These guys are in my barn...where I'm gonna put my coop :-(

[LAMchop]

Aww it's just their "ugly duckling" phase! The adults are beautiful.
I'm jealous!

 

[fancbrd4me02]

Everyone, check out these designs for owl nest boxes: http://www.members.tripod.com/~Tommy51/designs.html

And here's a site for general info, really great articles! : http://www.members.tripod.com/~Tommy51/index.html

Here's a picture of my barn owl babies this year:

And his mom :

 

[JenEric Farms]

They really creep me out! I don't know why

!

 

[kota1369]

Leave them alone. They are most likely protected and they are good for your property. I suggest you make sure your babies are safe and secure for awhile. They will truely help out with rodent patrol. Secure your girls and let it be. Owls hunt at night. keep the chickens locked up at night. Easy enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The lady with 4 dogs, 4 city chickens, 2 meat rabbits and a lizard

 

[teapot10]

Thank you everyone for all your advice. We aren't using the barn yet...it needs some work anyway and my chicks are only a week old so we won't be needing it for a few more weeks anyway

I'm letting the owl and her babies have lots of space for as long as I can and keeping the kiddos out of the barn to keep down the stress on them.

Now that I know they won't harm my chickens, I'm hoping they will stay. The people who lived here before us said they heard "hissing" noises every year around this time so I'm hoping that means that this momma owl comes back here to lay her eggs.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
That's good. Just consider yourself very lucky!!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I wish I was that luck.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
Uhhh, no. Barn owls are small owls...less than 2 feet tall. And weigh just about a pound. Making it very hard for a full grown barn owl to kill a chicken over 3 pounds. Second of all, barn owls DO NOT prefer to feed on birds. Though a starving one might (and will only target a small chick, if at all). The main prey for barn owls are small rodents/mammls. Mice, small rats, baby rabbits, gophers, any small mammal. Not to mention these are protected, and very beneficial.

I wasn't advocating killing them just relocateing. I don't really know anything about barn owls. If they won't hurt the livestock they stay and I feed them mice from the pet store.

 

[turbodog]

Awesome that you have barn owls! One of those scared me half to death at my grandfathers farm when I was a kid but I'd love to have em nesting at my place.