Birds eating Chicken feed

BMO

In the Brooder
10 Years
Oct 11, 2009
11
0
22
Only had my Chickens 6 months. I lock them up at night, but let them roam in the day.
When I leave the gate to the coop open during the day, black birds are coming in and eating all the feed. I am going thru feed twice as fast now.
Is there any way, besides closing the pen up all day, that I can keep these black birds out of the feeder?
 
I had a similar problem with wild birds going into the coop and eating me out of house and home ! I took an piece of screen from an old storm door and staple gunned it across the door opening of the coop, leaving a space of about 1 1/2 - 2 foot open at the bottom. The chickens walk right under the screening; the wild birds fly into it and could not figure out how to get in.
 
I have some problem with wild birds but not that much. My chickens actually chase them off. Hopefully moving their feeders from inside the coop to a 3 sided enclsure outside isn't going to make it a real issue.

Right now I don't mind a little thieving since it's almost all native song birds doing it.
 
Do you have a people door or a chicken door that they are coming in through? I would suggest screening material and leave about 18" at bottom if they are coming in the people door...

Or shoot for both a people door and a chicken door - use some thin cloth and cut it into strips and hang it up - may not be the most attractive thing in the world but it would work...Like a piece of a shirt on a chicken door and an old flat sheet on the people door - cut into 2" - 3" strips brushing the ground it will flutter in the wind and it will be a partial and visible barrier to keep black birds away...You'll have to temp and reassure chickens i'm sure for a couple days to get use to something new and moving - but chickens tend to get over stuff like that pretty darn quick.
 

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