Raven killing chickens

[Mtnboomer]

No Santa Clause! As the raven says, "Never More"!

 

[Wolfie2]

Maybe you could try a bigger mesh on your enclosure. I have a 1"x2" heavy wire on my run. I do not have a snow problem but a bigger mesh should lessen the build-up.

 

[aart]

I do not have a snow problem but a bigger mesh should lessen the build-up.

Maybe because you live Houston (I assume TX)?

 

[Bob 1313]

Ya I had fort Knox for chickens. Even had the weight of a full grown bear on top of the hardwire cloth once. But yet the massive snow collapsed it overnight. It's hard to spend thousands of dollars on materials and days of time constructing something just to have it destroyed. I would blow it off with a leaf blower normally as it falls. But when you get three feet of snow followed by freezing rain overnight all your best laid plans go out the window.
Thinking of setting up inside a room in out house with a .22 it should be quiet enough from inside the house not to freak out neighbors and keep us hidden from the raven at the same time.

We use chain link all around, including over the top. 6' between vertcle supports. I think that snow load can still be a problem, but so far we have managed to stay ahead of it. Keep threatening to set up some center posts and not worry so much. Attached 48" poultry wire to the chain link on the sides. Higher than that should not be a problem. I hope!

 

[Double Yolked]

Have you tried electrifying mesh over top the run? Just a thought but after reading other forum threads of how good an electric fence is I was wondering if it would deter a raven?

 

[wild chick]

I've lived with Ravens for over 20 years and never seen them attack any animal or bird. I had one come steal eggs and caught it - the story and photos are on BYC somewhere - I kept it penned up for a couple of days, held it in my hands, scolded it, and let it loose. They've never returned to my coop. My chickens free range and the door is open sun up to sun down. They live here, nest here, fly over all the time, but don't steal my eggs. They are incredibly intelligent, and you have to outsmart them. When I held this adult raven, even tho it looked big, it probably weighed 2 or 3 lbs at the most. Felt like nothing compared to holding a chicken. As previously mentioned, they don't have talons like owls or hawks or eagles to grasp prey, they don't have a hooked beak to tear flesh, they just are not built like predators. In raven studies a calf carcass is useless to a raven unless another animal like a coyote opens the skin. Ravens can only access eating it through the eyes, mouth or anus. A lot of work to get fed, but they do work with/follow real predators to take part in the spoils and enough of them may run off the killer so that it looks to a farmer that it is only ravens. Read "Mind of the Raven" by Bernd Heinrich if you live in raven country, if you don't want them eating your eggs or outsmarting you, you need to know how this bird thinks, lives and eats. And ditch the "I heard stories of..." or enlighten me with video footage of a raven taking down a full grown 5 pound chicken, never mind about calves and sheep. I'll step away now.

 

[PatriciafromCO]

We have a Raven he sorta adopted us many years ago and recently brought his mate. They stay on the opposite side of the property from my birds, they sleep in the horses barn. Early years "Oliver" the raven did snatch the goslings, chicks, or ducklings if unprotected by the flock. I have the LGD's now and the don't allow birds to land on the property area. Oliver has always been really sociable, does fly by's on his way out in the mornings, will perch to hang out , talk while I"m doing chores , he did set out to be friend my new pup.. playing hide and go seek flying above the house then dropping down below the roof and popping back up to the pup. With Oliver, we don't have any more Ravens on the property except for him and his mate, and if any hawks fly over they go after the hawks and drive them away. Interesting to see others experiences for more aggressive behaviors

If I had any suggestion would be to secure your flock for a season so you break the cycle that they can get food . I do like the LGD"s, they don't like anything that doesn't belong entering their areas.

 

[Birdielee]

news report of them killing calves and lambs.

Wow, calves!? Ravens ARE big. I haven't seen them here in NJ, but out west i saw them. Do they hunt always alone, or do they hunt as a flock, too?

Maybe you can use 2"x3" or some other large hole size instead of hardware cloth, so the snow doesn't accumulate?
(A bear was on it?! Impressive! Great job building!)

 

[Mtnboomer]

Wow, calves!? Ravens ARE big. I haven't seen them here in NJ, but out west i saw them. Do they hunt always alone, or do they hunt as a flock, too?

Maybe you can use 2"x3" or some other large hole size instead of hardware cloth, so the snow doesn't accumulate?
(A bear was on it?! Impressive! Great job building!)

They are known to hunt in "packs" to take down bigger prey.

 

[Mtnboomer]

No predator risks unnecessary injury when choosing prey. I'm sure most ravens take the free meal or hunt small prey instead of risking injury attacking larger animals. But it doesn't mean that they are not capable hunters, especially in areas or times of limited resources.

Chickens are not hard to overpower. It does not surprise me one bit to hear of a raven taking advantage of the opportunity.