Lost one to a Horned owl last night

[Pollo Blanco]

Happened around two o'clock and it seemed like the owl didn't fully leave the scene until daybreak.

 

[SarahGfa]

I am sorry for your loss. How old was the turkey?

 

[R2elk]

Great Horned owls are capable of taking adult turkeys. They leave my adults alone but will take poults.

 

[Molpet]

I lose the most adults to GH owls. This year coyotes got 3 adults. Lots of predators get poults.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

I am sorry for your loss. How old was the turkey?

It was hatched by me on June 14th and raised by a friend's daughter. Wife is really disappointed because it was imprinted hard on people. It was a bronze gen.
Got all the video footage, so there's zero mystery of what happened.
We only had the bird for a week.
Bye bye, Priscilla.

 

[SarahGfa]

I lose the most adults to GH owls. This year coyotes got 3 adults. Lots of predators get poults.

What do you do when you lose turkeys to predators? with chickens I would coop everyone for a week until the predator moves on, but it is not possible for turkeys. I don't know what to do other than stay up all night worrying.

 

[McChooky]

We don't raise any turkeys as they need a lot of room. Sorry for your loss!

 

[Evadig]

I keep mine locked up at night in a run.

 

[Molpet]

What do you do when you lose turkeys to predators? with chickens I would coop everyone for a week until the predator moves on, but it is not possible for turkeys. I don't know what to do other than stay up all night worrying.

A good dog helps. Didn;t have as much of a problem until the dog died.

have way too many. that way i am not attached, have enough for breeding stock next year, and feed myself.

last fall I had 17 hens, 4 jennies, 3 toms and 6 jakes when the owls started taking their share. I was going to harvest more jakes but they got my oldest tom so I decided to wait. This spring it was coyotes and nest raiders. I sold 5 hens and predators got 7. Sold one jake and predators got 2. 42 poults hatched out this year, I have 26 left.
Free ranging is not for the faint of heart

 

[Pollo Blanco]

I don't know what to do other than stay up all night worrying.

I am working on a deterrent system and will keep you posted.

The takedown was at 02:07, and the owl returned at 02:17 on the same flight path, but didn't strike the other turkey that was about twice the size of the first.
Picked up some live traps to get preemptive on some of the terrestrial predators.