Butcher birds attacking my quails

[rachel877112]

I have 3 quails and today there was 2 butcher birds chasing them up and down their run. Only one went up into its coop but I was lucky enough to scare the birds away before any damage was done. I put an extra barrier of wire sloping out to the birds can’t get to them but I’m still worried about them being chased and scared. Has anyone successfully deterred these meat eating birds? I live near bush so baiting is not an option and also I don’t want to harm them. Any help advice or tips will be greatly appreciated

 

[Leahs Coop]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Backyard Chickens! So glad you joined us! There are a lot of helpful members so hopefully they'll answer your question soon!

 

[Fishkeeper]

By "butcher bird", you mean the small gray and white bird that looks kind of like a mockingbird, that kills food and impales its prey on thorns, right?
I'd cover the whole run in a relatively fine, strong mesh, so the butcher birds can't get in, and make sure the quail have plenty of cover to hide in. Eventually the butchers will probably leave them alone. Maybe fasten some CDs to the sides of the run so they'll reflect light outward, birds don't like that.

 

[feathermaid]

 

[drumstick diva]

Never heard of butcher birds and kinda wish I was still ignorant of them.

 

[Ribh]

I have 3 quails and today there was 2 butcher birds chasing them up and down their run. Only one went up into its coop but I was lucky enough to scare the birds away before any damage was done. I put an extra barrier of wire sloping out to the birds can’t get to them but I’m still worried about them being chased and scared. Has anyone successfully deterred these meat eating birds? I live near bush so baiting is not an option and also I don’t want to harm them. Any help advice or tips will be greatly appreciated

WELCOME TO BYC.
You need some very fine wire mesh, A completely covered housing area & plenty of cover for your quail ~ the deeper the area the better. I would try & put up a tarp or something to hide the sight of the quail from the BB. BBs, like hawks, will attack through a cage if they are desperate enough, using their beak & talons to snag the bird. They can decapitate a bird, break wings, tear skin of muscle. You may even need to move the quail house. I have known BBs to work as a team to take down prey bigger than they can manage on their own & they are super smart. Do NOT leave your birds outside unattended.​

 

[BReeder!]

Butcher the butcher birds!

 

[Ribh]

Butcher the butcher birds!

They are a native species & protected. She can't do that.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Yeah, definitely don't kill 'em. In addition to the legality, and the fact that they aren't acting out of any sort of malice, they're tiny. No meat on 'em.

Aren't they cute? Terrifying and vicious, but adorable.
(OP, this is one kind of butcher bird, there are several. Yours may differ.)

 

[Ribh]

Yeah, definitely don't kill 'em. In addition to the legality, and the fact that they aren't acting out of any sort of malice, they're tiny. No meat on 'em.

Aren't they cute? Terrifying and vicious, but adorable.
(OP, this is one kind of butcher bird, there are several. Yours may differ.)

Ours are quite a bit bigger than that: 12~16". We have a grey & a pied & they are quite aggressive. They have one of the most beautiful songs of all Australian native birds.