Buzzards

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Trev62
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Buzzards

Post by Trev62 »

Had a bit of a to do in the garden today, we were watching a couple of buzzards soaring overhead when they decided to swoop down taking rather too much interest in our chickens below them, luckily our dogs saw them off then stood guard while they sat in a tree for a while behind us.

Question is would they actually take a chicken?

Beautiful birds to see so close up but I would prefer our chickens to stay in one piece! I am presuming that hunger may be setting in due to the current heavy snowfall and well below freezing temperatures.
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Mo
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Re: Buzzards

Post by Mo »

Well they never did to my hens. They were kept in a run with 6' high chicken wire round it, so might have felt a bit restrictive to swoop in and out of, and before we built that, a flock net (like Omlet sell) in an orchard. So they weren't free ranging in the open.

And English Buzzards might not have the same habits, or menu options, as yours. So I don't know.
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saint-spoon
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Re: Buzzards

Post by saint-spoon »

It's a difficult one to be honest, Buzzards are more likely to be eating earth worms than chicken sized prey, they generally feed on small mammals, carrion large insects and worms. But that is not to say that they can't take out a chicken especially the smaller varieties such as bantams
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manda
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Re: Buzzards

Post by manda »

In short yes...I have known people who've had chickens (especially bantams and growers) taken by buzzards.
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Freeranger
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Re: Buzzards

Post by Freeranger »

I've been told that buzzards are carrion feeders and don't hunt at all, but we have watched them hovver and pounce on things in the field (rodents, frogs, pheasant chicks, baby rabbits?), as well as dog-fighting with smaller birds in the air. Would they take a chicken? Certainly the chicks and any weak ones, and I don't think a grown chicken would be a first choice, but I believe that they would do if they were hungry enough and if they could get a swoop at it.
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Re: Buzzards

Post by scbk »

Neither buzzards or red kites have shown any interest in taking my chickens (so far!)
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Richard
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Re: Buzzards

Post by Richard »

It's possible there are rats or Mice about, where there's Chickens, there's usually Rats. They'd gladly take them.


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gardenergirl
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Re: Buzzards

Post by gardenergirl »

I've been building a new walk-in run for my chooks since my makeshift tarpaulin shelter blew away. Last Sunday I took away the old fence and moved the run into place, but had to go out in the afternoon. I didn't secure them very well and they got out while I was away. I came home to feathers everywhere and a missing bantam, Puffball. I couldn't find her anywhere and assumed a dog had got her. I asked all the neighbours (even checked their bins) but they denied all knowledge.

Yesterday morning I was trying to get a blackbird out of the run that somehow got in (I know, last push to get it secured and cozy tomorrow), and there, huddled small in the leaves under the coop, was little Puffball's frozen body. She made it back after all, and I didn't find her (cue hating self). It gave me a chance to examine her though, and I think it looks more as though she was attacked by a bird, possibly a sparrowhawk or a buzzard. She was little, not much bigger than a pigeon, so easy enough prey. There were no puncture wounds, and chunks of feathers (and some skin) had been pulled from the back of her head and the top of her back. I don't know if those injuries might have been survivable if I'd found her, but I'm wracked with guilt for not looking harder around the coop.
Trev62
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Re: Buzzards

Post by Trev62 »

It is heart wrenching when something like this happens, we give ours a thorough check over every few days but were mortified when we found one with a horrendous deep gash down one side under her wing and could not work out where or when she had obtained it, we thought she would die on us. Luckily with (probably) too much treatment and fussing she is still with us though her segregation and time with our broilers means she has been broody and not laid since her return to our other layers. Still our plan is to let her (hopefully) raise a few chicks in the spring.

Sadly these things happen and we always question if we could have prevented it.

Our buzzards have returned to the woods where we walk the dogs, we saw them in the trees and soaring around there this morning but with another five days of snow forecast I wonder if they will be back.
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sandy
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Re: Buzzards

Post by sandy »

Poor Puffball {hug} what a terrible incident.
Regarding buzzards I saw an old and rather odd American programme a few years ago about chickens, in one part a bird of prey took away a silkie.
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