Shooting Chicken with Airsoft Gun???

[Murphy625]

Hi all,
This is my first post here and it might be a bit controversial but I have issues and need to resolve them.

Making a long story short, I need to discourage some chickens from going certain places.

Has anyone ever shot a chicken with an Airsoft rifle? I'm not talking about shooting it from 2 feet away or anything.. More like 25 to 50 feet so that the plastic bb hits it and scares the crap out of the thing.

My goal here is to inflict minor pain, fear and discomfort without actually harming the bird to discourage it from entering a building. I've tried throwing pine cones at them but they are too fast. I need something that can reach out and deliver a message from a distance.

Thanks,

 

[mcjessen]

While I understand you are using this method as a training method, I don't think it will work. Chickens don't get it most times. Could you just block the area they are trying to get into for a while? That may work and they will eventually forget there is an opening there. I think you'd find with the air-soft that you'll spend a ton of time continually taking pot-shots at them and they won't ever learn. Maybe someone else has some better advice. *shrugs shoulders*

 

[Murphy625]

Well I'm not the chicken expert but I do believe there are two things they learn quickly. Those are things that pertain to danger and food.

My wife can make one "bok bok bok" sound and those chickens will come running from 200 yards away expecting food.

My buddy caught them in the shop once and threw a whisk broom at them.. The broom handle caught one of the birds on the leg and broke it. We nursed the bird back to health but I noticed that we didn't have a single unauthorized intrusion for almost 3 months after that bird was injured.

The other birds seemed to have learned there was danger... although it did wear off after a while.

They make these airsoft guns that fire over 700 rounds a minute like a regular machine gun.. But its just a 0.2 gram plastic ball. With that kind of fire power, I'm sure the bird would be scared and learn something.

 

[GrandmaChickie]

I trained my chickens to respect the perimeter of our yard by always calling them home if they went to far (then giving treats), and if they didn't come, going around them and herding them home. Yes, every once in a while they still break the invisible barrier, and yes, it took constant vigilance for a few weeks, but they learned pretty quick. Chickens can be trained, and you don't have to hurt them or scare them to do it. I think you're more likely to end up with a bunch of chickens that run and scatter every time they see you coming. But I've been wrong before.

 

[Erica]

Yes, my son did. I threw his guns and ammo in the bin, threw away all his shooter playstation games, and made him write an essay (and research it) about cruelty to animals.

I'm sorry, I don't feel the chickens will stay away from that area. They'll more likely scurry around feeling stressed and frightened, but not knowing from which direction the danger is going to come. I had this problem with a garden patch, and in the end all I could do was erect a barrier. Occasionally they still get in, so I may have to net the top of the vege bed as well.

In any case, a water squirter would do less harm and probably be more effective, if you must use projectiles.

So I vote, barrier.

 

[GrandmaChickie]

Yes, a door on the building would be much more effective and probably less work!

 

[Murphy625]

Quote:
But that's a different issue. It's inclusive rather than exclusive. You aren't trying to keep them out of something, you're trying to keep them in something and I think the tactics are different. What you said about running at the sight of me is very interesting because the only time they won't let me get close to them is when they are in the shop... I can walk within feet of them on the lawn and they just ignore me but when they are in the shop, they scatter as soon as they see me coming. They know they're not supposed to be in there but they also know they are faster than I and so they take advantage of that. (or so I think)

 

[Murphy625]

Quote:
They have 10 acres to run around.. If one of those acres seems to always cause them stress, do you think they'll stay away from it? As for the chicken your son shot.. was it one shot or a full auto assault? How did the chicken respond to it and was it harmed physically or just scared?

 

[Murphy625]

Quote:
There is a door.. its a garage door that must remain open during the day. It is not practical to open and close it every time we need to pass through. If there was some other type of barrier like flashing lights or a fake owl or something that would work, I'm all ears.

 

[Murphy625]

Is that all the comments and suggestions I'm going to get? Seriously? I thought you folks would have some better ideas for me.