Cleaning up after the wild birds

[Fuffy]

Hello
My little flock has settled in well and are wandering around comfortably, so I decided I could let them through into the larger part of their enclosure. This bit has some drain covers and a rather elaborate wild bird feeding station. So the plan is that the chooks should be allowed in there most of the time but not when the drains are being emptied...obviously.
Soooo they discovered the bird table, and spent all day yesterday cleaning up. Which is great - means there is less chance of a rat, and less wastage in genereal.
But if I leave them alone, will they eventually start eating their pellets again? The bird food is only sunflower seeds - Nothing horrible, but I do think my chooks shld have the pellets with the DE in!!! It is also too difficult to move the fencing every day!
HELP!!!

 

[elmo]

I'd be concerned about my chickens hanging out all day in the same place frequented by wild birds and their droppings.

I know you can't avoid all contact between wild birds and your flock if you free range at all, but this just seems like asking for trouble.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I agree. I feed the wild birds, but as far away from my flock as I can manage.

 

[pips&peeps]

I feed the starlings yesterday........

















some lead pellets.

My aim is getting pretty good with the air gun.

 

[Fuffy]

Thank you all for your thoughts!
Funny how I never thought there could be a problem, and yet I am the one who had trichiomenaiasis in the wild birds last year, and nearly lost them all!!!

So I have moved the bird table this am. Remains to be seen if they will still come...

In the meantime, the chooks are cleaning up the last little remains too small for me to clean up

Thanks again