I found a mink head under a tree next to the poultry yard. It wasn't there at dusk and the dog found it at dawn... the hawks have moved on since I have heard a big owl hooting the the woods next door... so they are not bad news for me ..YET

 

[R2elk]

They will definitely kill chickens. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but owls generally hunt at night, right? I imagine they will eat during the day if they are hungry...We have had issues with owls in the past killing our ducks, but only at night and only in the winter. I hope you don't have that happen!

All of the poultry I have lost to owls were at night. I have had the owls roost in my trees during the daytime but have not had any poultry losses during the day. I now keep my poultry other than adult turkeys confined to a coop at night and have not had any losses to owls since.

 

[Kessel23]

I found a mink head under a tree next to the poultry yard. It wasn't there at dusk and the dog found it at dawn... the hawks have moved on since I have heard a big owl hooting the the woods next door... so they are not bad news for me ..YET

Yea, I would not mind having a Great Horned owl around, the are much easier for me to protect my chickens from than a hawk or mink, and they are at the top of the food chain and will eliminate many smaller predators.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

As I roam around the forums, I am listening to a great horned owl hooting up a storm outside. And a second one just chimed in. Maybe it’s a mating thing?...

At this time of year GHOs will have the first of several owlets in the nest and maybe 3 to 7 more eggs incubating. The young are parented by both sexes so it is important that the parent birds keep tabs on each other. There is a way to protect your chickens but it is not meant to be used by the squeamish or anyone with a lifetime membership to the National Audubon Society.

 

[micstrachan]

A Great horned owl will take chickens, the best way to prevent attacks is to keep the secure at night. Lock the chickens up in the coop at night. If you have a run attached to your coop also make sure to block off the entrance to the run so if the owl breaks into the run it can't get into the coop. This also works for the majority of predators, most animals attack at night and if your birds are locked up inside the coop at night then you stop the majority of predator related deaths. During the day a owl will rarely attack, they usually spend the day hiding from crows or guarding their nest, if they have chicks/eggs. To prevent raptor attacks, owls & hawks, you can set out fake crows in the trees and around your coop and run. Also, you can weave string through the trees above the areas your birds free range, this will slow down an attack because it will surprise a hawk as he smashes into the string, this usually makes the hawk stop the attack and if it doesn't the chicken will usually be out of there by the time the hawk realized what happened. Hawks can see the string and some will avoid it but those who do not will avoid it in the future. And one last thing you can do is stand out by the chickens while they free range, a hawk will not attack if you are standing there, but the hawk will watch and wait for you to leave, if you go inside the coop for a second or run inside to get something quick the hawk will take its chance and attack your chickens.

This is interesting. Can you quote your source? Not trying to challenge you, would just like to read more.
We have crows and sometimes ravens in our trees almost daily. But my understanding is the threat is the other way around - that crows are afraid of owls. Around here, people even use fake owls as “scare crows.”

Also, I am aware owls mostly hunt at night. My concern is that on weekdays, my flock gets their free range time (supervised) after I get home from work, when it’s still getting closer to dark this time of year. They are in a covered run (though it’s only chicken wire aka poultry netting) during the day and a secure coop (with a latched door and hardware cloth covered windows) at night.

 

[Hopperkiller]

Since you are putting them behind hardware cloth at night you will be fine for owls. I found an owl pellet in my coop roof and see them periodically hanging around the house. I walk 2 small dogs several times each night(or they walk me) and they fly off. Usually i hear them and go outside and check all utity pooes around my place. Walk straight at them is usually enough. A friend had one hit his minpin dog but dropped it. However the talons punctured vitals. So watch your other small animals also. Yhe hooting i hear accounts for most of the sightings. Been here since 2001.