I was laying in bed, slowly drifting off to sleep when I heard the distinct ‘hoot, hoot, hoot’ of an owl outside my window. I got excited. I love owls! I laid there listening to the gentle hooting for some time before I realized I forgot to shut the chicken coop! That sucks. Chickens are easy owl prey. It was 1 a.m. and the last thing I wanted to do was hike my sorry behind out to the coop to lock it up. After all, I have a large livestock guardian dog and a puppy in training, not to mention a whole handful of roosters to let me know if something is amiss. After several minutes of running various chickens vs. owl vs. monster dogs through my head, I decided it was best just to go lock the coop up.

Donned in the traditional chicken care attire of a nightgown, cowgirl boots, and a flashlight, I huffed and puffed my way through the house and out the back door. I was greeted by my massive pups and a handful of goats who all seemed to think I was out there to play and feed them endless amounts of food. My chickens were neatly lined up at the door of the coop, staring at me as if to say “Forget something?” Then I noticed it. There wasn’t just one owl hooting away, there were three! The one near my window would hoot, then one in the back of the lot, then another, further away, but close enough to be very much a part of the owl conversation. I am sure it went something like:

Owl 1: “Hey, Pete! There are some chickens over here sticking their heads out the coop!”
Owl 2: “Really? Appetizer or seven-course meal?”
Owl 3: “Margaret, be careful! I see some dogs. Yep, definitely some dogs.”
Owl 1: “Dogs? I don’t see no dogs.”
Owl 3: “Definitely dogs.”
Owl 1: “Ok, here’s the plan. Johnny, you distract the dogs …”
Owl 3: “Why do I have to distract the dogs?”
Owl 1: “You want dinner or not?”
Owl 2: “Appetizer or seven-course meal?!?”
Owl 1: “Pete, you fly from the back of the coop and I will fly to … Oh, crap! A human! A HUMAN! She shut the door! Nooo!”

Crisis averted. The owls left soon after they realized their meals were now out of their reach. Owls are like hawks of the night. Chickens are easy prey for them and they will carry a small chicken off. As much as I love owls, I love my chickens more, and quite frankly I would like to keep them around for a while.

There are various ways to deal with nighttime predators, however, when it comes to raptors, you need to be careful. It is against the law to kill a raptor, such as hawks, eagles, and owls. So, we chicken owners have to get creative.

First, make sure your chickens have adequate cover, that is, a coop that can be shut, a sound chicken tractor, or if they are always free-range, shrubbery where they can hide. Also, consider keeping a rooster as they are quick to alert the world that something is wrong and fight to the death (usually their own). Finally, livestock guard dogs (LGDs) are the best. Raptors despise dogs, and the dogs despise critters that go after their critters. Often, LGDs will have the job done before you have any clue that anything was happening. Keep your flock safe and don’t be fooled by those soft, cunning owl hoots!

What they are really saying is “I want to eat your chickens!”

Shannon Salas lives on a small homestead in North Texas with her husband and three children. She grew up enjoying the country life in Northern New York State, then later in Wisconsin. She loves to travel and, upon visiting Texas, she instantly fell in love. To her mother’s dismay, Shannon moved to Texas as fast as she could!

She is a stay-at-home mom who spends her days homeschooling her children, blogging, and taking care of the homestead. She enjoys spending time with her ever-growing population of goats and tending her garden. At an early age, Shannon learned from her mother how to preserve her garden harvest through canning, freezing, and dehydrating fruits and vegetables. In addition, she enjoys whipping up creative new recipes.

Shannon is the owner of the blog Three Peas and a Goat. She has loved to write since she was old enough to hold a crayon and she hopes to continue expanding her writing career through various blogs, magazines, and by possibly publishing a book or two.