# Planning: Owls (small ones) over chicken coop ...



## 50ShadesOfDirt (Nov 11, 2018)

... when we start on the Taj Mahal for the chickens this coming season, I'm thinking about including some small owl nesting boxes in the "attic" area of the chicken coop. Below the roof, above the chicken boxes, in at least a 4' x 8' x 8' structure. Attracting the owls for rodent control in the area, while giving them a leg up on nesting. At the time of coop construction, it would be nothing to include the owl nesting areas.

If you can picture that shed roof on top, would it be possible to put in a nesting box at either end, install a door with an owl hole in it, and give them a 4' x 4' space for nesting? The entrance hole would be sized to block the big guys, but allow the littler species in? Any issues with two owl families being too terrritorial?

Another big question is: how do I keep the owl nesting boxes cleaned out? Do I line them with something that is owl-proof, or come up with some kind of tray design? Keep in mind, I fight this same battle with the chickens, as they have yet to take to their potty-training lessons ... I've posted signs, etc.

I've seen some designs for standalone nesting boxes, perched up high, but none seem to accommodate "cleaning them out", and if I do this, I can't have it be a disaster up there (bones, poop, etc.); I'd also have to consider that mites and such shouldn't be allowed to transfer down into the coop below.

Thoughts?


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Having owls adjacent the chickens seems like a recipe for problems at some point.
Most folks I know that have chickens would prefer there weren't any birds of prey around?

If you want to create owl nests, I'd do it back in the woods somewhere.


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

My chickens do their own rodent control. They love baby mice. Owls take chickens. You would be better off with a couple of good cats IMO.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I have 2 good reasons why your plan won't work.
1) human activity, most owls are rather shy and would not nest in an area where there is constant human activity. Yes owls nest in barns but barns are large buildings with isolated and owl friendly areas. Coops are small and close human presence is a daily occurance.
2) owl holes are large enough to allow other predators to gain access to your chickens. A _Procyon lotor_ can easily squeeze through a hole made for a small screech owl. Starlings would love your proposed set-up.
3) the owls that would be attracted to a large 4 foot by 4 foot shelf are the species that like to eat chicken dinner.

If you have Saw-whet owls in your area that you wish to attract, a nest box specifically made for them and installed away from your coop is a much better idea.

I'm going to have to make a couple of these;





Owl Woodpecker Nest Box Plans - 70birds Birdhouse Plans Index


Print nest box plans for flickers, lewis's woodpeckers, saw-whet owls and pygmy owls. See where these birds live and how to attract them to birdhouses.




70birds.com


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## 50ShadesOfDirt (Nov 11, 2018)

Thanks for all the advice ... something has to go up in this "attic" space, or it's a bit of a waste. I'll further investigate separate nesting boxes, located somewhere else on the 40 acres. I "hear" owls at dawn, but not sure what type of owl they are ...

Cats are a good idea, until you realize that they are also on the list of hors d'oeuvres, at least in my area. I think most people try to overcome this with an abundance of cats, which almost leads to them making the pest list.

I tried an abundance of chickens, but that didn't really work, as it led to more predators coming around, which leads me to the Taj Mahal of coops (as far as security is concerned).

Occasionally, there are mosquitos in the summer ... maybe a starling set of boxes at each end of the coop.

Not fair using big science words ... too many years between high school and now! _Procyon lotor_ = raccoon


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Oh heavens NO! Not starling boxes!!!! Bat houses would be a much better choice.

I'm surprised the censors didn't bleep out racoun (yes, it is spelled wrong) because that has been a recurring problem in several other threads. That's why I used the Latin name, that hasn't been bleeped out yet.

Use for the attic space, I have never seen a coop where the "attic" space has been used. Usually it's just open all the way to the rafters. Chickens are terribly dusty and dirty so anything stored above would have to be covered. You could keep garden supplies like pots and hoses above the coop area, just keep them in totes or under a tarp.

Owl calls are often easy to identify. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has some good recordings. This should get you started;





Search Results


Search Results




www.birds.cornell.edu


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

I built my coop with 8ft walls and another 3ft up to the gable....then roosting beams at three levels as 
"stairs" up to the top of the walls-- They fight over who gets space on the highest roosts...


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

Danaus29 said:


> I'm surprised the censors didn't bleep out racoun (yes, it is spelled wrong) because that has been a recurring problem in several other threads. That's why I used the Latin name, that hasn't been bleeped out yet.


C.o.o.n gets bleeped, but raccoon is fine. Apparently the word censor was programmed by some city slicker with a really dirty mind who thinks he's dealing with adolescents, and whoever is running the forum doesn't have sense enough to whitelist a word that's going to be used a lot in a homesteading forum.

**** <-- c.o.o.n


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## 50ShadesOfDirt (Nov 11, 2018)

I'll move the coop design aspects over to the chicken forum ... for now, I'll leave the "attic" area open, in the sense that it will be a void to be filled later with some kind of bird/bat nesting box (one each side at the eave).

I may start another thread here about which birds/bats to reduce which pest populations around the homestead (my original goal with nesting boxes above the coop).

Thanks for all the advice, and I even learned new words to be censored ... between fighting spell-check and word replacement things on computer and phone, and PC policing on forums, I may have to switch to latin (and, I have a head start with the procyon thingie).


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

I'm trying to picture your shed design. I would imagine a lot of the upper level would be for roosts. Alternatively, you can put shelving there for all of your poultry needs, though they may try to roost on it. 

Personally I would refrain from attracting wild birds, even nesting ones, to your chickens. Wild birds shed parasites like lice, and their droppings and presence can spread disease they easily pick up from their travels. It works both ways too, they can catch things from poultry.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

backwoodsman7, in other threads raccoon was bleeped. I know it was raccoon because it was bleeped in my post in which I spelled it properly. Then it was bleeped in some older threads but left alone in newer ones. It just doesn't make sense.


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

Danaus29 said:


> backwoodsman7, in other threads raccoon was bleeped. I know it was raccoon because it was bleeped in my post in which I spelled it properly. Then it was bleeped in some older threads but left alone in newer ones. It just doesn't make sense.


Oh, well that's a lot worse than just an overeager automatic system. I didn't see that, but there are a lot of threads I haven't read. I was just going by what you can see when you preview or post a message. If someone is actually going around and manually editing out words like 'raccoon' or 'c.o.o.n' after the fact, when it's obvious nothing other than a real live raccoon is meant, well I don't even know what to say about that, except maybe clueless control freaks. Do they really not have anything better to do?


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Guineas are the insect pest solution.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

backwoodsman7, this is one of the threads where that word was bleeped out.









Chicken and dog safe **** trap


It seems that there are regular threads on people having trouble with raiding ***** and discussions on how to catch them without catching the dog or cat. Has anyone tried these dog proof **** traps? Baited with marshmallows they look about as dog proof as you can get...




www.homesteadingtoday.com


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## RJ2019 (Aug 27, 2019)

Danaus29 said:


> backwoodsman7, in other threads raccoon was bleeped. I know it was raccoon because it was bleeped in my post in which I spelled it properly. Then it was bleeped in some older threads but left alone in newer ones. It just doesn't make sense.


Intetesting how site management supposedly doesn't have the ability to do things like fix things in the site's code, like the "recommended threads" garbage, then goes and fixes the raccoon censoring part of their code and plays stupid about it. 🙄
Doesn't really lend much credibility, does it?


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I talked with a guy who raised pheasants. The owls would walk on the chicken wire roof and the roof would sag enough that the owl could grab the head of his pheasants that were in the trees. He lost a lot of birds before he figured out what was killing them.


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## cannonfoddertfc (Dec 20, 2020)

Screech Owl will kill chickens, as will any of the bigger Owls. I lost one about 3 months ago to a screech, killed the chicken but couldn't take it. As stated somewhere above, they are birds of prey.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Any opening from the outside, to the inside of your coop would not be good. I was thinking you would be putting nesting boxes on the outside near the roof.

Just leaving the door from the coop to the pen open during the day allows wild birds to access the interior of the coop. Grandma used to have House Sparrows in her coop, sometimes they would nest there. Mom had starlings by the hundreds in her coop. One year she shot a whole 50 pound feed sack full of starlings (it is legal to kill starlings and House sparrows in the US) but it didn't make a dent in the flock. She was going through 200 pounds of feed a week with only 50 chickens. 

Hang a couple old wood ladders from the coop rafters. Pop had some in the barn and the chickens loved to roost on them.

Enough critters will find a way to get in without leaving an opening for them. Seal the coop as well as you can. Vents should have screen or hardware cloth coverings.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

the most frustrating thing about owls is you can't shoot them. might as well have a darn bald eagle stealing your chickens 


no starlings are an unprotected species in most states


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

50ShadesOfDirt said:


> ... when we start on the Taj Mahal for the chickens this coming season, I'm thinking about including some small owl nesting boxes in the "attic" area of the chicken coop. Below the roof, above the chicken boxes, in at least a 4' x 8' x 8' structure. Attracting the owls for rodent control in the area, while giving them a leg up on nesting. At the time of coop construction, it would be nothing to include the owl nesting areas.
> 
> If you can picture that shed roof on top, would it be possible to put in a nesting box at either end, install a door with an owl hole in it, and give them a 4' x 4' space for nesting? The entrance hole would be sized to block the big guys, but allow the littler species in? Any issues with two owl families being too terrritorial?
> 
> ...


You do know that Owls eat chickens, right?


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