Owl! Big Owl!

[hennypenny99]

GHO's are a pain to deal with. Penning your birds up at night is the most worry free option but other options possible. GHO's will walk to get to victims but I have yet to have one fly up and catch victim from below so can be defeated by modifying where fowl roost which is not practical if they are in a tree.

If you have stomach for it, sit out in chair very quitely about time owl flies in to see how it operates. I think you will find your fowl will raise a ruckus as soon as owl flies into tree. The owl will walk over to fowl and somehow motivate them to eventually bail out of tree and likely fly to ground. It is there that owl makes actual attack. If victim is large (>3 lbs), the owl will do eating right there, if small it may attempt to drag or fly off with carcass. If victim is very small (< 1.5 lbs) the owl may simply grab victim while in tree and fly off to dispatch it elsewhere if talons have not already done so. To stop owl, simply let it know you are looking at it from below. If it persist with driving a bird from tree, then stand by fallen bird and owl will not come after it while you are there.

We used to have juvenile game fowl roosting in catalpa trees during summer and owls would come in occasionally to take birds. To stop, we chained a coonhound to base of tree with doghouse. Dog would get up when chickens made a ruckus spoiling owl's efforts. I use this now with free-ranging dog that loves to watch owl when it stirs birds up. It will knock a chicken down and dog will walk over next to chicken and look up at owl, apparently hoping owl will come down. So long as dog is in place, I do not loose juvenile chickens (standard size) to GHO when dog is about. Dog needs to be large enough owl want go after is so chihahuas not good for this.

Something else I have learned is that if owl stirs up fowl, you are likely to have somebody else like a fox come in later, possibly for purpose of stealing owls booty or catching what owl knocked out of tree but otherwise did not take. Owl is effectively creating a predator call.

I think you are right. I think he is trying to intimidate them into getting out of the tree because he gets right in the tree with them. I called my county game warden yesterday. He said if the owl is in the act of trying to get my chickens I can kill it. I don't like the idea of killing an owl but if I have to choose the owl or my birds I choose my birds. It was back again last night. I don't think it will stop. Oh and it landed on the camper last night!!! I took the game camera down and moved it into the woods so I didnt get a picture of him. Dang it! I found the thread where people are posting pics from their game cameras and it got me interested in seeing what might be lurking in my woods. I will probably get a ton of pictures of horses but I am hoping to get some wild hog pictures too. I know they are out there because they are tearing up the pasture.

 

[centrarchid]

I think you are right. I think he is trying to intimidate them into getting out of the tree because he gets right in the tree with them. I called my county game warden yesterday. He said if the owl is in the act of trying to get my chickens I can kill it. I don't like the idea of killing an owl but if I have to choose the owl or my birds I choose my birds. It was back again last night. I don't think it will stop. Oh and it landed on the camper last night!!! I took the game camera down and moved it into the woods so I didnt get a picture of him. Dang it! I found the thread where people are posting pics from their game cameras and it got me interested in seeing what might be lurking in my woods. I will probably get a ton of pictures of horses but I am hoping to get some wild hog pictures too. I know they are out there because they are tearing up the pasture.

I do not think your game warden is correct about killing owl. Double check by calling in to US Fish and Wildlife Service.

 

[animals1981]

you cannot kill any owl ever

 

[sourland]

I do not think your game warden is correct about killing owl. Double check by calling in to US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Centrarchid gives good advice here. Regardless of what the game warden told you, it is federally illegal to kill any owl.

 

[hennypenny99]

I think in Oklahoma maybe you can shoot them only if they are after livestock???? To be on the safe side I will double check. I don't think he will stop coming back as long as I have an all night buffet out. I was looking through one of my Backyard Poultry magazines last night and I saw a big ad for Night Guard. They are not all that expensive. They were $19.95 each and free shipping if I order up to 4. If I put them in random places around the pine tree maybe it will help keep it way.

Oh and wouldnt you know it but yesterday I moved my game camera out in the woods to see what I might get a picture of and the owl landed on the camper again!!! Uuggg! I think he may be pretty smart.

 

[animals1981]

well you have an all night buffet for every coon and possum in the area also


If u let them roost in trees with no guard dog sitting under them it is only a matter of time.

 

[hennypenny99]

I know it. They have roosted in this tree for a year now without any problems but I knew I wouldnt always be so lucky. My MeMaw had guineas and peacocks when I was growing up and she did lose some now & then. I probably will lose a few. I want my guineas to free range. They would be so unhappy in a little coop. The chickens are sleeping in the coop starting this weekend. I am covering the coop with that plastic poultry fencing. The game camera is back up and on the light pole this time instead of on top of the camper so maybe tonight I can get a picture of him.

 

[Amy S]

Shocked. I would not have thought this, but it seems hennypenny, you could be right.... http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusok29_5_410.htm

 

[Betelgeuse]

GHOs can, and many do have white at the neck. There are ways to make this bird not ever want to come back but another will take its place. As others have suggested, confining your domestic birds is the best way to keep predators from them.

 

[chicken guy]

better idea go redneck when hawks where trying to get my chicks after throwing tennes ball at it , it flew away try that.