Vultures do eat chickens! How do I keep them away?

[Ingrid_N]

Found out that if a vultures are hungry, they will attack and eat chickens. I've had 3 that have been eyeing my chickens. they swoop very low down but my dogs have been doing a pretty good job at keeping them away, However, my dogs aren't always outside and I'm worried that the vultures might try to take one of my chickens as I had one of my favorite chickens go missing without a trace recently (which was most likely the result of an areal predator.) How can I keep them away from my yard?

 

[Ecarroll]

Found out that if a vultures are hungry, they will attack and eat chickens. I've had 3 that have been eyeing my chickens. they swoop very low down but my dogs have been doing a pretty good job at keeping them away, However, my dogs aren't always outside and I'm worried that the vultures might try to take one of my chickens as I had one of my favorite chickens go missing without a trace recently (which was most likely the result of an areal predator.) How can I keep them away from my yard?

I don’t know the answer to your question, but I’m just wondering what kind of vultures? Have you had one actually take a chicken? I’m not trying to say I don’t believe you it’s just so strange so I want to know more.

 

[nuthatched]

Keep them under cover or provide cover.

 

[Ingrid_N]

I don’t know the answer to your question, but I’m just wondering what kind of vultures? Have you had one actually take a chicken? I’m not trying to say I don’t believe you it’s just so strange so I want to know more.

ofc! I guess should have provided more info lol. Black vultures. I just read some will even attack newborn calves. I just had a scare with 3 of my chickens going missing a couple days ago but of course they came back. I'm probably worrying a bit too much.

 

[Ecarroll]

ofc! I guess should have provided more info lol. Black vultures. I just read some will even attack newborn calves. I just had a scare with 3 of my chickens going missing a couple days ago but of course they came back. I'm probably worrying a bit too much.

Ah okay thank you! I was thinking Turkey vultures because that’s what we have around here, and they would never eat anything that was not a already dead. They may just be swooping in to check things out, but if you are concerned then you could keep them in a run with a net or roof over top, or provide cover like @nuthatched said. Good luck!

 

[nuthatched]

ofc! I guess should have provided more info lol. Black vultures. I just read some will even attack newborn calves. I just had a scare with 3 of my chickens going missing a couple days ago but of course they came back. I'm probably worrying a bit too much.

Unless you know that it was the buzzards/vultures, I'd assume ground predators. Something big enough to carry them off .

 

[SilverBirds]

ofc! I guess should have provided more info lol. Black vultures. I just read some will even attack newborn calves. I just had a scare with 3 of my chickens going missing a couple days ago but of course they came back. I'm probably worrying a bit too much.

In my experience black vultures have been very curious and social animals. I used to have a small family that lived in the barn next to house and they spent a lot of time around my flock and my goats and pigs. The vultures used to play with the toys in the goat and would even I interact with the pigs at times. Occasionally I would see them sunbathing with my chickens and the flock never seemed bothered by their presence. I also found out that they will eat fruit and veggie scraps and not just carrion.

Of course, these are wild animals and they are unpredictable but if you have missing chickens I highly doubt it was done by the vultures. They are very clumsy flyers and would not be able to take off with a full grown chicken. They also wouldn't kill without a trace. They would have to make a mess and they like to hang around their meals. My guess is a hawk or a ground predator such as a fox. I'd suggest keeping your chickens locked up if you're worried about losing anymore or setting up cameras to keep an eye on them while the free range.

 

[fowltemptress]

If you have black vultures swooping low and a chicken go missing recently, it sounds like you might have a resident ground predator. When the black vultures swoop low here, I check the broody nests first - vultures can always smell the rotten eggs before I do (not the black ones, obviously, but they watch the turkey vultures and know when they've smelled food, so they'll swoop around trying to find what it is the turkey vultures smell). If the eggs are good, I know something has been killed on or near my property by a predator, and that's what's drawing in the buzzards. There are lots of ads here that talk about the dangers black vultures pose to livestock, but having come from an area where black vultures seemed to be the prominent bird, I can't help but laugh at those ads.

 

[McChooky]

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Controlling Nuisance Black Vultures in Missouri​

Black vultures are increasing in population and their aggressive nature can cause problems for livestock producers in Missouri. Unlike the less-aggressive turkey vulture, black vultures are known to gang up and prey on newborn livestock. They sometimes attack cows that are ill or giving birth. While they feed on dead animals, they can kill small to medium sized animals.

Black vultures leave characteristic evidence of their depredation. They can inflict damage to livestock by plucking out eyes, disemboweling, or eating tongues of newborn and sick animals.

Source: agriculture.mo.gov/blackvultures