Owl attack

[cdbfrombzt]

My flock of 5 (4 hens, 1 rooster) was attacked by an owl tonight in the middle of the night. My alpha hen is dead. I can only assume she was trying to protect the others. My rooster (large RIR that takes his job very seriously) and another hen are missing. Can't find them anywhere. The two hens I have left are obviously in shock. Is there any chance that my rooster (Grady) and hen (Estelle) that are missing are hiding in the woods somewhere? If that is a possibility, any idea how long it will take them to come back? I saw the owl fly out of the coop when I was approaching. He had obviously been feasting on my alpha hen Edith. Shirley and Elizabeth were still sitting up on their perch. I thought it was a hawk because it looked light in color, but apparently hawks don't hunt in the middle of the night. I still have so much to learn. Would the owl have taken a rooster and hen away from the coop, then come back to feast on a third inside the coop?

 

[Callender Girl]

How horrible! I would think it's unlikely the owl took two birds and came back.

Thank goodness Shirley and Elizabeth are okay, although traumatized, I'm sure. It will likely take them some time to feel secure again.

Without evidence that they didn't, I would hope that Grady and Estelle made it out alive. I would search for them and hope the sound of my voice and the promise of treats would bring them out from hiding if they are out there.

I don't know how your coop was entered, but it sounds like some serious predator-proofing is in order as soon as possible.

I hope this works out in the best way possible, and I am sorry for the loss of Edith.

 

[cdbfrombzt]

After hours of searching, I found Grady & Estelle hiding on the front porch of all places. The owl got into the coop the first time because unfortunately the gate door was left open. That won’t happen again. I do believe the coop is probably pretty predator proof otherwise. It’s a regular 10x10x10 chain link dog kennel reinforced with chicken wire with a chain link fence panel over the top as well with trampoline mesh on top of that.

 

[Callender Girl]

When I had a juvenile Great Horned Owl stalking my ducks, I called the county conservation office, which put me in contact with the closest Department of Natural Resources officer. He came out and removed the owl while I kept watch on its every move. Even a juvey Great Horned can be dangerous. Once it was captured, it just laid on its back in his truck, glaring and with its talons ready to rip us apart.

Keep us posted and keep those chickens SAFE!

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Atleast u found em safe!
I'm so sorry this happened! I cannot imagine!

 

[cmom]

So sorry for your loss. The owl will be back so beware. I had an owl issue. I did accidentally catch the owl. I got it into a cage and a wildlife rescue came and got it.

 

[cdbfrombzt]

The owl is literally back in broad daylight trying to get in my coop. I’m at my wits end with this thing.

 

[addctd2plnts]

Do you have any large dogs you could tie near the coop or leave in the area around the coop? That might do it, but don't leave small dogs out LOL

 

[cmom]

May I ask how you caught it?

It was purely an accident. I put some good heavy duty netting up over my pens but was short so I bought some other netting that turned out to be crappy. I thought it would still deter any aerial predators and it did for awhile. A GHO went through the crappy netting and killed some birds more than once. I replaced the crappy netting with another piece of the crappy netting because that was all I had at the time and the owl went through it again. I moved the birds to another coop and replaced the crappy netting with some good netting. The owl tried to go through the good netting and got caught. We managed to get it into a cage.

 

[Matejka]

Rough night!
Owls do most hunting at night.
Your missing birds are most likely hiding. See if you can find them.
I would say, they will show up in the morning-however, it IS Night. They are endanger from coons and other predators. I would try looking for them now. Watch for snakes.
How did owl get IN coop?
How did birds get OUT of coop?
Good luck.
I'm sorry your having to deal with this