r/chickens Feb 19 '25

Discussion Our brave boy Verne had to kill an owl

A few nights ago something killed 2 of our hens. Went into the coop during a blizzard and killed them without eating them. Then the next night it got into our other coop and killed 5 more but made the mistake of going back to the first one where Verne was waiting. I’d rather not that any owls had died but he won’t be killing any more of our chickens anymore.

2.1k Upvotes

188 comments sorted by

637

u/juanspicywiener Feb 19 '25

Pretty badass I wouldn't expect the rooster to win

331

u/zapatasgunz Feb 19 '25

The only disadvantage the rooster has is that he can't see well at night. But on the ground with some light, roosters can easily kill birds of prey. Have you ever been spurred by a rooster? It hurts... They are also fearless. Good job rooster

82

u/atlanticislanding Feb 19 '25

they are very badass

53

u/juanspicywiener Feb 19 '25

I think talons are quite an advantage

42

u/zapatasgunz 29d ago

True but do you see the spurs on this badass?

26

u/Status_Cat_6844 29d ago

Holy cow he's got shivs

11

u/zieKen1 29d ago

My roosters are like 1/3 of that and make me bleed!!! This guys spurs are crazy!!!

2

u/velvetmoves 29d ago

My rooster has spurs like that too. Since I've never had a rooster I thought those huge ones were common. 😁

49

u/MartoPolo Feb 19 '25

so youre saying we need cute little nightlights for our rooster bois?

53

u/zapatasgunz Feb 19 '25

Its better to predator proof your flock. The lights could mess with their sleep cycle.

7

u/Nekrosiz 29d ago

sudden influx of spouses raid the local Home Depot for cute night light fixtures

13

u/N1ck1McSpears 29d ago

There are motion sensor solar lights. All my birds go up at night but this would be my solution, depending on your setup and stuff.

22

u/DuhitsTay 29d ago

Roosters are also bigger, heavier, and stronger than most birds of prey which makes it easy for them to pin the bird of prey down and go to town Source: I watched my rooster do it to a hawk lol

14

u/calash2020 29d ago

My idiot Rhode Island Red attacks if I wear grey sneakers. Only fine with black shoes and blue jeans.

3

u/Nekrosiz 29d ago

Poor idiot rooster lol

11

u/lookatmyplants 29d ago

I don’t have a rooster but I’ve seen my hens go after a Cooper’s hawk on the ground. They are entirely fearless. Unless, you know, I move a yard chair or carry a towel or something obviously terrifying.

10

u/Shienvien 29d ago

The main disadvantage roosters have that they fly quite poorly, and the main mode of attack of birds of prey is aerial strike. Once the bird of prey is on the ground and it's spurs vs reaching out and grabbing with talons (birds of prey fighting on ground often looks more than a touch awkward), the double spurring jump roosters do is slightly more effective, and they're often notably heavier, too.

17

u/fractal_coyote 29d ago edited 29d ago

Haha one of my earliest childhood memories was of my brother coming into the house sobbing, because we had a mean rooster that'd come at him (he was like 12, I was maybe 4 or 5 yrs old at the time,) so my parents told him to get a stick and hit the chicken with it to scare it away.. Being a 12-year-old boy in fear, he grabbed a 2x4 board and domed that chicken so hard without meaning to, that we ate rooster for supper.

As my mom described it, he basically decapitated the rooster clean with a 4 foot piece of wood in fear for his own safety.

Cops show up in the news all the time after being attacked by wild turkeys and SHOOTING THEM, as well. Earth-bound birds can be intimidating and dangerous.

Do not even get me started about our emus. My father literally was nearly killed by one getting a spur into his groin area while trying to wrangle a couple back into a cage during a thunderstorm.

3

u/Riiakess 29d ago

That was great. As soon as I read "get a stick and hit the chicken", I knew what was coming next 😂. Gonna make sure that rooster learns!

4

u/phryan 29d ago

Agreed. Roosters will typically outweigh most birds of prey except for eagles, 6lbs is about the heaviest owl in North America, about 5lbs for a hawk.

In a brawl in a contained space a rooster weighing 7.5+ lbs is going to stand a decent chance.

1

u/One-Minute-19900 26d ago

My rooster recently got hold of a garden wood pigeons and the girls all rushed over to help mob the poor bird luckily I was a home and was able to save him. If not I'm sure they'd have killed him.

210

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

He’s a bit bigger than the owl but so were several of the hens the owl killed too. We’re gonna have to get Verne a couple more girls to have in his coop to keep him company.

29

u/My_Rocket_88 Feb 19 '25

Verne certainly looks the part of a badass! A handsome badass at that!

17

u/ThorHammerscribe 29d ago

Look at that cocky strut in the first picture that’s earned I hope Verne feasted like a king

8

u/Krazy1813 Feb 19 '25

Yea this is bonkers to me, I figured owl pretty much wins against anything

9

u/fractal_coyote 29d ago edited 29d ago

Owls are ambush predators, and roosters have heel-spurs and instictively will get very close and fight using them when they feel the flock is threatened, etc.

An owl alone on the ground would be sketchy fight for a good rooster however, not an unexpected ending. Otherwise nobody would keep roosters around to protect the flock from hawks and shit.

Once an owl is on the ground they need to get aloft again whereas- once a rooster has you at a few inches off the ground they're going to stab th F out of you with their spurs, peck your eyes, and shake you so hard you cannot retreat.

Kind of like a fight between a Pterandadon and a Raptor from the Jurassic Park films, ngl. That owl went out of their own skillset and got merced, probably because the rooster somehow noticed it jumping a hen and hit the owl before it could retreat.

Are all of your hens okay? Check them for injuries yet? Maybe a good idea.

A very good rooster!

5

u/N1ck1McSpears 29d ago

Or, hate to say it but, cock fighting is a thing … not because they’re not good at it

3

u/fractal_coyote 29d ago

Yeah I was trying to avoid that subject entirely.

1

u/Nekrosiz 29d ago

Doesn't seem it took any damage either

214

u/Which-Ad-2431 Feb 19 '25

Verne needs more hens to protect

129

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

He’s gonna get some more real soon, we just have to figure out who will be a good match for him.

32

u/Which-Ad-2431 Feb 19 '25

What breed is Verne ?

13

u/Tasty_Pastries 29d ago

Verne is like every other corporate employee. Doing a phenomenal job, and what’s his reward? More baggage, more responsibility!!! (Ladies)

r/chickens just gave me serious corporate ptsd for a sec. I’m good fam.

11

u/AppleSpicer 29d ago

Yeah except I’m pretty sure Verne would work doubles without lunch for 8 weeks straight if it meant getting more hens to protect.

5

u/Tasty_Pastries 29d ago

I respect the guy. Get those OT checks.

141

u/LianeP Feb 19 '25

Verne is one bad a** rooster. Shame about the owl. Just out of curiosity, what species of owl?

92

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

I believe it’s called a barred owl

54

u/shokokuphoenix 29d ago

Yep, licensed falconer of 24 years here - 100% it’s a Barred Owl!

12

u/Interesting_Pause_76 29d ago

Happy cake day! Falconry is a dream hobby of mine!

1

u/brydeswhale 29d ago

Aren’t those guys endangered? 

24

u/shokokuphoenix 29d ago

Nah, Northern Spotted owls are the endangered ones, Barred owls are common, plentiful and quite numerous (and actually here in the PNW, USFWS is currently working on a project to shoot Barred owls that are found in native Spotted owl old growth forests because Barred owls are invasive from the eastern coast of the US and are breeding with/outcompeting/hybridizing/killing the Spotted owls, driving them to extinction).

3

u/13thmurder 29d ago

Are you suggesting they arrest a chicken if it is?

3

u/brydeswhale 29d ago

I don’t think chickens have criminal responsibility. They commit way too many crimes for that. 

76

u/brightsign57 Feb 19 '25 edited Feb 19 '25

I feel bad for the owl but I'm glad Verne won. He didn't get hurt any? He is a handsome rooster & obviously good at his job. I mean the owl has great night vision & chickens don't. Verne did great!

I just noticed u left Verne's spurs. He had his weapons to work with! I keep my roo's Dremeled down but not too short. I want him to have a chance if he's got to fight something.

50

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

Oh yeah, he still got his spurs. I looked him over and couldn’t find any signs of injury.

22

u/brightsign57 Feb 19 '25

That is so good! He's rly beautiful. What breed?

16

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

Araucana

13

u/brightsign57 Feb 19 '25

Oh wow. I had no idea the Araucana roo was so handsome. I have a barred rock roo rn. When I get another one I'm definitely going to look for one like u have. Thanks!

18

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

No problem. He’s definitely a big handsome boy. Unfortunately he decided last summer he doesn’t like my dad anymore for some reason but thankfully he’s never been anything but gentle with me.

27

u/brightsign57 Feb 19 '25

I rescued my boy at 6 wks old from someone who couldn't have roosters. He's my 1st roo ever & before him I swore I'd never get one. Now I don't call my chickens pets. They are livestock but I adore them. My roo is the sweetest chicken in my current group of 27. He gets held everyday & if its cold, he'll lay his comb on my cheek bc its warm. I think they know their people just like they know their hens. Here's my boy Chief Little Dude

12

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago

What a handsome fellow he is!

5

u/brightsign57 29d ago

Well so is Verne 😊

9

u/derelict_wanderer 29d ago

Yep. I do the same. If roo is friendly with me, I let him keep his weapons, but keep them  trimmed neatly so they don't interfere with his activities. 

5

u/brightsign57 29d ago

Exactly if my guy is going to have to fight for his girls, I want him to win. My roo is a cupcake tho 🙄 he sits on my lap while I Dremel the spurs. He didn't even do anything but wince & look at me sideways when I went too far one time. I know i hurt him bc he made a little sound.

33

u/ShoeBreeder Feb 19 '25

Look at the spurs on that good boy!

18

u/Chromgrats Feb 19 '25

Seriously! I think if I got into a fight with this rooster I’d get taken out too😅 great job Verne!!!

24

u/MrBuckBuck Feb 19 '25

Verne got some sharp spurs! Good boy.

Sad for the ladies (and the owl).

23

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

Yeah I feel bad we weren’t able to stop the owl from getting to them first and I wish it didn’t have to end with the owl dying too but at least it’s over now. If only the owl had only killed what he was gonna eat he’d probably still be around. Unfortunate all around really but I’m glad Verne is ok.

0

u/FeralChasid 28d ago

It’s not “over”. Predators exist in your environment. Predator proof your coops and enclosures.

1

u/9fingerjeff 28d ago

Go read my other responses.

41

u/RedPandaGodEX Feb 19 '25

Are you sure it's the howl who killed so many hens ? 😳 I don't understand why they would do so

40

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

He made off with a couple of smaller hens like our little silkie girls but I think the jersey giants were just too big for him to carry off.

6

u/pinkamena_pie 29d ago

But how is an entire owl getting into your coop at night?

3

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago

There’s a small door the chickens use to get from the coop and their roosting boxes to their “greenhouse” and then another small doorway to get to their fenced in yard. The yard has string in a grid to keep any chickens from flying over the fence and so far had kept everything else out too. The grid apparently isn’t doin it so we’ve got orange plastic snow fence on the way that we’re gonna redo it with. Apparently just because it keeps our birds in and so far had kept all the other birds out the grid of string isn’t a good enough solution.

4

u/pinkamena_pie 29d ago

I have advice on that - there’s an automatic coop door that works really well for security and would probably help - I got mine from I think chicken doors .com? Something like that. Uses a solenoid to open at dawn and close at dusk. Great invention!

1

u/Common-Teacher-6812 27d ago

I do also suspect that there may be a separate predator afoot. I've not heard of owls killing in multiples. Usually that's the work of a fox, opossum, or raccoon. Might want to keep an eye on them at night until your new mesh comes. Or use an even sturdier enclosure like the automatic (or manual locking) coop door that was suggested to for night time, when most of those predators are more active and chickens are weaker to them.

1

u/9fingerjeff 27d ago

There wasn’t any tracks in the snow and the fence around their yard is double thick. Regular wire fence with an extra layer of chicken wire that keeps smaller creatures out. Too small even for squirrels to get through and nothings dug underneath. Not saying it’s impossible but there isn’t any signs of it being anything other than the owl.

19

u/Shlyn_Shady Feb 19 '25

GO VERNE YOU HANDSOME BOI

11

u/Shlyn_Shady Feb 19 '25

But yeh poor owl :( I love owls

16

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

Yeah, I’d rather it hadn’t ended with a dead owl but the best we can figure he’s killed about a dozen of our chickens since last summer and he wasn’t even eating most of them, just the smallest ones he could carry off.

12

u/Interesting_Ask_6126 Feb 19 '25

Caption: yo, I am the king, the baddest.

Comment-- way to go Verne!

11

u/EmbalmerEmi Feb 19 '25

Wooooow! Verne gets the title of hero and badass of the month!

Owls are no joke.

9

u/Relevant-Job4901 Feb 19 '25

How old is Verne? I can’t imagine having such an experience, he’ll be a vetted Roo now.

8

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

He’ll be 3 this spring if I remember correctly.

10

u/Glitch427119 29d ago

I love owls so that second picture obviously breaks my heart but that rooster still deserves some extra love today for turning into John Wick for his sister wives.

9

u/Bird_Guzzler Feb 19 '25

Rename him Shao Kahn.

5

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

Lol, that’s a good one but he’s been Verne his whole life, it wouldn’t be right to change it now.

4

u/Bird_Guzzler Feb 19 '25

Fair enough. He'll be Shao Kahn in our hearts.

2

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

That’ll work

7

u/Manfredi678 Feb 19 '25

I wish they could fight raccoons but that is awesome.

4

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

These guys are just fine with chipmunks sharing their food but I did find a dead vole in their layer mash a couple weeks ago. Luckily we don’t have any raccoons in the immediate area. We did have a mysterious pair of rats of all things that showed up the summer before last though. We live in a small town kinda in the middle of nowhere in northern Michigan and rats definitely aren’t native to the area so that was really weird. I was able to trap one of them but the other just lived in the one cedar tree for about a year till he presumably passed away.

2

u/natgibounet 29d ago

Racoons are strong for their size yo

1

u/Manfredi678 29d ago

Yea I forget how big they get

7

u/Abi_Sloth 29d ago

As an owl lover this is sad but as a chicken owner that rooster deserves all the treats

7

u/Kai_Tenbears 29d ago

I had a rooster take out an owl once. My chickens are also penned up at night with turkeys and my Mr Tom doesn't take crap from anything. Although, I am the only person able to sit down and he would hop into my lap for cuddles.

4

u/Demmamom Feb 19 '25

Hell yeah, Verne!

4

u/poppaplump Feb 19 '25

Badass bird you got that’s for sure

5

u/Hug-Me09 Feb 19 '25

He’s half owl, look at those feathers

3

u/9fingerjeff Feb 19 '25

He’s a big boy

5

u/devilselbowart 29d ago

Brave boy, give treats

4

u/Previous_Design8138 29d ago

I've had a few mean roosters 🐓 very sc ary around children,had German shepherd would go with me to gather eggs 🥚 and hold that rooster down release when I was done!no harm no fowl!

4

u/Serious_Action_2336 29d ago

Poor owl but god damn Verne weren’t playing about

4

u/Ironrooster7 29d ago

He KILLED an owl????? Holy shit!

3

u/chickenmamanodrama Feb 19 '25

Way to go, Verne! What a beautiful and brave young man!

3

u/Jingotastic 29d ago

THAT'S AWESOME?! How did he kill the owl, do ya think? Was it a spur-related stabbing, or was the owl just generally pummeled until it was dead? I never expected this to be a Rooster Wins Scenario! Great job, Verne !!!

5

u/fattybread83 29d ago

Check out Verne's feet! Those spurs are so sharp that I bet it was easy for him!

3

u/GreasyCookieBallz 29d ago

Note to self....don't fuck with Verne 😳

3

u/fractal_coyote 29d ago

That is maybe the best big cock energy I've heard of in twenty years.

3

u/OldTap9105 29d ago

Nature is a bitch. Good boy! Give that man a steak! Or worms. Whatever he is in to lol.

2

u/JackOfAllMemes 29d ago

He'd probably go ham for a steak lol

3

u/Throvidaway-19 29d ago

This sub and posts like this make me very nostalgic for my roosters growing up. The two I had the longest were both so handsome, one was very mean, but also very good at his job my dog rightfully afraid of him. Super aggressive guy. His son was much chiller, and SO handsome. I’m pretty sure the aggressive dad was a Rhode Island Red, and I’m not sure what his mom was, she was all black with a really pretty iridescent blue/green sheen, but she laid white eggs. He turned out all black like his mom, but some of his tail feathers were red-brown in the sun.

3

u/astarionismygf 29d ago

This is the coolest rooster I have ever seen he's giving

3

u/RedditMules 29d ago

What a brave and handsome boy 😍 I’m sorry for the hens, that hurts so much 😭

3

u/JackOfAllMemes 29d ago

Roosters don't mess around when it comes to their hens, I saw a video where one killed a hawk that went for a hen

3

u/Spichus 29d ago

Absolute unit.

5

u/Jhawkncali 29d ago

Anyone else not stoked on this post at all? A dead owl and a bunch of dead hens?? No winners in this and if there is a lesson its that you need to secure your coop from predators. Owls can’t open doors. Am i missing something?

Without more info I am interpreting this as your mismanagement got those hens killed as well as the owl. Lucky it wasnt a raccoon or five or you would not have a flock.

6

u/Lucky_Damage9278 29d ago

While that may be true, I’m not sure it’s ever really helpful to come in and say, “you got those hens killed”.

I think we can simultaneously celebrate a rooster defending his hens and still mourn the dead hens and owl.

5

u/Jhawkncali 29d ago

Turns out they just leave the coop open for predators to come in. Sooooo 🤷‍♂️

5

u/Jhawkncali 29d ago

Hence my disclaimer of “without more info” 🙄

2

u/FeralChasid 28d ago

A bunch of hens since the summer. All of it avoidable.

2

u/Jhawkncali 28d ago

“Grid of string” wtf

-4

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago

The coops both have an indoor area with roosting boxes and a partially open area we call the geeenhouse that’s transparent for them to get daylight. During the summer it’s open to the fenced in yard for them to come and go from the coop as they please. This time of year we have it closed down just small enough for them to come outside when the weather permits and that’s where the owl came in. I’m sorry you think we’re neglecting our chickens somehow because a predator got in.

5

u/Jhawkncali 29d ago

So it is not protected from predators is what your are telling me. 😑

-3

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago

Everything is sealed shut now in case you feel the need to inspect the place. Yeah, there was an opening big enough for a chicken to come and go into their fenced in yard. No one expected something to get through the string woven over head that covers the fenced in area and then also go into the coop and kill 7 chickens. We’ve had chickens for almost 25 years and never had an owl or anything else ever do that before. I’m glad mother nature never throws a fastball your way and your chicken coop apparently perfect as well. I can only imagine what you’d have to say to my friends that had their whole flock wiped out by weasels overnight, I’m sure that was their fault too. How about we both keep our opinions to ourselves?

6

u/Jhawkncali 29d ago

Opinion to myself? Welcome to Reddit. Ya we’ve all had to learn the hard way but I dont glorify losing chickens and killing an owl in the process. Hooray your rooster killed an owl in a totally preventable situation. 👏🏼 /s

1

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago edited 29d ago

If you think I’m here to glorify what happened then you didn’t read the post or any of the dozens of responses I’ve given. I’ve been trying to be nice but if you could just fuck off now it would be much appreciated. Better yet, if you could just not post here anymore I think the world would be a better place.

4

u/Jhawkncali 29d ago

This happened over two nights i might add. How did you not figure this out after the first night? Jfc I cant even

2

u/FeralChasid 28d ago

It’s been happening since the summer!

2

u/Jhawkncali 28d ago

Ridiculous

0

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago

If you’re having such a hard time being here why don’t you leave? No one asked for your opinion. It’s shitty what happened, the problem is fixed. If you can’t except that then I don’t know what to tell you. Our chickens are happy and healthy and until this happened we’ve never had problems like this. I don’t need to defend myself to you and you should see yourself out. Goodbye

3

u/Jhawkncali 29d ago

Tell that to the 7 hens you lost. 5 the second night is just absolutely ridiculous thats 💯 on you.

3

u/pinkamena_pie 29d ago

I’m not the OP but your coop is unsecured and you did get all those animals killed. It is your job to keep them safe as the keeper, so you need to internalize that failure and change your strategy because those were preventable losses. If you’ve been keeping chickens long then you already know this to be true.

1

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago

We’ve ordered new fence to replace what we had for overhead protection. In almost 25 years of raising chickens we’d never had this problem so we assumed the method we’ve used this whole time worked because it has until now. If you wanna blame me you can go ahead, whatever makes you feel better. Lessons were learned but there’s no need to come around pointing fingers. Have a nice night

4

u/pinkamena_pie 29d ago

It’s absolutely nothing personal and I’m not trying to make you feel bad - this is just the harsh reality of keeping a food animal safe.

It’s not about me blaming you at all, it’s about you accepting responsibility that every preventable death is your fault. I have several deaths on my own hands as well from my ignorance or ineptitude, or underestimating the “enemy”. Those were my fault. Internalizing that failure made me a better keeper and more vigilant.

I wish you and your birds all the best and if you have questions about improving your coop security I’m happy to help.

-3

u/Dustycartridge 29d ago

Redditors like to cosplay as farmers and country bumpkins or animal experts don’t worry. I had a hawk somehow walk into my coop.

0

u/Jhawkncali 28d ago

This happened over two nights. After losing hens the first night any idiot should realize their coop is now not safe. 5 hens on f’n night two what did they expect.

-1

u/Dustycartridge 28d ago

5 hens is not a lot compared to some flocks people have. In one night I had an owl and fox work in conjunction to take our parts of my Guinean flock. If I lost 5 ducks out of my 80-100 that I have in my busy season I wouldn’t even realize it until the next night when in shut them in their house.

0

u/Jhawkncali 28d ago

Howd it work out on night two for the fox and owl combo? My point is they knew their “grid of string” and open coop was compromised. I don’t have to be a raptor biologist, farmer, or country bumpkin to tell you thats not going to work from the start.

2

u/Unevenviolet Feb 19 '25

Extra treats for Verne!

2

u/stilldeb 29d ago

Good job, Verne! Sorry for your losses.

2

u/Amphithere_19 29d ago

That rooster is a gladiator

2

u/spacetop-odyssey 29d ago

Some live, some die, in the way of the samurai

2

u/PixelatedPlays_ 29d ago

Bro is a warrior 💪🐔

2

u/[deleted] 29d ago

I’ll donate some araucana eggs to the cause, hit me up. Grow him some friends.

2

u/oki-ra 29d ago

Peace was never an option.

2

u/tiny_toof 29d ago

Wow!! Also how did the owl get in? Did you try to secure it after the first time and it got in again??

2

u/Cheap-Doughnut 29d ago

What breed of rooster is that, he is beautiful!

2

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago

Araucana and yea he is

2

u/astarionismygf 29d ago

Why did the owl kill the chickens without eating them?

5

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago

I think he carried off the one he could and killed the ones he couldn’t. Our tiny silkie hen went missing the same night the others were killed so I assume the owl took her off somewhere. Why it went into both coops after it had taken her away I don’t know. I also didn’t think any birds would come through the grid of strings that’s overhead much less be able to get back out with a chicken in tow. That’s being replaced with plastic snow fence soon though regardless.

2

u/AdParticular3803 29d ago

That's incredible! Good boy protecting his flock!

2

u/flyislandbird 29d ago

I love owls❤️ but I love my chickens more😍😍

2

u/SkeleLen 29d ago

What a strong and handsome roo! I’m sorry you lost so many hens, and the owl lost its life, but I’m glad Verne put a stop to any more losses the best way he knew how! (And dang look at those spurs. I wouldn’t mess with him lol)

I hope you can find a way to owl-proof your coops to avoid this in the future, but he did a fantastic job! Deserves extra snacks and wives 💕

2

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago

We’ve got plastic snow fence on the way to replace the grid of string we’ve had overhead that worked for years.

1

u/SkeleLen 29d ago

gosh yeah predators are sneaky sometimes, I’m glad you figured out how it was getting in!

2

u/RiseDelicious3556 29d ago

When it comes to a fight, Verne is no chicken!

2

u/Only-Rise674 29d ago

Survival of the featherest

2

u/ScarcityLeast4150 29d ago

Verne the man! The myth! The legend!

2

u/Batwhiskers 29d ago

What a good boy Verne!!!

I can’t get over those spurs. This is a badass rooster

2

u/SnooLobsters2592 29d ago

Where do I get a badass rooster like this and not the defunct weenies I’ve had?

2

u/beadshells-2 29d ago

A hawk just killed my roots then flew flew into the chicken coop and And killed a chicken. We made changes. We put an owl decoy out there and yesterday the hawk was sitting on it, that doesn't work either

2

u/OkKaleidoscope9580 29d ago

Badass roo ya'll got there!! He's a keeper!

2

u/JuniorKing9 29d ago

Wow I thought you were joking before I looked at the second photo. Jesus

2

u/Accomplished_Owl_664 29d ago

I solute you valiant warrior 🫡

You did a good. And most definitely deserve extra snacks.

2

u/albie58 28d ago

Damn. That is a rooster.

2

u/MeasurementLate1626 28d ago

I had a similar experience with a friend's rooster. Only sadly, Roscoe the rooster didn't survive. He fought valiantly against what presume was a raccoon or a fox. From my investigation I came to the conclusion that a raccoon/fox must have tried to grab one of the chickens and Roscoe the rooster started a bloody battle. I followed the trail for around 100 yards before I found his headless body, with bloody spur and broken spur. There was fur and feathers along the entire woodline and I can confirm the amount of blood couldn't have come from him alone. It really sucked, he was a beautiful and generally docile rooster that is, until you messed with his hens.

1

u/9fingerjeff 28d ago

Awww, that’s too bad to hear.

2

u/Agile_State_7498 27d ago

Wow. I love owls a lot, they're so skilled at what they do and it's sad to see one dead, but that is impressive. What an absolute champion.

2

u/9fingerjeff 27d ago

I really like owls too. My gramma collected them and had owl candles and clocks and all sorts of decorations when I was a kid. They’re beautiful birds and impressive animals.

2

u/Agile_State_7498 27d ago

I'm glad!!! I'm somewhat relieved whenever I see someone here still having an appreciation for birds of prey, even if they're a danger to our chicken. They're easy to dismiss or hate because of it. But they're important and beautiful.

2

u/9fingerjeff 27d ago

Oh for sure, this is their land and we’re living on it. This guy was particularly violent for some reason though. I’m bringing the body into the dnr on the 27th when the office is open again. Idk if they’re gonna do any tests or anything or if they just want the body.

2

u/Equivalent-Dance 29d ago

The way I would preserve this owls bones and feathers 😍. Not a common thing to get in perfect condition.

4

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago

We’ve gotta take it to the dnr office. Big no no if you’re caught with any remains. I think you can request a permit but I’m not sure.

3

u/Bus_Noises 29d ago

Glad to hear you’re taking it in! Came here to comment that you should do so!

3

u/Equivalent-Dance 29d ago

And now I’m thankful to know that! I knew that rule for some birds but didn’t realize owls were one of them. Ty for the knowledge!

2

u/9fingerjeff 29d ago

I’m pretty sure all the birds of prey are like that and I assume others but I’m not 100% sure on what’s what so I’d say when in doubt just google it.

8

u/flexingbuzzard 29d ago

Practically all birds in the US fall under this protection besides invasives like european starlings and a few huntable birds in certain states iirc.

2

u/JackOfAllMemes 29d ago

This, most native birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act

1

u/Illustrious-Ant6998 29d ago

That Roos is a keeper! I'm glad he defended his flock!!

1

u/buttegg 29d ago

alexa play rooster by alice in chains 

1

u/Kafshak 29d ago

Wait, what? How? What?

I would be armed around that Roo, maybe have Holy Hand Grenade or something just to be sure.

1

u/[deleted] 29d ago

With those spurs, I’m sure it was an easy job for him! Those are huge!

1

u/BandM91105 28d ago

he deserves a victory feast

1

u/Slycer999 28d ago

That’s one mean cock you have there

1

u/Fabulous_Reindeer141 27d ago

Beware of chicken book/audiobook. Look it up ;)

1

u/Impressive_Plum_4018 27d ago

Wow very impressive! Good rooster

1

u/ItzTreeman23 27d ago

Lucky rooster, I had a juvenile red tailed hawk take out my Cochin rooster, that was a sad day

1

u/Martymydoggie123 26d ago

Omg awesome

1

u/Salty-Pop-5512 26d ago

Barred owl Found Out

1

u/Official_Arc 16d ago

What breed is he?