second post, the first didnt work, and it was long.
Seans the name I have had birds till about 18 now i am 45 i have chooks, rats are killing me, i live in bulli and everytime they make a new estate rats rats turn up at my place and steel my eggs. i looked into owls. i want one, how can i get one? his name will be morton
Sean
my chooks are getting violated
Hi Sean,
There are ways to make your chicken coop bird/fox/ anything safe.You have to keep them inside a large run covered on all sides and above with fine chicken wire. The only way !!!! Where I live, we can't even let them roam free unsuperwised. Our chooks have a large coop, and so do our cats by the way.
M-L
Thanks for the comment mate. I have seen owls in action and they will fix the rat problem(everytime they build a new estate they come to my house) i live in bulli. keen on a pet owl or to encourage native owls to hang at my house. if they are more prone to a headscratch than my cat. googled owls, they seem freindly.
Sean
If you want an owl, Sean, the first thing you'll need is patience. (I presume there are no owls where you live).
If you have any native scrub or forest where you live then you'll need patience while you wait for an owl or two to be attracted by the rats & able to live & breed in the scrub or forest.
If you have no native scrub or forest where you live then you'll need patience while the owl habitat you & your neighbours plant (you'll need lots of people planting lots of native vegetation) matures sufficiently to support the owl(s). Once your habitat matures you'll need to erect a few nest boxes so that the owls will be able to breed. Unfortunately, that's the implication of native habitat destruction: it takes a few moments to wreck it but years to restore it to a small proportion of its former glory.
To protect your chooks & their eggs while you await Morton's arrival of you could do worse than follow Araminta's chicken coop advice.
Woko thanks for the input. one thing i would like to say. A few years ago my kids got lopp eared rabbits, well they bread like only they can. next thing you know the backyard is full of tunnells. we went camping for 3 weeks came home. all rabbits gone. the bloke next door said he spent the last 3 weeks watching an owl drop silently from nowhere to grab a rabbit. so they must be around. i live at the bottom of bulli pass. like the native bird approach
thanks again mate
Hi Woko, I think you misinterpreted Sean. He wants a "Pet Owl"
I do not want to give any advice in regards to keeping native birds as pets. I don't believe anybody should, unless they are a licences wildlife carer who is looking after injured birds that are going to be rehabilitated.
Catching rats, I smell a rat here. Sorry.
M-L
i dont want a pet owl.. I would like to encourage native owls back. I just liked the footage of how freindly they are. I do not agree with captive birds, except for my chickens. sorry about the confusion .
Sean
your solution is evident in post #6 - buy some more rabbits and go away on holidays
Peter
i dont want more rabbits and she said no to a holiday.
Sean