Need a big mean rooster breed to fight ravens

[WalkingWolf]

Have you considered a plastic owl? Crows here will steal chicks, they never try to take on the roosters, they just outsmart them. While a hawk flies and hovers before an attack the crows just sit in the trees and wait for an opportunity. Hawks will not dive into cover they cannot fly out of, crows will dive in cover and chase chicks into the open. I know this sounds cruel but I try to hatch twice as many chicks as I intend to keep to account for the loss. I would rather have the crows than the hawks that will kill a adult bird. The only other choice to free range chicks is to build a light tractor that you can move several times a day to simulate free ranging. Or maybe in the open area make some supports to suspend dear netting over the ground.

 

[pips&peeps]

I tried an owl a couple years ago to repel the little birds and it didn't work. I need to do some research on them and see what I can find for repellents.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

pips&peeps :

Just had an attack on my juvenile birds I put out last night. There was a ruckus going on this morning at 5 and I went out to find a raven pecking at one of the chicks. Fortunately it flew off when it saw me and one of the older cockerels went after it.

It's mate was circling around when I got out there too. They hung around the area for about an hour, I could hear them calling to each other. So, I honed up on my shooting skills and fired off a couple rounds at some magpies. I'll be ready for them tomorrow morning, because I know they will be back.

Maybe I can leave some nice eggs out for them with a little something special inside.....http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-think004.gif

I cannot tell you how many times I have thought and planned this................BUT...........Ravens are very good at burying stolen whole eggs. Sometimes the Ravens re-gather the eggs and sometimes it is dogs or other critters......so I have not done this.


Right now what is working for us........besides the dogs............is shooting. I do not even have to fire at them - just into the ground with the 22 is enough to change their flight path slightly.​

 

[bryan99705]

pips&peeps :

I tried an owl a couple years ago to repel the little birds and it didn't work. I need to do some research on them and see what I can find for repellents.

I've got the feeling that the raven would steal a fake owl and hang it by their nest to guard their chicks while they're out hunting.​

 

[anwar]

Get an aseel rooster breed!it is one among the best and first breeds used as gamecocks

 

[Howlet]

Last week a team of 4 ravens were throwing 6 robin chicks out of nests and like 12 robins couldnt even stop them :'( 1 of them landed on there necks and died. i decided to pick up a rock and chuck it at 1 ( raven not chick lol ) and they flew off. sadly the robins thought the chicks were dead so i had to take them to a vet

 

[Howlet]

The issue with dogs is- Most cant really be trusted around chickens. i mean alot of the threads in the collumn for "predators" Are dogs. dogs could potentially be WAYYY more devastating then a raven. one collumn shows this. it was like some guys neighbors husky wiped out his ENTIRE flock but 1 hen of pre-sold meat birds. and this was in a 3 hr stance.

 

[kittykitty30]

I agree; dogs are very destructive. My husky wiped out our ENTIRE first flock a couple of years ago. She made peace with one of our Ameraucana hens after failing to kill her. Those two became friends but that was an exception- she continued to kill until just 'Speedy' was left, who died from natural causes. I think your best bet is to buy more than one rooster- if the birds free range then they will form their own flocks. Two roosters will work together to protect their flocks. This is the case with my three boys.

 

[Necklace]

I have a red rock rooster and he hates crows with a passion.. he charges and chasses them away it is the only bird he does not like.. he is about a year old and he is as big as a turkey.. only problem is that is supper protective of the hens.. I have had fights with him at times when I pick up two of the hens that are actually scared of him and stay in the coop just to avoid him.. he had them cornered outside the coop one night and I went to pick the hens up .. the practically jumped into my arms.. but that pain in the rear rooster started attacking my ankles and feet.. I ended up having to drop the hens a little bit away from him and he and I went at it for at least 5 min.. . if you were not so far away from where I live I would let you have him.. I am about to cook him up.. :/

 

[chick lovers]

I have two turkeys a tom and a hen and they absolutely despise crows and hawks, I had a hawk eying my chickens one time and Tom was up on the chicken coop strutting at it and just daring it to attack. So I don't know if that's possible for where you live and raise your chicks or not.