How to Scare Owls Away from Chickens – In The Yard?

Owls are helpful creatures that can often be of service.

However, there are times when their presence is not beneficial, and they can harm other creatures and property.

It is important to know how to keep owls away in these situations.

Especially when your chickens in the yard are at risk, there are a few things that you can do to keep owls at bay and ensure that your chickens are not being harmed.

Can Owls Eat Your Chicken?

Owls, particularly great-horned owls, can prey on poultry flocks if they find an opportunity to do so.

Not only your chickens but also the ducks, kittens, puppy, and other small animals are in danger if there are deadly owls nesting around your property.

They can either kill your chickens and eat them on your property itself or can bite their head off and take it to their nest to eat there patiently.

Owls can also attack humans if threatened or if they find their young ones, mates, or territories in danger.

7 Ways to Scare Owls and Protect Chickens

Getting rid of owls is not very difficult, as long as people are willing to try a couple of different solutions to make sure they know what works best for them and their property.

Some things that work for some people will not work for others, and it is important to understand that owls are smart creatures capable of adapting to situations.

With this in mind, deploying many different solutions is the key to discovering what works and what doesn’t, and thus subsequently solving the problem of invasive owl activity.

Here are various techniques that can help scare away the unwanted owls from inhabiting areas where they can do damage.

1- Make Noise

There are many ways to ward off owls that are not commonly thought of. The first thing to do is generate a lot of noise.

This step may not seem necessary, but it can be incredibly helpful.

By getting a regular schedule down, owls will be warded off.

Whether it means mowing the lawn at specific times, being outside consistently, or even buying yard items to make constant noise, owls will be put off and less likely to stay around chickens and outdoor areas.

Noise is a simple way of showing owls that the space they want to be active in is already being used.

2- Strobe Lighting

In addition, there are other devices that people can buy to secure their land and animals.

Strobe lights can be very helpful when trying to take care of owls.

Owls do not like flashing lights and extreme scenarios, so when they see strobe lights, they are put off and less likely to proceed.

This is a great way of keeping owls away, but there are negatives.

It can be costly, and it can also disturb the very chickens that are trying to be protected.

Indeed, the best solutions are great for all involved in the process.

3- Decoy Prey

In addition to strobe lights, decoy prey can also be used.

Stuffed but lifelike eagles, for example, can be used to ward off owls.

Owls like easy prey. They don’t want to be challenged, and they certainly don’t want trouble of their own.

By utilizing decoy prey, homeowners can be sure that their property, and subsequently their chickens, are safeguarded.

4- Get a Rooster

There is also another, more accessible option; getting a rooster.

Roosters are great for preventing damage and intervention by owls.

Especially for people looking to keep owls away from chickens, roosters make an undeniable amount of sense.

They are among the protective animals and will do what they can to guard their fellows.

In this way, they are highly capable of warding off owls and keeping others at bay.

Owls are looking for easy prey and easy places to gather around. And roosters will eliminate the ease of access for owls.

5- Helikite

Helikite is a kind of balloon filled with helium.

Combined with a kite, it is made and installed in such a way that it keeps unwanted birds away from a specific area.

Helikite does not require any wind to fly because it’s already filled with light Helium gas, which makes the balloon float effortlessly in the air.

Pest birds like owls will think of them like a bird of prey and will keep away from them.

It is one of the most basic techniques that can be used to frighten owls away.

However, remember that it will not work for every family and every property. For some, it may certainly work better than others.

6- Clearing the Land of Nesting

Besides using scare tactics, there are many other ways to keep owls away from chickens and property.

Many of the other solutions attempt to solve the problem before it begins, which involves preventing owls from coming near the property in the first place.

One of these tactics involves clearing the land of areas where owls can nest. This means tall trees and other objects should be moved or taken down.

If owls do not have areas to build their homes, they will logically move to another more hospitable area.

This is, however, not always the best option as it involves disturbing the environment and doing a lot of work cleaning out large sections of land.

7- Install Barbed Wiring

Finally, installing barbed wiring on areas where owls are likely to perch or make nests around the home is a sure way to ensure they don’t make nests too near chickens or the yard in which they live.

Poultry wire mesh or nylon netting can also work for protecting your chickens and livestock from owls.  

However, it is important to note that while trying this technique, owls should not be harmed, even though they are trying to be removed.

If an owl nest is discovered or owls are found in contact with chickens or other animals, calling the appropriate wildlife services is the most beneficial thing for homeowners.

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Other Related Questions:

Is the Owl Dangerous?

Not all owls are dangerous to humans.

The only owls that are most likely to attack are Great Horned Owls, Barred Owls, and Snowy Owls.

Since most of them are nocturnal (active at night), they will usually attack at night when they need to defend themselves.

With that said, there can be certain health risks posed by birds like owls.

The spread of viral infections, bird mites, harmful fungi, blood-sucking insects, etc., via owls is some of these health-related issues you will need to look at for.  

Owl pellets (or droppings) can also be risky and should not be touched.

Owls usually swallow their prey as a whole, and it’s difficult for them to digest certain parts like bones, teeth, claws, and fur.

These may contain harmful parasites or bacteria and hence touching them without gloves is not recommended.

What are Owls a Sign Of?

The sight of an owl is taken very seriously in some cultures.

They are considered a sign of Death or a Bad Omen.

Owl symbolism can also mean wisdom and knowledge.

In modern-day North America, owls (especially white owls) are also a symbol of silence, intelligence, and paranormal wisdom.

And that’s the reason many people like to tattoo owls in various manners and patterns on their body parts.

A group of owls (called parliament) when seen was also seen to accompany Athena (the goddess of wisdom) in ancient Greek mythology.

The mythical, folklore, religious and symbolic representation of owls in dreams can also mean a variety of things. Some of them are:

Flying Owl	Problems coming in your family
Dead Owl	Death of a dreamer or someone close
Barn Owl	Coming good financial situations in family
Snowy Owl	Happiness and peace
Black Owl	Spiritual awakening and awareness

How Smart Are Owls Really?

Despite the fact that owls are excellent hunters, owls are probably not as smart as many other birds (like crows or parrots).

When it’s about cognitive abilities, corvids are known to be the smartest in the group.

Since owls are not intelligent enough to differentiate a real human from a scarecrow, many people use these techniques successfully in their yard to keep the owls away.

The Conclusion

There are many things about having an owl around that are good for some homeowners – like owls can help get rid of insects, rodents, and more.

For others, however, those with chickens and other animals, having owls around is not ideal and can be damaging.

In these circumstances, the best thing to do is pursue courses of action that can correctly remove owls from the property.

As such, homeowners can do many things to scare owls away, as covered above, including using prey decoys, flashing lights, consistent noises, and barbed wiring.

These are more extreme options that are relatively easy to employ, though some are more costly solutions than most people are looking for.