I Hate Ravens

[Mcljess]

I have a old horse barn I use as my Chicken barn. It's not the most secure, but it is definitely not free range. I tried free range out of ignorance of our area three years ago, and all was fine until the ravens got wise and took my favorite hen. (It's always the favorite hen isn't it?) Honestly I didn't know they would kill a live animal - naive.
They tried a couple more times and that was it, even with my large and protective Ameraucana Rooster the big ravens would 'bowling ball' into the flock, scatter them, then pounce on a particularly disoriented one while Hale my Roo would run everyone else back to shelter.
I only lost one hen, and rescued and doctored another. Then I kept them in an old 'paddock' behind/attached to their barn with plenty of hiding areas but no top net.
We .... protected our farm, and fed a couple ravens to our pig that year. No more raven problems.
Honestly it was a bit like Hatfield and Mcoy there for a while, they'd take one or try, we'd answer back, the flock would descend and badger us for a couple days and leave. It's been two years since any attacks.
Today I was working in my home office all day, I took a break at 3pm and was eating a bowl of stew and noticed a raven in our tall cedar. I keep my eye on them, they keep their eyes on us. When he landed near my barn I headed out side. I was too late, he'd obviously been hard at work. Hale was picked clean. Nothing but bones left and the feathers blowing in the wind. I don't even know why the raven came back there was nothing left to eat.
All the girls are safe, he did a good job, I'm really angry.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I have a old horse barn I use as my Chicken barn. It's not the most secure, but it is definitely not free range. I tried free range out of ignorance of our area three years ago, and all was fine until the ravens got wise and took my favorite hen. (It's always the favorite hen isn't it?) Honestly I didn't know they would kill a live animal - naive.
They tried a couple more times and that was it, even with my large and protective Ameraucana Rooster the big ravens would 'bowling ball' into the flock, scatter them, then pounce on a particularly disoriented one while Hale my Roo would run everyone else back to shelter.
I only lost one hen, and rescued and doctored another. Then I kept them in an old 'paddock' behind/attached to their barn with plenty of hiding areas but no top net.
We .... protected our farm, and fed a couple ravens to our pig that year. No more raven problems.
Honestly it was a bit like Hatfield and Mcoy there for a while, they'd take one or try, we'd answer back, the flock would descend and badger us for a couple days and leave. It's been two years since any attacks.
Today I was working in my home office all day, I took a break at 3pm and was eating a bowl of stew and noticed a raven in our tall cedar. I keep my eye on them, they keep their eyes on us. When he landed near my barn I headed out side. I was too late, he'd obviously been hard at work. Hale was picked clean. Nothing but bones left and the feathers blowing in the wind. I don't even know why the raven came back there was nothing left to eat.
All the girls are safe, he did a good job, I'm really angry.

I had no idea that ravens would eat adult chickens! I’m so sorry for the loss of your beloved rooster!!! Hale sounds like he was a good roo, and with you for a long time.

 

[Mcljess]

thanks and yeah! I wouldn't have belived it if I hadn't seen and directly intervened a couple times. The one out there today was large, the size of a eagle. They are big, and they will kill.
It's graphic but, they pluck around and go up and into the vent and disembowel them. They're actually going for the eggs I think, then they just feast.

 

[Bamabexchicks]

I have a old horse barn I use as my Chicken barn. It's not the most secure, but it is definitely not free range. I tried free range out of ignorance of our area three years ago, and all was fine until the ravens got wise and took my favorite hen. (It's always the favorite hen isn't it?) Honestly I didn't know they would kill a live animal - naive.
They tried a couple more times and that was it, even with my large and protective Ameraucana Rooster the big ravens would 'bowling ball' into the flock, scatter them, then pounce on a particularly disoriented one while Hale my Roo would run everyone else back to shelter.
I only lost one hen, and rescued and doctored another. Then I kept them in an old 'paddock' behind/attached to their barn with plenty of hiding areas but no top net.
We .... protected our farm, and fed a couple ravens to our pig that year. No more raven problems.
Honestly it was a bit like Hatfield and Mcoy there for a while, they'd take one or try, we'd answer back, the flock would descend and badger us for a couple days and leave. It's been two years since any attacks.
Today I was working in my home office all day, I took a break at 3pm and was eating a bowl of stew and noticed a raven in our tall cedar. I keep my eye on them, they keep their eyes on us. When he landed near my barn I headed out side. I was too late, he'd obviously been hard at work. Hale was picked clean. Nothing but bones left and the feathers blowing in the wind. I don't even know why the raven came back there was nothing left to eat.
All the girls are safe, he did a good job, I'm really angry.

I'm so sorry! RIP Hale, you saved your ladies at your own expense.

 

[New2Chicks97]

Sorry about your loss. Would a bird netting help? Do you live where gun firing is allowed? If so then a shot gun and some light buckshot. Sound like they are a vicious group. I didn’t know they were brave enough not to mention big enough to take a chicken.

We have some serious nuisance woodpeckers that my husband plans on taking care of when he gets a smaller gauge shot gun. They don’t bug the chickens but the dumb birds think our chimney is a great place to “drill” at all hours of the day. As it is a metal flue pipe it sounds like a machine gun going off in our house.

 

[Bamabexchicks]

Sorry about your loss. Would a bird netting help? Do you live where gun firing is allowed? If so then a shot gun and some light buckshot. Sound like they are a vicious group. I didn’t know they were brave enough not to mention big enough to take a chicken.

We have some serious nuisance woodpeckers that my husband plans on taking care of when he gets a smaller gauge shot gun. They don’t bug the chickens but the dumb birds think our chimney is a great place to “drill” at all hours of the day. As it is a metal flue pipe it sounds like a machine gun going off in our house.

Woodpeckers are state and federally protected. You should probably think about just putting a fake owl up there.

 

[Vikinglike]

Woodpeckers are state and federally protected. You should probably think about just putting a fake owl up there.

The woodpeckers are eating bugs...

 

[New2Chicks97]

Woodpeckers are state and federally protected. You should probably think about just putting a fake owl up there.

I didn’t know this. Don’t think a fake owl will help. We have real owls that live in our trees and it hasn’t seemed to deter the little bugger. Guess I will try some sticky tape like one website suggested. I don’t care if they are in the trees but they need to quit pounding on my house!

 

[New2Chicks97]

The woodpeckers are eating bugs...

Not from a metal pipe they aren’t. I don’t have a problem with them sticking to drilling holes in the trees but I need them to leave my house alone.

 

[Bamabexchicks]

Not from a metal pipe they aren’t. I don’t have a problem with them sticking to drilling holes in the trees but I need them to leave my house alone.

It must be pretty nerve wracking! The ones at my previous house would do that on the flagpole of the school next door and you could hear it a street away.