Vulture keeps landing in my yard

[ChooksinChoppers]

Would it be after the chickens? They all free range all day. I have not seen a lone vulture before have you? I live out in a farming area and we have hawks but never seen vultures before and there is nothing dead in my yard for sure! Do they go after live prey? How do I get rid of it? Right now it is sitting in a high tree that overhangs my coop and just a while ago it had landed in my yard and scared the heck out of the chickens, but flew up onto the coop roof when I went out there to see what is going on. Edited to add it is a Black Vulture.

 

[333113]

Vultures around here do indeed go after live chickens.

Would it be after the chickens? They all free range all day. I have not seen a lone vulture before have you? I live out in a farming area and we have hawks but never seen vultures before and there is nothing dead in my yard for sure! Do they go after live prey? How do I get rid of it? Right now it is sitting in a high tree that overhangs my coop and just a while ago it had landed in my yard and scared the heck out of the chickens, but flew up onto the coop roof when I went out there to see what is going on.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Do you know if it is a black vulture or turkey vulture?
Turkey vultures tend to be solitary while black vultures usually travel in numbers.
Turkey vultures have the best sense of smell which brings them to carrion. Black vultures don't have the same senses and tend to follow the turkey vultures to the carcass.
Both will kill birds for prey but blacks do it more frequently.

 

[Folly's place]

So keep your birds in their safe coop and covered run until it's gone, as you would do when a hawk attack happens. It will move on if dinner doesn't appear soon. Plan on two weeks or so.
Many birds are now migrating, and especially the youngsters get confused, and many are VERY hungery too.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

I had a group of five or six (family group?) fly over my coop and land on a nearby tree a few days ago. My birds were NOT let out right then, but later in the morning after the vulture family moved on. We have vultures around here, and they do good work, but will be heading south soon.
Mary

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yikes! Yeah, that would freak me out, too. Can you throw rocks at it or make a lot of noise to scare it away? Bang two pans together, scream and yell?

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

Do you know if it is a black vulture or turkey vulture?
Turkey vultures tend to be solitary while black vultures usually travel in numbers.
Turkey vultures have the best sense of smell which brings them to carrion. Black vultures don't have the same senses and tend to follow the turkey vultures to the carcass.
Both will kill birds for prey but blacks do it more frequently.

It is a black Vulture..sorry my edit didn't keep up with the quick replies! I looked it up on the web...damn thing is still perched up in that tree.

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

I had a group of five or six (family group?) fly over my coop and land on a nearby tree a few days ago. My birds were NOT let out right then, but later in the morning after the vulture family moved on. We have vultures around here, and they do good work, but will be heading south soon.
Mary

I have a problem with the heading south thing LOL I am south!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Are you able to shoot the darn thing I have the same set up here controlled yard and open that or plant some trees for cover or I have poultry net for the big yard have not put it up yet one day may regret that but thank heaven for roosters

 

[Folly's place]

We don't have black vultures up here, and the turkey vultures mostly leave all winter.
Yet another reason to live in the frozen north!!!
Vultures are a protected species, no shooting them.
Mary