Keeping the wild birds from getting the feed

[SunriseChickers]

Every summer I have this problem, and my chicken pen is getting increasingly popular amongst the wild bunch every week. The wild birds - mostly a growing flock of sparrows that adore our property - are eating and drinking EVERYTHING! Just yesterday evening, I filled up the very inconvenient waterer, scrambled up a steep, twenty foot hill of rocky sand, pushed through tons of weeds, stumbled down a grassy slope while drenching my last pair of clean shorts, and plopped down the waterer on its ring. The waterer was half empty by the time the ring was full. I usually only have to refill it once a week, but, not even twenty-four hours later, IT'S EMPTY! Same with the feed. I go up to the house, get complained at for the dust because I'd rather not life the 30lb bag out of the bin and set it outside to fill it, then carry it out to the pen. I usually have to refill it less than once a week. I now have to refill it every other day because of those blasted sparrows. I've tried putting the feeder in the small coop(the small coop is the 'summer coop', they have a bigger one that they use in the winter. The summer coop is never closed, and you can't close it because it's warped.), but the little birds get in there anyways and eat everything! I see them all the time, darting through the net and landing for a luncheon with my girls. My feed is diminishing very quickly. I just opened the current bag about four days ago, and it's half gone already. Please help! What can I do to keep them away? I'm so frustrated! Tying orange plastic strips everywhere doesn't work and that's the only thing we can think to do. I have a stationary owl decoy, but the wild birds are smart and they'd probably figure it out pretty quick. What to do?

 

[Farmgirl1878]

Some pics of your set up would help. How close is your coop to a source of water? Can you pull a hose out there? Might be worth it to build a nipple waterer with a five gallon bucket, some pvc pipe, and some nipples. It’s easy to fill and easy to maintain. In the winter, I switch the girls back to a galvanized waterer and a heated base.

I have two Grandpa’s Feeders (treadle feeders) for eight hens. They step on the treadle and the lid opens so they can get to the food but the mice and wild birds can’t. They have a training mode to get the girls used to the movement of the lid. My girls figured it out very quickly and were off the training mode within two weeks. It holds a lot of food too! I fill mine every week or two. No mold, no scattered feed, no mice.

The other option is to wrap your run in hardware cloth. That will keep the wild birds AND the predators out!

 

[SunriseChickers]

As you can hopefully see, my layout is extremely inconvenient for wrapping in hardware cloth. The pen is also much, much too far for any hose to reach, and running a hose out is not an option anyways because it would get in the way of mowing, for one. The summer coop is, quite obviously, falling apart.

 

[SueT]

I made a makeshift scarecrow and that kept the birds out of the chicken feed. It blows in the wind, and was quite effective the year I used it. I moved it daily to keep them guessing. It looked like me, so the chickens weren't afraid of it. My chickens are not currently free ranging, so the birds aren't getting in, but if that changes, I'll make another scarecrow. It takes 30 minutes or less.

 

[SunriseChickers]

I made a makeshift scarecrow and that kept the birds out of the chicken feed. It blows in the wind, and was quite effective the year I used it. I moved it daily to keep them guessing. It looked like me, so the chickens weren't afraid of it. My chickens are not currently free ranging, so the birds aren't getting in, but if that changes, I'll make another scarecrow. It takes 30 minutes or less.
View attachment 2294849

How would I go about making one?

 

[SueT]

How would I go about making one?

the head is a plastic grocery bag stuffed with other plastic bags, face is drawn on w a black marker. The 'skeleton' is a clothes hanger on which the shirt and pants, pinned together, hang. They are not stuffed. Head is tied in front of the hanger which can be hooked on a fence or a nail. I added a hat, gloves, and some old glasses. That's it.

 

[SueT]

People have reported success with bird scare balloons....if you can get a couple of these, you wouldn't need to make anything...

 

[SunriseChickers]

the head is a plastic grocery bag stuffed with other plastic bags, face is drawn on w a black marker. The 'skeleton' is a clothes hanger on which the shirt and pants, pinned together, hang. They are not stuffed. Head is tied in front of the hanger which can be hooked on a fence or a nail. I added a hat, gloves, and some old glasses. That's it.

Making a scarecrow sounds doable! Thank you! I'll try this tomorrow.

 

[speedy2020]

I am sure you can get a medican and dress it up will do the trick.

Every summer I have this problem, and my chicken pen is getting increasingly popular amongst the wild bunch every week. The wild birds - mostly a growing flock of sparrows that adore our property - are eating and drinking EVERYTHING! Just yesterday evening, I filled up the very inconvenient waterer, scrambled up a steep, twenty foot hill of rocky sand, pushed through tons of weeds, stumbled down a grassy slope while drenching my last pair of clean shorts, and plopped down the waterer on its ring. The waterer was half empty by the time the ring was full. I usually only have to refill it once a week, but, not even twenty-four hours later, IT'S EMPTY! Same with the feed. I go up to the house, get complained at for the dust because I'd rather not life the 30lb bag out of the bin and set it outside to fill it, then carry it out to the pen. I usually have to refill it less than once a week. I now have to refill it every other day because of those blasted sparrows. I've tried putting the feeder in the small coop(the small coop is the 'summer coop', they have a bigger one that they use in the winter. The summer coop is never closed, and you can't close it because it's warped.), but the little birds get in there anyways and eat everything! I see them all the time, darting through the net and landing for a luncheon with my girls. My feed is diminishing very quickly. I just opened the current bag about four days ago, and it's half gone already. Please help! What can I do to keep them away? I'm so frustrated! Tying orange plastic strips everywhere doesn't work and that's the only thing we can think to do. I have a stationary owl decoy, but the wild birds are smart and they'd probably figure it out pretty quick. What to do?

Have you try to add chili powder/flake to the chicken feed and water?

 

[SunriseChickers]

I am sure you can get a medican and dress it up will do the trick.

Have you try to add chili powder/flake to the chicken feed and water?

Do you mean mannequin? I think that'd be harder.
I'll put it on the list of things to try, thanks. Isn't cayenne pepper supposed to boost laying? Would that work, too? Of course, if my girls are okay with it, the wild birds might be, too.