Will a Bald eagle go after a chicken?

[Hangtown Farms]

I lost another hen to a Red Tail hawk

 

[Orchard Farm]

Yes they will!

 

[cvandermerwe]

I know this is an older thread, but I thought I'd chime in anyway. There is a HUGE difference between Golden and Bald eagles, so comparing them to each other is not fair at all. One is an opportunistic carrion thief, geared for hunting fish and the other is a very active fur and feather predator. The ole Bald eagle is not very noble in agricultural areas where there heads can be brown from sticking them inside rotten pig carcasses dumped in the fields for fertilizer.

I live out in the middle of the country in Iowa and we have Bald eagles everywhere in the winter. I mean they are thick! Our property has a creek/tree line running through it about 150' from the house/barn area and every winter we have 5-7 eagles in the trees at all times. Our flock of 30+ chickens and 25+ guineas free range every day, rain, shine or snow storm and we have never had one taken by a Bald eagle. Even during week long periods of -5 to 5 the eagles do not bother the fowl walking directly under them. I am not saying they will not do it, but it is not a common occurrence. The same goes for Red-Tailed hawks. As a rule a hawk will avoid chickens, but like any population of animals you will get some that figure out that chickens are fairly easy to catch and they will continue to do it. These individuals are the exception, not the rule.

Great Horned owls are deadly to ANYTHING, no doubt. Most chickens are safe from them since they will be locked up at night. Coopers hawks are deadly on pigeons and young fowl. Most of the time they are moving through the area and
won't stick around too long.

I know that a TON of raptors are disposed of by well meaning but uneducated people. Not only is it illegal to do so, but it's a shame since the culprit us usually not the one that get's disposed of. I have flown hawks (falconry) since 1993 and I can tell you that 95% of the time when people blame hawks, falcons or eagles they are not the responsible party. A good way to tell is if you find a pile of feathers in a 2' circle, it was probably a diurnal raptor. Owls can pick up and fly off with something the size of a rabbit, hawks cannot. Hawks are stuck eating what they catch, where they catch it. If you think it was a hawk, check the closest bushes, grass, etc. because that's where they would have drug it to to eat, they hate eating out in the open. A Bald eagle that wouldn't look twice at a chicken will pounce on a Red-Tailed hawk down on prey in a heartbeat. Many falconry birds get killed each year by other raptors. As a general rule, big raptors eat little raptors with no opportunity missed.

If you have a problem with raptors bouncing off your pens there is a good chance that a falconer in your area would gladly/legally set up a live trap and remove the offending bird for you.

 

[quiltchick]

Are you saying that the golden eagle will go after chickens?

I am told there is one living locally, although I have not seen it-I did spot a bald eagle once on a tree across the street.

 

[cvandermerwe]

Not neccasarily, but it is much more likely to try than a Bald eagle. Raptors actually try to avoid people and domestics as a rule, yet some may be pushed to do it due to a condition or weakness and then some INDIVIDUALS just get in the habit of it. Let's not kid ourselves, a plump barnyard chicken is a pretty inviting meal to a hawk or eagle that isn't strong enough to take it's normal wild prey.

 

[Alaskan]

Maybe I live with a different set of raptors.... But BALD Eagles as well as Hawks LOVE my chickens and will eat them every single time they get a chance.

And there are lots of wild rabbits in my area.

 

[cvandermerwe]

Maybe I live with a different set of raptors.... But BALD Eagles as well as Hawks LOVE my chickens and will eat them every single time they get a chance.

And there are lots of wild rabbits in my area.

I do not doubt you at all, sometimes they get a liking for something and they will continue to go after it. I also have no doubt that certain populations can and will adapt to hunting easy prey. Young raptors learn from their parents like many other species. Homer, Alaska sounds like a eat or be eaten, eat or else you die kind of place to me anyway!

I am just trying to make a point that as a general rule, very few INDIVIDUAL hawks, eagles and falcons kill domestic poultry. I have worked with raptors for over 20 years and I believe that they have been given a very bad rap (and many get killed for it) when in reality as a population they are not guilty. The only hawks that remotely live up to being dangerous to small fowl is the Cooper's Hawk, and although they are death on pigeons and young chicks, MANY, MANY, MANY hundreds of thousands of hawks have paid with their lives over the last 200 or so years for their reputation. There are lots of chickens and lots of hawks out there, I think if we counted all the chickens caught by hawks by all the users here it probably wouldn't equal one year's worth of raptors killed.

I personally keep pigeons, chickens, guineas, etc. I know very well that come fall that the raptors will be coming through on their migration and that I WILL loose a couple of pigeons. That's nature. I also realize that 70% of every year's young crop of raptors will die their first year because of starvation, being shot and predation by other raptors. It's a staggering number and I guess I feel if they need a few pigeons or the occasional chicken then that's OK by me. I also understand that a raptor that has set up a territory around your area and learned that chickens are easy prey is a nuisance. If you feel that you have such a raptor around then getting a hold of your state falconry club will usually yield someone that's willing to help you out in a legal manner.

Please don't misunderstand me, I am not saying that people that care about their chickens and other fowl are bad. I enjoy my chickens as much as I enjoy my hawks. I realize that sometimes hawks, eagles, etc can become a nuisance and have to be dealt with. I'm only trying to get the average poultry keeper to understand that not all hawks kill chickens.

 

[DeerFangRanch]

There is a Bald Eagle living in City Park (almost downtown) in Denver who lives on the large Canadian geese there.

 

[shallowbrook]

NY large bird of prey will take a chicken or duck.

 

[Alaskan]

DeerFangRanch,

Wow! I would have thought a goose would have been big enough to be OK.

Something else.

And Cvander,

I got you, it would be terrible if anyone or everyone who loved chickens killed every single raptor they came across.

I love all wildlife.

At the same time, I rather think that any raptor that spots a chicken is going to try to eat it. Just way too easy to kill, and you got to admit that chicken is tasty.

BUT, I don't think that means we need to kill every raptor that flys over our yard, I just think that as soon as you see a raptor anywhere near your yard you better lock up your chickens or get them in a covered run.

And raptors are very smart. So, once they learn that they got one chicken from your place, they WILL keep coming back until there is absolutely no way for them to get another chicken.