Author Topic: Ravens attacking Sasso's !! (Read 5538 times)

xxmillyxx · « **on:** June 05, 2009, 11:58:01 pm »

Hi all

I have lost 2 chickens in the last week to Ravens of all things !!??! They are 11 week old Sasso's which I just started letting out with the other hens.

The hens are getting on well but this week I saw the strangest sight. About 4 ravens were swooping down on the Sasso's and then one was on top of one - I duly chased it off. The day after (and all hens were fine when I let them out on the morning) I find a dead Sasso, which was just about all consumed in the fenced off chicken run and then the day after that another one, which had been eaten from the tail end with hardly any marks on the rest of it and it was still warm !?! Now the thing is we had 4 white hens and now we only have 2, they have only taken the white ones ? Any ideas ??

The next day I let the chickens out I waited and watched and again they came back !! again about 4 of them and started swooping at the hens again - needless to say I rang my friendly man with a gun and he came straight round. He managed to shoot one and we haven't seen them since.

Has anyone seen this before ? If so is there a solution please, apart from shooting them ? Just to say the Sass's are 14 weeks old and only slightly smaller than the other hens.

Any idea's or thoughts as I didn't know they did this and do you think it is only a coincidence that they have only taken the white ones so far ??

Crofter · « **Reply #1 on:** June 06, 2009, 08:15:07 am »

Hi Milly

We have problems with Ravens too when they have young, as I suspect yours do. They attack our ducks and sometimes a straggler hen away from the cockerel. I'm sure your friend only frightened them off with his gun

(you never know who is monitoring the forums!)

They are incredibly clever and seem to know which is the weakest and easiest to catch straight away.

Dave

P.S. If you happen to have something that looks a lot like a dead Raven, hang it on a fence near your hens. It keeps them away for a bit.

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #2 on:** June 06, 2009, 09:16:38 am »

the only way to protect them is with netting. most folks up here use old fishing or salmon cage netting as a roof. they are highly clever so they will wait for you to be out before they attack. I can't agree with the shooting of every preditor of chickens we would end up with a very empty countryside. We keep chickens to get nearer to nature then we try to slaughter nature.

xxmillyxx · « **Reply #3 on:** June 06, 2009, 12:23:24 pm »

Oh I agree you cannot shoot every predator - its just that I am new to this and I honestly did not know that Raven's did this - OK I am an old townie and very new to this. You are right they are very crafty - they picked off the smaller white birds and did wait until we weren't about. In fact even now I am still amazed by the sight of them this week attacking the hens. (It reminded me of the film the omen - LOL)

Fishing net (Uncle - salmon fisher) going up this weekend - but that only covers the run, we are letting them out free range, but at least its somewhere for them to run to and hide.

Any other idea's greatly received.

Thanks

jameslindsay · « **Reply #4 on:** June 06, 2009, 12:31:25 pm »

Very controversial here but if anything is killing your animals - kill the buggers!! Sorry to hear about your losses, fingers crossed there are no more.

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #5 on:** June 06, 2009, 12:49:06 pm »

ravens are a protected species you would get into a lot of trouble if caught. try buzz lines and cd discs. i dont know if they will work but it may buy the chuck a few seconds to get to cover. do you have any bushes for them to hide in.

xxmillyxx · « **Reply #6 on:** June 06, 2009, 12:58:06 pm »

Oh yes loads of bushes around the tree's and even some in their run, and a couple of tree's in there as well.

One chicken was attacked in the run - I stopped them or rather scared them off. The other two which were killed were killed on the lawn area, we have about an acre and a half of this where the chickens roam about with trees & bushes, etc. We are putting salmon netting over the runs now, but really can't protect them when they are roaming about.

I did read yesterday that Raven's were not common and were protected - so no more trying to scare them with my pellet gun I suppose. I must admit I didn't realize they were protected until then, but you don't always think about this when they are pecking your poor little white hen alive in front of you. Even the dogs were upset and laid there sulking afterwards for about an hour, just pleased grand-daughter wasn't here.

Fingers very crossed here and I've roped my mum in to go shopping today so that I can hang about and watch out for them.

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #7 on:** June 06, 2009, 03:15:17 pm »

try speaking to rspb and see if they have any ideas. they must be nesting nearby. it maybe worth keeping them in for the next couple of weeks.
http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/licences/Guidance%20-%20Licensing%20predator%20control%20-%20Raven%20information%20note%20-%2029%20April%202009.pdf
you can get a special licence to kill a problem raven but if they don't find your hens then they should lose intrest. it is horrid to find your hens hurt or dead but hopefully its a passing problem.