owls and chickens

[tryingmyluck]

heres the problem im having i just recently started locking my chickens back up at night due to the fact i have an owl that sits in the tree above there coop what i can i do to keep the chickens safe from the owl and how big do my chickens have to be before the owl is not that big of a threat i also have a liter of kittens that are not protected they are just there for better lack of words and they have been for about 2 weeks now and the owl doesnt seem to be intersted in them at all

 

[Judy]

The owl will eat either one if he is hungry enough. I'm not sure either would be completely safe at any age. You need some top netting or similar barrier to prevent his entry.

 

[MohicanHase]

to get rid of him you could maby try another owl decoy to maby scare him away with a bigger owl, or get a low powered BB gun to maby scare him off, he is not injured just scared.

 

[tryingmyluck]

no way can i shoot him i will wind up under the jail its the same charges if i use a bebe gun or a real one i did think about a low power pallet gun but i do have netting on top of them

 

[ronmauldin]

Welcome from the Ocean State!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Predators are a fact of life. They are everywhere and will always be drawn to your chicken yard. So the best thing to do is build a safe coop and run so nothing can enter. Removing or shooting any predator only opens the door to another one waiting in the wings. Keep your birds in a safe area, and you don't have to worry about these predators.

Enjoy all your adventures and welcome to our flock!

 

[ronmauldin]

X2 to what twocrows said, but I'll just add that owls are typically very territorial (I had one in my backyard) so you may have to persuade him to pick a new territory.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You might like to check out the info in the Learning Center and Predator forum about owls, if you can figure out what kind it is it should help you decide what you need to do https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/owl-chicken-predators-how-to-protect-your-chickens-from-owls

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. If it's a large and powerful owl like a Great Horned Owl, the only certain way to protect your chickens is to either shoot it, or keep your chickens in an enclosed run. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in protecting your flock.