Owls - how to keep away?

[sourland]

Once upon a time when I worked for a living, I trained my beagles after dark. Walking around with a miner's light on my head more than once I had GHO cruise over my dogs, but never an attack. They are silent indeed.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

The chickens are in the run/coop 24/7 right now, they are all still pretty young. We have a fenced in yard for the dogs, but I am afraid to let them out after dark now, especially after hearing how silently the owl flew off... !!!

Owls are so silent when on the wing that it is creepy. I know some sure fire ways to defend your chickens from GHO attacks but they may conflict with the ideas of various US Wild Life agencies. There is no shooting involved only the judicious application of a Louisville slugger to the noggin of the owl.

 

[Folly's place]

I find them beautiful, and their silent flight amazing. And, of all the predator issues we've had here, never with an owl.
Mary

 

[JedJackson]

Great horned owls can take out animals up to the size of a Canada goose, and beyond. Keep your chickens locked up, and attend your dogs when the go out. It is the only surefire way to keep them safe.

I agree with Folly's place. I find owls beautiful, too, and would never harm one. They were here first, after all. And they do keep down the rodent population.

 

[007Sean]

Try putting crow decoys on the top of your pen/coop, or surrounding trees. Probably won't work for nighttime but will in daylight, also will help keep hawks away.

 

[Jessi.Smith]

Thanks I will get some decoys this weekend. I don't mind the owls, just don't like them so close to the house. I am also thinking of some motion lights for in the trees around the coop and my yard.
I was keeping my distance when taking the picture, that sucker had some talons!

 

[Folly's place]

Decoys and flashing lights aren't worth the money or time they take to put up; see the photos of predators sitting on them!
A safe coop and run is worth it, not that other stuff.
Mary

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Thanks I will get some decoys this weekend. I don't mind the owls, just don't like them so close to the house. I am also thinking of some motion lights for in the trees around the coop and my yard.
I was keeping my distance when taking the picture, that sucker had some talons!

Crows hate hawks mostly because hawks love crows. Meaning that hawks specially love eating baby crows because hawks are able to snatch baby crows out of the crows' nest without much trouble. You can reliably say that hawks look on crows' nest like Forest Gump looks at a box of chocolates.

 

[centrarchid]

The are interesting to be sure, but not what I would call pretty. They can cause loss of sleep and do things the books say nothing about.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Try putting crow decoys on the top of your pen/coop, or surrounding trees. Probably won't work for nighttime but will in daylight, also will help keep hawks away.

Do you mean like this?