Mark Siemens is president of the BC Egg Producers Association
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
Some producers in British Columbia are trying to keep their livestock safe from an aerial threat.
Mark Siemens, a third-generation egg farmer from Abbotsford and president of the BC Egg Producers Association, estimates eagles and other birds of prey are responsible for his loss of about 80 chickens last year.
For Siemens, who maintains a flock of about 30,000 free-range layers, 80 chickens isn’t a large number but that doesn’t minimize the impact of losing an animal.
“You put all this effort into raising these birds and you see them sailing away,” he told Abbotsford News.
Siemens has taken measures to ensure his birds are as safe as possible.
He installed fishing line above an area where the chickens roam, according to Abbotsford News. The reflection makes it difficult for eagles to land but hawks can still get to the birds.
“If there’s no protection for (the chickens), it becomes a feeding ground where the eagles will come two to three times a day and just make round trips if you’re not out there…,” he told Abbotsford News.
Siemens isn’t the only B.C. producer dealing with this problem.
Mark Robbins raises broiler chickens and turkeys. He estimates the eagles will take between 10 and 20 birds.
Robbins told Abbotsford News that, about four years ago, he had issues with hawks. But once an eagle set up shop nearby, the hawks stopped coming around.
Other strategies to help keep birds of prey at bay include hanging old CDs for reflections or buying decoys and fake baits.
Guinea hens can also alert chickens and farmers when an eagle is coming, according to some online forums.