The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Sudanpan on May 16, 2013, 03:21:29 pm

Title: Bl**dy Rooks!
Post by: Sudanpan on May 16, 2013, 03:21:29 pm

We seem to have been feeding up the rook population of West Cornwall through our chicken feeding! They are very wiley and wait until we are out of the picture before descending on the chicken run and polishing off all the feed  :rant:
So, we decided to fight back and erected a scaffold over the run which we then covered with pigeon netting (100mm sqs in tough nylon) Our run is 8m by 8m. We finished it all off yesterday and were very pleased with ourselves  :excited:


However...... the flipping rooks have discovered that if they fly at full pelt they can get through the squares in the netting Aaaaargh! They do get a bit freaked out when we appear and will bounce off the inside of the netting a few times in their attempts to get out, but they always do  :rant: So far we have got through 20kg of feed on, theoretically, 4 non laying hens and 1 cockeral.....

Title: Re: Bl**dy Rooks!
Post by: john and helen on May 16, 2013, 04:56:00 pm

my farmer pleads with me to shoot as many as possible... they peck the wrappings of the bails..
there are thousands around

Title: Re: Bl**dy Rooks!
Post by: bigchicken on May 16, 2013, 05:16:25 pm

At one time there was a bounty on rooks and crows as well as foxes, what ever happened. When I was younger most shooters every year had a go at cutting the numbers down. I have never in my life seen as many magpies and buzzards no wonder small birds are in decline.

Title: Re: Bl**dy Rooks!
Post by: Berkshire Boy on May 16, 2013, 05:49:47 pm

Somebody told me today that rooks were protected, surely that's not right is it.

Title: Re: Bl**dy Rooks!
Post by: john and helen on May 16, 2013, 08:03:59 pm

all corvids are on the licence... the only corvids that get protected are the ravens at the tower of london..but if they were to fly away and cross over someone's field..they could legally be shot

Title: Re: Bl**dy Rooks!
Post by: spandit on May 16, 2013, 11:56:28 pm

Quote from: john and helen on May 16, 2013, 08:03:59 pm

all corvids are on the licence... the only corvids that get protected are the ravens at the tower of london..but if they were to fly away and cross over someone's field..they could legally be shot

Bit difficult seeing as their wings are clipped! :D

Title: Re: Bl**dy Rooks!
Post by: john and helen on May 17, 2013, 05:57:40 am

 :thinking: on this occasion we will accept walking too :roflanim: :roflanim:

Title: Re: Bl**dy Rooks!
Post by: tizaala on May 17, 2013, 06:24:15 am

Replace the plastic netting with chicken wire----you will have rook flavoured chips !

You don't see gamekeepers nest poking these days, the idea is to wait till the rookery is sitting on eggs then shoot from underneath , to thin the buggers out.  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: Bl**dy Rooks!
Post by: hughesy on May 17, 2013, 11:44:59 am

Get yourself a larsen trap. The hang a few dead rooks around the place.