Suggstions for deterring an eagle

[breezy]

Ok I have no idea if this would work for an eagle but.... I have hawks in my backyard. I went to Harbor Freight and bought 2 of those windmill things that you are supposed to drive into the ground to chase away moles and voles. I mounted them on diagonal corners at the top of my chicken run and since they have been up not a single hawk has been back. All they do is spin in the wind like a windmill is supposed to but they flash as they do and they change direction to follow the wind. They look cool out there turning in the breeze, they dont affect my chickens at all and they dont seem to bother the local birds that I feed. maybe something like that scattered about your yard at different heights would deter the eagles?
best wishes

 

[kodiakchicken]

Hmmm, the windmills are a good idea! I'll have to look around and see what I can find.

 

[rmc85]

We also have 2 bald eagles in our area. One day I was about to go let the chickens out of the coop and I could hear some kind of eagle in the air above me. I looked up and saw these 2 huge bald eagles.

I left them in the coop for a little longer.

We have not had any problems with them so far and I let the chickens out of the coop in the morning and let them roam all day.

Good luck!

 

[VanChickens]

I live in Vancouver and have the same concerns regarding bald eagles- there is a huge population of them here too. They have been know to take peoples small dogs while walking off leash and cats right out of the backyard. It is pretty hard to deter Bald Eagles as they don't have any natural predators and are protected... all we can do is sage guard. Offering lots of places for the chickens to run and hide is helpful. Not sure how realistic this is for you but planting bushes and small trees helps. Eagles hunt by swooping down and capturing their prey in flight. If their wing span can't be accommodated- then this is a deterrent. Another option is to make some small shelters and have them placed throughout your property. I've seen small wooden trangular shaped huts open at both ends that one or two hens can run and hide under. May be helpful?

 

[aprophet]

google search Bird lasers

 

[HenOfTheHouse]

One way to deter eagles is to get old CDs and tie a string around the and hang them from the side of the run with shiny side out. This will prevent them on sunny days for the reflection on the CD will blind the hawk and keep it from swooping.
Hopes this helps!
Hen of the House

 

[falconertomt]

Visual deterrents are just about all you can do. Plastic owls will not deter an adult eagle, and possibly serve to attract other unwanted predators (everyone hates owls).

Hanging CDs or other flashers will help scare them off, as will noisemakers, other than that, provide cover for the ducks to hide in should they get targeted.

The windmills are a great idea. This provides a moving obstacle, but one thing to remember is that eagles are the top predator in their world, and do not tend to get scared easily, it usually takes a larger predator to drive it off (human, med-large dog, etc).

As a side note, eagles are covered by an additional set of federal laws than other birds of prey. If you do get caught killing one, you will not get away with just a slap on the wrist, and the fines can be steep ($200,000) and include Jail time (5 years).

 

[Rosdez31]

I'm trying flash tape in my yard.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I'm trying flash tape in my yard.

This is a very very old thread.

You will get lots of help of you start a new thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/predators-and-pests.13/create-thread

 

[llombardo]

Those CDs don't work. We put them up at work because birds were crashing in the windows. I think there were more suicides after the CDs went up.