OHio ~ Come on Buckeyes, let me know your out there!

[big medicine]

We'll need to protect our girls from cats, eagles, and visiting opossum as well as the occational skunk. It's the eagles I worry about the most.

You have that many bald eagles nesting on the Scioto that they are a problem ?

 

[KBfibers]

I've had one land in my yard and pick up a small animal of some sort, not sure if it was a field mouse or mole. So ya, I have one nesting near by somewhere. I've seen it several times in the last few months. Here's a picture of it in the field across from my house.

 

[ToniTalley]

We saw a bald eagle steal a fish from our pond but he flew off before I could get a photo

 

[big medicine]

This is a picture my neighbor took last week before they flushed and came over and landed on us. They gave me a heads up call, but the eagles flushed before I saw them sitting, circled a few times and went on their way, Did not seem to be too interested in the chickens, probably looking for fishable water.

 

[Coreenelane]

Is your fenced in ares small enough to use netting? My son in law bought netting on line last fall to keep the chickens in and hawks out. Works great.

 

[Downtoearth]

Hi, I'm new to BYC and still building my coop and run for 15 chicks. I want to let them out to free range in a safe place. I like the idea of a net over their "free range" area. Is plastic bird netting enough to protect them from hawks? Thanks

 

[OHfarmerswife]

@farmers wife, we have lost fowl to coyotes at night before we knew we had to lock them in. We have raptors but not that many, and we have a couple places for the girls to hide. Our rooster is good at warning the girls and herding them to safety. He has a special sound he makes whenever he spots the cat. The cat has always tried to catch herself a chicken dinner, but the chickens are twice her size and they just walk away.?i pity the cat if the rooster ever gets ahold of her!

ToniTalley not many coyotes around here lately. We have a 15 acre field that we farm so hawks are around all the time.

 

[Spartan22]

Hi, I'm new to BYC and still building my coop and run for 15 chicks. I want to let them out to free range in a safe place. I like the idea of a net over their "free range" area. Is plastic bird netting enough to protect them from hawks? Thanks

Welcome to BYC fellow Ohioan

. The bird netting should be sufficient for aerial predators but not for minks and raccoons. Never seen minks before but a coworkers' 6 chickens were all killed last week.

 

[OHfarmerswife]

Hi, I'm new to BYC and still building my coop and run for 15 chicks. I want to let them out to free range in a safe place. I like the idea of a net over their "free range" area. Is plastic bird netting enough to protect them from hawks? Thanks

Welcome to the group Downtoearth
We have bird netting supported by ropes in a small area for the bachelors pad. I would purchase heavier netting.

 

[Coreenelane]

Do we have any serious breeders around the Akron, Ohio area.