[Cobra]

Ello Peeps 

How do you cope with wild birds and your feed ? Other than enclosing the run including roof etc.

I love the birds, BUT  Last couple of days the numbers of sparrows have increased and they have now invited the starlings, I must have had 50 to 60 in there this morning, they cleared a kilo of growers in 20 minutes; I don't mind but I would rather not pay for the guests to be honest.

I'm breeding genetic sparrows here  The way there going, there wont be a tree left standing round here, because they wont take their weight 

Any ides of wonderment 

[doganjo]

No ideas except my dogs - I have the same problem, but i let the dogs run around teh chicken run - on the outside and it scares the sparrows away - I'm not too bothered really though as my hens eat the food as quick as I put it down and I don't feed ad lib, and not only that the sparrow had become almost endangered as the numbers had dropped so much.

[Fleecewife]

Hi Cobra.  As Doganjo says, put out only what your hens will eat in one go if they are being fed in the day, and stand over them to deter the wild birds if you can until they have eaten it all.  We leave food available overnight, when the houses are closed and they eat it before they are let out in the morning.  Then they get some grain sprinkled in the pm and eat it pretty quickly.  Otherwise ours free range for their food.  With the chicks we have had to have food available all day while they are small and a few wild birds do hop into the houses to steal it but not enough to be a problem - except for pests and diseases of course.  If yours are in a run perhasp you coyuld feed them small amounts several times a day until the wild ones have got the message.

Our sparrows too have had a hard time recently but this year several pairs raised broods - these have now discovered my polytunnel    Over this winter the wrens died right out because of the hard conditions but yesterday we saw one    It was amongst the raspberries but wouldn't have been eating them and even if it had we would have been delighted 

No-one can afford for the wild birds to eat so much hen food - hope you persuade them to go somewhere else 

Enjoy the life 

[Sandy]

We have some of the fattest pigeons around, I am sure they cannot fly...as well as eating our hen food they have lots of chips and other fast food from the takeaways across from us.....Our dogs do sometimes bark at them but otherwise I am in and out the house so keeps them at bay a bit.

[Cobra]

Thanks :-)

As  I said I don't mind the birds, i can say without any doubt that sparrow population here isn't a problem, they live in our garden in the conifer and yew and they've had at least two lots of babers this year already, worse than rabbits, and there i guess is the thing they were here before the chicks  

Seriously the pen was bursting this morning   and they don't seem to mind company in the slightest or dog watches them along with our cat   I have spoken to the cat but don't think she has an issue with them   Found one dead sparrow in the garden this afternoon, I'm sure if there was a postmortem it would be burst belly syndrome.

Ill feed and watch over them chickens are still struggling to adjust to the growers, ducks love it, mind you their Aylesburys so if it stays still long enough its food  

[sheardale]

I have a bird feeding station and keep it stocked with wild bird food, nuts, fat balls. etc.  The wild birds use this.  Its a good bit away from hens, geeses duck.  I also have 2 dogs and 2 cats.  Never have a problem now with the wild birds eating the hen feeding.
Cheers Helen                  

[sheila]

I don't leave a lot of food lying around and feed twice a day at set times. They usually eat it all up at one go so there is nothing left for wild birds and rats. I do leave corn and layer pellets in a metal feeder but wild birds don't seem to bother with that.

[Birdie Wife]

I use treadle feeders and they are fab at managing the feed - it's available all day to the chooks, but nothing smaller than a chunky bantam can get at the food.  They are pricey, but worth the cost IMO

Actually, that's not always true. Occasionally over the winter the snow built up on the treadle overnight and I found some naughty dunnocks helping themselves. One got stuck inside the hopper, and flew out the next day when I cleared the treadle, a little bedraggled but non the worse for wear!

[Samantha]

maybe put the hen food in some sort of covered arrangement so the hens can get in but the wild ones not .. at least then your not having to look at a whole enclosure just a bit for the food ... hope this helps

Sam

[Hermit]

Mine have a feed in the morning ,enough to be eaten up and they go out satisfied and then they forage all day. A good feed at night when locked in as well. I leave no food in the uncovered runs or for the free range hens. The youngsters that need food available are in a covered run.Nine cats that like to sun bathe on hen hut roofs helps as well

[Cobra]

Cheers everyone this is something that obviously just needs putting up with. I have a coop and run inside the larger run; i put the feeders inside the chicken run today, guess what  Coop full of sparrows and starlings 

Tommorow I place some string on the door and shut the buiggers in  then of course let them out and fly away again; see if that puts ehm off  I doubt it