Will an owl take a chicken roosted in a tree at night?

[rod5591]

My younger birds roost up in a Douglas Fir tree. Will an owl try to take one at night? There was a loud commotion (chicken alarm calls) at 9 p.m. and when I hurried out I heard wings flapping away( I think…). Do owls pick off roosting chickens at night?

 

[WIchickMama]

If they are hungry anything is possible

 

[The Moonshiner]

They absolutely will. That's what they do.
And they'll do it over and over again until they're all dead.

 

[LaFleche]

Yes! Owls love "chicken trees". As do raccoons, martins etc.

 

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

I've had great luck with mine not getting taken off, but I am making another coop ASAP.
take @The Moonshiner 's advice. predators have to eat too, but they will sadly choose your hens over your rodent problem if you don't have those birds inside a secure place.
make a coop with roosts in it. when the chickens have roosted on the tree, but it's still light enough for you to clearly see your way without the help of a flashlight, use a handful of mealworms and throw it inside the coop. the hens will go inside and you can close the door behind them. after a few nights, the hens will understand that at a certain time, there will be mealworms. they will start going in the coop, waiting there for a bedtime snack. do 3-5 days of that when your hens do that. then start doing a 50/50 handful of mealworms and their regular food. do that for another 3-5 days. now do full hen feed handful for one week. the hens should still e going in the coop at night. here's the time when you start minimizing the handful of feed to 3/4. 3/4 for 5 days. 1/2 handful for 5 more days. 1/4 handful for 5 days. then you will have trained hens that go into the coop every night. sometimes, give them a treat before bed. you can also start giving them their food at night, instead of in the morning.
Sorry for such a long, boring post. that's just the way I got my hens to go into the coop.

 

[3KillerBs]

Here's a very useful article for you: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/getting-chickens-out-of-trees-and-into-their-coops.75511/

 

[McChooky]

My younger birds roost up in a Douglas Fir tree. Will an owl try to take one at night? There was a loud commotion (chicken alarm calls) at 9 p.m. and when I hurried out I heard wings flapping away( I think…). Do owls pick off roosting chickens at night?

I hope you have a coop because it will be back tonight.

 

[ashcons]

Back when we first got chickens and free-ranged we had a couple after-dark owl attempts at chicken-napping off the patio chairs where the birds would roost until I moved them to their coop (this was back before I tightened up chicken security). We luckily did not experience losses, but I do recall 2 attempts that resulted in freaked out birds, freaked out chicken owner, and lots of chicken feathers on the patio. I have no doubt owls would attempt taken them from their roosting spots in trees as well if they have a shot at it.

 

[rod5591]

I've had great luck with mine not getting taken off, but I am making another coop ASAP.
take @The Moonshiner 's advice. predators have to eat too, but they will sadly choose your hens over your rodent problem if you don't have those birds inside a secure place.
make a coop with roosts in it. when the chickens have roosted on the tree, but it's still light enough for you to clearly see your way without the help of a flashlight, use a handful of mealworms and throw it inside the coop. the hens will go inside and you can close the door behind them. after a few nights, the hens will understand that at a certain time, there will be mealworms. they will start going in the coop, waiting there for a bedtime snack. do 3-5 days of that when your hens do that. then start doing a 50/50 handful of mealworms and their regular food. do that for another 3-5 days. now do full hen feed handful for one week. the hens should still e going in the coop at night. here's the time when you start minimizing the handful of feed to 3/4. 3/4 for 5 days. 1/2 handful for 5 more days. 1/4 handful for 5 days. then you will have trained hens that go into the coop every night. sometimes, give them a treat before bed. you can also start giving them their food at night, instead of in the morning.
Sorry for such a long, boring post. that's just the way I got my hens to go into the coop.

not long and boring at all. Far better than the "your chickens will all die" posts

 

[centrarchid]

I have owl issues with chickens almost every year. I do like the chickens roosting in trees as allows for better feather quality. This year, like most the local owl(s) decide to go after the exposed chickens with first sign like you documented. Then I force change in roosting location or deny owl access like in barn.