Owls; A Gift in the Night

[JKeiser]

Hello all,

I am wanting to let you all know that it is so important as we raise our hens, we respect the natural birds of prey living in the trees above our coops, no matter how intimidating they may look. I myself have a lovely pair of Barn Owls that live in my yard habitually, and are a true blessing from Mother Nature herself. Most owls will not take a full grown chicken, minus the 3 bigger species ( Great Horned, Barred, and Great Grey) if at all. Barn Owls, which are a type of owl that has beautiful russet feathers and a white face, weigh only a pound, and would prefer a rat to any type of feathered creature. People misconceive owls to be a threat, when in reality, they are not. It only becomes an issue if we, as the owners of our chickens, do not lock them up at the appropriate hour of the day. And to help people get better acquainted with these birds, please feel free to post any photos you would like!


-JK

 

[KrisH]

Keep your talons out of my coop!

This guy could and would but hasn't had the opportunity

was in a neighbors tree one morning and the dogs were barking at it

RobertH

 

[Oregon Blues]

Times 2. I love the occasional glimpse of owl and I enjoy their night music.

I've got Great Horned Owls, so my birds are penned at night. There has been no problems from the owls, but I don't want to risk it. The Great Horned Owls do their best to keep the local cottontail population under some small semblance of control, which certainly pays their way as far as I am concerned.

I used to have 2 little fist sized owls that would fly just above my dogs' tails in the evening, eating the bugs that flew up as the dogs ran through the grass. Quite a treat, that was.

 

[lclough1998]

This beauty was in our backyard, flew up out of the chicken yard, scared me half to death! Just after rats tho, but was really not disturbed by dh trying to get pictures. That a 4 X 4 post its on. Hope he comes back for more rodents and the free show!

 

[Maggie C]

We have a small burrowing owl that I see quite regularly on our deck. It is definitely not a threat to my girls as it is only about 8" overall and I believe full grown. It just shows up on our covered deck occasionally when I have the lights on in the laundry room or we have a fire outside. We are very much in awe of it - never think to grab my camera though. We live near a nature preserve and there are lots of large birds of prey - big owls, too. It's fun to walk through and hear the owls; it brings back wonderful childhood memories of being outdoors with my father.

 

[JKeiser]

Thank you all for sharing!! I might just need to sneak out tonight and catch a pic for this thread !! Maggie, you are very fortunate. Burrowing owls are an endangered species ( almost nil where I live.) Loving all the responses )

JK

 

[Capvin]

I love owls and think that they are nothing short of magnificant!! Most breeds of owls are perfect predators and some are well able to kill a full grown chicken. Having said that there is no way that I would want to trade any owls life for one of my chickens. We have quite a few large owls in the trees surrounding our house and I just take the necessary precautions to make sure that the chickens do not fall prey. Killing or harming any owl regardless of the reason would be unforgiveable.

 

[K-12 Chickens]

This beauty was in our backyard, flew up out of the chicken yard, scared me half to death! Just after rats tho, but was really not disturbed by dh trying to get pictures. That a 4 X 4 post its on. Hope he comes back for more rodents and the free show!

I love owls!! My favorite owl is the one you have pictured, the Barred Owl. I frequently hear them in the woods near the house(I've even "talked" to them a few times!). So far, none have tried to take my hens. Amazing birds!

 

[OnceAroundTheBlock]

I love the beautiful owl pictures, what gorgeous birds they are! Around here we mostly have screech owls that can wake you out of a sound sleep if they're in a tree close to the house! Occasionally, we'll hear the hootings of a Great Horned Owl or two during the courting season. I always love to hear them too.

Did you know that the Cherokee (I live near their reservation) consider the screech owl as bearer of bad news or death?

Other tribes think the opposite and hold owls in such high esteem they are respectfully called, the "night eagle".

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Well I am jealous. I have a big barn and pray every night for owls to make it their home, but to no avail. I also have about 40 chickens.