How to keep wild birds from eating all my chickens' food?

i do feed them in a run - but my girls have open access to their run and unfortunately so do the wild birds and dang it if they aren't bold enough to fly right in. I think i may need to make the opening smaller. I did buy a plastic owl which is working remarkably if i put it close to the pen, but it also frightens my girls. So i'm trying to find the sweet spot before i mount it permanently
 
I also have the same problem. It started with just a couple of little sparrows that went inside the coop through a small door that goes out to the covered run. I thought it was cute. Now there are huge flocks flying in eating all the expensive organic chicken food. I was thinking about getting one of those plastic owls to mount on the roof and see if that will do the trick. I can mount it where my chickens can't see it. Hope it works.
 
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thanks for the update about the "owl" not working.
last year, I put up chicken wire over the top of my girls' run. They're in an old shed, not a traditional coop, so there was a pretty large amount of ground to be covered. I kept adding more zip ties where the chicken wire sections met, and by the end of 2015, I had pretty well managed to keep the wild ones out. HOWEVER. While we didn't have much of a winter (for once!), we did have one snowfall with heavy wet snow. Despite my efforts shaking the snow off of the fencing overhead, it ended up collapsing. So, this year I'm back to no cover. *sigh* well, gotta admit, it DID look pretty tacky with the chicken wire overhead, so....
 
I put a plastic owl in our entry to keep the swallows from nesting. YUP! You got it, they nested on it! Well, about 2 feet above it.

Absent a totally wild bird proof pen or chicken house you won't keep 'em out. You must birdproof the feed. Get/build a treadle feeder. It also is mouse proof and with the proper weighting of the treadle and cover can be made rat and squirrel proof also. Regards, Woody
 
The big Owl didn't work. The hanging CD's don't work. These sparrows are relentless! They totally invade my chicken coop, especially at night. I've gone out and checked for holes, etc. but my problem is I like for the hens to have freedom into the garden area, which leaves our door open. And I double check at night when I put them up. I've finished winterizing the coop area, we'll see what happens tonight.
 
Well, what finally worked in the ended was good ol' Mother Nature. A BIG red tailed hawk has been hanging about so much that no sparrows (or any other birds for that matter) are coming near our coop. Unfortunately it also got one of our hens, so they're all being kept in the run from here on out. (The hawk caught one bird and proceded to eat it while perched directly above the hen's run. They were showered with feathers... no wonder they stopped laying for a few days).
 
Just wanted to say thanks. I have been having a huge tiny bird problem. They have been flying in and out of my chickens run eating their feed which is frustrating because I made two chicken feeders that is suppose to keep the food inside but somehow my girls have learned how to knock it out anyhow. Ugh!

Anyhow. It has been a smorgasbord for the wildlife birds until this morning. Last night we picked up the Deer-x deer netting at Tractor Supply and as I am half way round our 12x12 foot pen, a stupid bird flies in and can't get out. Finally, it does and I finish quickly hanging it then go back and secure it.

After I feed the girls, I went in the house and watched out the window and couldn't believe how many birds were eating their food or how many types. Even a cardinal was in the mix.

Best investment ever at under $18.

Thanks!

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