Hello, here is the problem...
I let my two Dominique Hens forage in the late afternoon everyday (after the threat of most the hawks is over with. So far so good with that problem). The last week or so they have realized we have wood siding and it is an older house, so there have been repairs made with caulking. They are causing damage almost like woodpeckers would! They have caused quiet a bit of damage actually and yesterday evening I saw the one girl running around with a huge thread of caulking in her mouth, the other girl chasing her as though it was the greatest treat in the world. I managed to get that piece away from them, but Furbush, the more mischievous of the two girls, just goes right back and finds some more. I don't know if she is eating it. We just moved in here and painted the house a nice new color of yellow. Now there are huge spots were the wood is exposed and as I said it looks like woodpeckers have attacked the siding, only much lower to the ground.
Is there ANYTHING AT ALL I can do to prevent this? Just shooing them away, even spraying the hose in the hens general directions does nothing. It scares them away for a few minutes and they come right back! You can tell what they are up to, as you can hear them pecking away at the side of the house from inside. It is not just one spot either, they will peck anywhere along the whole back of the house. We got them for the purpose of pest control (we had a scorpion problem and haven't seen any since they started foraging) and they are doing a great job of it. I don't want to keep them in a run all day, because the whole purpose of getting them would be...pointless. They do this behavior even when I am standing outside. They look over their shoulders, see me there, start yapping to one another, and run right for the house! They are almost taunting me at this point I think.
I give them all sorts of treat, heck they eat better than I do, healthier anyhow! They have a decent sized yard to forage in as well! Plenty of bugs and they have destroyed my flowers. It's not like there is a lack of activities for them! I hope someone has a suggestion, because this cannot continue.
Any help would be most welcomed!!!
Thank you very much and Happy Holidays!
Plouffe the desert chicken!
I let my two Dominique Hens forage in the late afternoon everyday (after the threat of most the hawks is over with. So far so good with that problem). The last week or so they have realized we have wood siding and it is an older house, so there have been repairs made with caulking. They are causing damage almost like woodpeckers would! They have caused quiet a bit of damage actually and yesterday evening I saw the one girl running around with a huge thread of caulking in her mouth, the other girl chasing her as though it was the greatest treat in the world. I managed to get that piece away from them, but Furbush, the more mischievous of the two girls, just goes right back and finds some more. I don't know if she is eating it. We just moved in here and painted the house a nice new color of yellow. Now there are huge spots were the wood is exposed and as I said it looks like woodpeckers have attacked the siding, only much lower to the ground.
Is there ANYTHING AT ALL I can do to prevent this? Just shooing them away, even spraying the hose in the hens general directions does nothing. It scares them away for a few minutes and they come right back! You can tell what they are up to, as you can hear them pecking away at the side of the house from inside. It is not just one spot either, they will peck anywhere along the whole back of the house. We got them for the purpose of pest control (we had a scorpion problem and haven't seen any since they started foraging) and they are doing a great job of it. I don't want to keep them in a run all day, because the whole purpose of getting them would be...pointless. They do this behavior even when I am standing outside. They look over their shoulders, see me there, start yapping to one another, and run right for the house! They are almost taunting me at this point I think.
I give them all sorts of treat, heck they eat better than I do, healthier anyhow! They have a decent sized yard to forage in as well! Plenty of bugs and they have destroyed my flowers. It's not like there is a lack of activities for them! I hope someone has a suggestion, because this cannot continue.
Any help would be most welcomed!!!
Thank you very much and Happy Holidays!
Plouffe the desert chicken!