Any advice for keeping starlings out of my hen coop?

[Jamcar]

Hi everyone,
I’d really appreciate a bit of advice if anyone’s been through this.

I’ve around 20 hens, and everything’s been running smoothly for years — until the last six months. Now I’m getting swarmed by starlings, sometimes a couple of hundred of them at a time. They’re playing havoc with my automatic feeders, so I’ve had to start feeding the hens manually twice a day.

If I fill the feeders, they’re cleaned out in no time. And when I open the coop door, the starlings just fly out in a cloud.

I’ve tried silver reflective tape (worked for a while), and even a fake owl, but they’ve gotten used to both.

Has anyone found a humane way to keep them out? I’d be really grateful for any ideas or methods that worked for you.

Thanks a million,

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Hi everyone,
I’d really appreciate a bit of advice if anyone’s been through this.

I’ve around 20 hens, and everything’s been running smoothly for years — until the last six months. Now I’m getting swarmed by starlings, sometimes a couple of hundred of them at a time. They’re playing havoc with my automatic feeders, so I’ve had to start feeding the hens manually twice a day.

If I fill the feeders, they’re cleaned out in no time. And when I open the coop door, the starlings just fly out in a cloud.

I’ve tried silver reflective tape (worked for a while), and even a fake owl, but they’ve gotten used to both.

Has anyone found a humane way to keep them out? I’d be really grateful for any ideas or methods that worked for you.

Thanks a million,

I hate starlings.... they're an invasive species that was somehow brought over and released in the states and they cause so much damage...

anyway...
I think the only thing you'd be able to do that would ACTUALLY work is fully fence in your chicken coop and run, with a top. No birds in or out. (Bonus if it keeps out mice)

Feeding only when your birds are in the run. Then when you free range, make sure the food isn't accessible in case starlings come in.
I don't know how long it would take for them to move on, or if they'd keep coming back year after year.

Wild animals can also bring in diseases and pests, like mites, that could go unnoticed until it's out of control.
So being able to keep them out, AND having a coop you can fully sanitize, is important.
(Not to scare you. But prevention is key.)