![]() An owl will swallow its victim whole if it can. They will do this at the site of the kill if they feel safe or go to a plucking perch which is a safe place to roost and eat. Owls and hawks do pluck the feathers and other inedible parts from their victims leaving a large pile of feathers on the ground. Scattered feathers can be the byproduct of many attackers. If that’s the case, it can be impossible to identify the culprit. Sometimes all that’s left behind will be a pile of feathers. That’s the same with other predators too. If an owl or hawk has attacked your flock, sometimes you’ll just come up short when you do your nightly headcount. Multiple losses at one time equal a ground-dweller. An owl or hawk will eat one bird per day. Ground predators will sometimes take more than one chicken at a time if possible. Finding food in the wild can be hard and consume lots of energy, so if they find a carcass, they’re unlikely to turn down a free meal. Sometimes an owl or hawk will be found at the scene of an attack and not have actually committed the crime. In the case of an owl or hawk, you can’t always trust your eyes to accurately help you with identification. If you don’t, you may spend all your time and efforts on the wrong predator and continue to experience losses. You can receive jail time and a hefty fine, so it’s not advisable to use predator elimination as a method to protect your flock from native birds of prey.Īlso, it’s vital to correctly identify your predator. First and foremost, it’s important to know that it is illegal to harm or kill a bird of prey, which includes, hawks, owls, falcons, eagles, and kites. There are two things to remember when focusing on protecting chickens from owls and hawks – laws and identification. However, it’s not unheard of to experience losses from owls and hawks. The ground assault from raccoons, foxes, and other four-footed mammals is much more relentless and focused on the all-you-can-eat buffet at the coop. But the reality is they are not the greatest threat to a flock. They’re not bound by the earth and can’t be stopped as easily as putting up a solid fence. In the realm of poultry predators, owls and hawks have an aura of mystery that surrounds them. Learn how to keep owls away from chickens and how to appreciate the benefits owls have on the farm. While not the most likely of chicken predators, owls can sometimes pose a threat. ![]()
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