[Kathie]

Hi all,
We live out in the sticks of West Wales and have admired the wildlife for the past few years, including kites and buzzards.  

This morning however a buzzard flew very low and landed in a tree on our boundary.  The hens played statues, the ducklings, who are still in their playpen stood still and we flew (pardon the pun) out of the door arms waving, after almost a minute it flew away.

 Does anyone know or have experience of their ducks or chooks being taken by these magnificient creatures.

May sound daft but we are off to buy kids windmills to place around the boundary to see if this will help.
All advice or experiences welcome,  thanks

[darkbrowneggs]

I have had buzzards around here year after year, but strangely although I saw a couple or more early spring there have been none since

Last autumn I had some young growers penned over by the veg garden, and as it was mostly harvested, and the cabbages were protected I let them free range in the day.  First one young girl disappeared, then another, then someone saw one of the resident buzzards stoop from an old tree used as a perch by them, and guess what, when I went over yet another girl gone (of course the 5 young cockerels that were with them were all unharmed 

So this year I have made pens with wire roofs to keep them safe, needless to say no buzzards.  I have noticed there are not many rabbits around, so perhaps the food supply was drying up hence they took my girls. 

This year with no buzzards there seem to be a lot more crow activity so I am glad I have my lidded pens

So yes - they will take youngsters, but I would say not that often, however once they have acquired a taste for an easy meal..........

All the best
Sue

[Alastair-I]

Could you push in tall bamboo canes to disrupt the "swoop" approach?

[VeggieVirgin]

It's not just youngsters that are vulnerable: I lost a fully grown Rhode Island Red to a buzzard a couple of years ago: all that was left was a circle of feathers and the feet, underneath an oak tree. And just recently, my new Derbyshire Redcap was attacked, probably by a bird. We found a circle of feathers. The Redcap had managed to get away (if it was a buzzard, it might have been disturbed): we found her underneath a sheep feeder, but unfortunately she didn't survive.

[Spana]

We have Buzzards flying over all day, wonderful to watch and i love to hear them.  I've never had any trouble with them taking hens, chicks or ducklings.  I think they go more for carrion but there must be times when they do take live prey.
Sparrow hawks give me no end of trouble.  Had one yesterday who had no end of goes at getting my chicks, luckily it wasn't his day.

A couple of years ago we had a Goshawk, now there is a killer.  He had  nearly all  my full grown call ducks starting with the white ones then moving on to the colours. I found a dead half eaten Muscovy which i'm sure was his work.

I find  white in anything, chicks, ducks, ducklings or pigeons are the first  choice of all the raptors.

[Kathie]

Thanks to you all for your experiences.  We bought the windmills and placed them around the place, and as sod's law would have it, haven't seen a buzzard since.  However yesterday morning we had our first visit from Mr Heron!! Wonder if it was the ducklings that alerted it to the water!

[Tattyanne456]

I tend to agree with Spana,  I went to a raptor centre the other day, very interesting. We were told that the buzzard is the laziest, mainly taking carrion. But like you said maybe he was feeding chicks and needed a quick convenient meal.

[scarymary]

my stepson is a gamekeeper and is raising wild american turkeys to put in the large pens with the young pheasants as they keep buzzards away. We have a broody hen that has just hatched a turkey chick (48 hours old now!) that will go in the pens and have a lovely life. If you have the space could you kep a turkey? Apparantly they make good guard 'dogs' as well!

Dawn

[joyfull]

please be careful when running turkeys and chickens together because of blackhead 

[scarymary]

Joyfull- noted. Both are isolated and the chick is going to the estate fairly soon

[hillfooter]

Buzzards are mostly carrion eaters  but young chicks can be taken too.  I think most tales of Buzzard attacks are mostly cases of mistaken identity.

HF

[VeggieVirgin]

Buzzards are mostly carrion eaters  but young chicks can be taken too.  I think most tales of Buzzard attacks are mostly cases of mistaken identity.

My neighbours saw a buzzard taking one of their ducks, and someone else in the area has lost a number of chickens to buzzards - he's also seen it happen. If there's no carrion around, buzzards will go for easy prey.

There's a red kite here too that is keeping an eye on my chickens: it regularly flies low over the yard where they congregate.

[Psychopenny]

I have lost chicks, ducklings and goslings to buzzards and to rooks.  I keep them under cover until they are nearly full grown.