Owl(s) live in my backyard. Can anyone ID?

[noahs_flock]

Howdy,

I have at least 2 or 3 Owls that live on my property. Here is a photo of a baby that was hurt (is at an Animal Hospital). This was a year ago. Yesterday I was putting my chicks up and heard the Mama in the same big tree. I thought she was gone, but she clearly has not left.

The owl is beautiful. Just do not want it to bother my free-range chickens. Does anyone recognize what kind of owl this might be? I am in Texas.

 

[sourland]

To me that looks like a young Great Horned Owl, and they will definitely kill/eat chickens.

 

[sourland]

I have lost birds to GHO during the day, but it has been on extremely overcast/foggy days only.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Yep, that little puff ball looks like a young Great-horned Owl to me.

 

[Matejka]

Beautiful birds

 

[cmom]

It could be a young GHO. This one killed some of my birds. It tried one too many times. A wildlife rescue came and got it.

 

[cmom]

There is no way to protect free rang birds from aerial predators except to have plenty of places the birds can hide and sometimes they are still killed. Most of the time Owls hunt from dusk to dawn. Good luck...