Turkey vultures are a common sight in rural areas, circling lazily overhead as they scan for carrion. But how much of a threat do these large scavenging birds actually pose to backyard chicken flocks?
As a chicken keeper, it’s important to understand the risk factors, warning signs, and prevention methods for turkey vulture attacks on chickens. In this article, we’ll examine when and why turkey vultures may go after live chickens, how to protect your flock, and how the turkey vulture threat compares to other common chicken predators.
Do Turkey Vultures Normally Attack Healthy Chickens?
Turkey vultures are scavengers that primarily feed on dead and decaying animals. Their diet consists mainly of carrion like roadkill, injured or diseased animals, afterbirths from livestock, and leftovers from other predators.
Unlike hawks, eagles, owls and other birds of prey, turkey vultures do not typically hunt down and kill live, healthy chickens. Their feet and talons are relatively weak compared to dedicated avian predators. And their beaks, while hooked at the tip, are better adapted for tearing rotting meat than killing live animals.
So in general, turkey vultures focus their energies on locating and consuming carrion rather than expending effort to catch their own prey. They soar high in the air searching for the telltale signs of decomposition. Their excellent sense of smell can detect gases from dead animals up to a mile away
When Might Turkey Vultures Go After Live Chickens?
While turkey vultures eating healthy free-ranging chickens is uncommon there are some specific circumstances that may lead them to attack live birds
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Vulnerable chickens – Turkey vultures are most likely to prey on chickens that are very young, small, sick, or injured. Baby chicks, smaller breeds, and any chickens that are weak, disabled or unable to run away are at higher risk.
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Hunger – In times of famine or when carrion is scarce, turkey vultures may become desperate enough to hunt live chickens.
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Nesting season – Adult turkey vultures require extra nutrition when breeding and rearing chicks. The increased energy demands can motivate them to supplement their diet with live prey.
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Developing a taste – Occasionally, individual vultures may discover and take a liking to chicken as a food source, leading to recurring attacks.
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Opportunism – Turkey vultures are keen to take advantage of any unprotected chickens they encounter while circling overhead.
So while uncommon, turkey vultures do sometimes prey on chickens, especially vulnerable individuals that present an easy opportunity.
How Do Turkey Vultures Attack Chickens?
When turkey vultures go after live chickens, they have a distinct attack style:
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They typically target lone chickens that stray away from the flock.
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Turkey vultures rely more on surprise attacks than high-speed aerial pursuits.
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They use their wings and feet to knock chickens to the ground.
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Once the chicken is down, they tear at it with their beak, often starting from the rear underside.
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Turkey vultures lack the powerful talons of real predatory birds that can dispatch prey quickly.
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It takes them longer to kill a chicken, so the chicken suffers more than with a swift predator.
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They may start eating the chicken immediately while it’s still alive.
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Turkey vultures often return to feed on the carcass over several days.
So turkey vultures are not very efficient hunters compared to hawks, falcons, eagles, and owls. But they can still manage to catch and consume live chickens through persistence and their brute strength.
Warning Signs of Turkey Vulture Predation
Here are some clues that turkey vultures may be preying on your flock:
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Partially eaten chicken carcasses, often opened from the rear.
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Bruises, pecking wounds, missing eyes, or slashes on chickens.
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Feathers scattered around the coop or pasture.
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Sightings of turkey vultures loitering nearby.
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Disappearance of lone chickens, especially chicks.
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Overall decline in chicken numbers.
Watch for these signs to identify a turkey vulture threat early before they cause too much damage. Quick preventative action is key.
How to Protect Your Chickens from Turkey Vultures
Here are some tips to safeguard your flock:
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House chickens securely – Keep them in well-built coops and runs, especially smaller and younger birds. Use 1” hardware cloth under runs to prevent digging and overhead wire to deter entry from above.
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Supervise outdoor time – Actively monitor chickens when free-ranging. Don’t allow them to roam too far out of sight.
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Use protective netting – Cover outdoor areas with netting to obstruct turkey vulture attacks from the air.
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Remove carrion – Eliminate dead livestock and poultry that could draw in turkey vultures.
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Deter with guard animals – Some dogs, donkeys and llamas will exhibit aggression and keep vultures away.
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Scare tactics – Use decoys, sprinklers, lights, sounds, yelling, and chasing to frighten off lurking turkey vultures.
With the right housing and supervision, most chicken flocks can be protected from turkey vulture predation. But it’s still important to be vigilant and take preventative precautions.
Turkey Vulture Threat Level Compared to Other Predators
To put the risk in context, it’s useful to compare turkey vultures to other common chicken predators:
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Hawks, eagles, owls – As birds of prey designed to hunt, these represent a very high threat that can swiftly kill adult chickens in recurring attacks.
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Mammals like foxes – Excellent hunters that often dig into coops and may massacre multiple chickens in one night. High risk level.
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Snakes – Will constrict and eat chickens, capable of slipping through small openings. Moderate to high risk.
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Raccoons – Aggressive hunters that frequently break into coops and kill multiple chickens per attack. High threat.
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Feral cats/dogs – Have strong instincts to catch and kill chickens. Can access coops and return in repeated attacks. High risk.
In comparison, turkey vultures pose a relatively low to moderate threat in most cases, especially to healthy free-ranging adult chickens that are properly supervised and housed.
But turkey vultures can still occasionally pick off vulnerable individuals. So smart precautions are still a good idea for any flock.
The risk depends on factors like the availability of carrion, number of vultures, vulnerability of chickens, and adequacy of housing. Free-ranging baby chicks are at greatest risk.
While turkey vultures don’t normally hunt chickens, it’s wise for flock owners to be aware of the potential threat. Protective steps like housing, supervision, and deterrents can help minimize the risks. Staying vigilant will help keep your chickens safe and off the turkey vulture menu!
Vigilance and a rooster or two protect against flying chicken predators such as turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks and bald eagles.
From my front yard, I can watch red-tailed hawks and turkey vultures circling over our home daily. A rafter of wild turkeys lives in the woods behind our house, and many crows share our neighborhood. Occasionally, I’ll even spot a bald eagle perched in a tree along the Missouri River. It’s a great place to be a birder. Unless, of course, you keep chickens.
When I was a youngster, my mother warned me to watch out for chicken hawks. Although, to my knowledge, the hawks that soared over our farm never once attacked any of the cranky old biddies or the crusty rooster that inhabited the farmyard. They’d probably seen the rooster take after my little brother, and decided the fight wouldn’t be worth the meal.
In later years, I learned that “chicken hawk” is a colloquialism that describes several species of hawks, including the red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s hawk, and the sharp-shinned hawk.
Will Vultures Or Buzzards Prey On Chickens?
FAQ
Do turkey vultures bother chickens?
If provided with the opportunity, vultures will kill young or fully-grown ducks and chickens, as well as their eggs. They will often begin feeding on young or sick poultry by pecking the eyes and nose, navel, and vent. They have blinded birds by pecking out their eyes, even when they do not kill the birds they attack.
Will turkey vultures attack live animals?
Turkey Vultures feed almost entirely on carrion and human garbage. Although on rare occasions Turkey Vultures catch live prey, including young or sick birds and mammals, Black Vultures kill live prey more frequently, and accounts of Turkey Vultures eating live prey often involve mistakenly identified Black Vultures.
How do I keep vultures off my chickens?
- Use fake birds that look like hawks or owls
- Place decoys in trees near your coop
How aggressive are turkey vultures?
Behavior: The Turkey Vulture is gentle and non-aggressive. They are usually found in large groups, venturing out independently during the day to forage for food. Adaptations: Their bare head is a great adaptation for an animal that constantly sticks its head inside the bodies of dead animals.