food for chickens or food for sparrows???

[charlies]

We have a feeder for our 5 chicken which lives inside the hen house and is available at all times.

However it appears that the sparrows have discovered peck 'n lay and love it. Cant help feeling that its a bit expensive to be feeding the wild birds too! they finish it every day leaving the chickens starving....

The hen house is open for the chickens to come and go and the sparrows are getting in through the door.

Any one else have a solution?

help!

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
If they're the european weaver finch...what most folks call a "sparrow" and is frequently seen at McDonalds eating fries that folks have dropped then....shoot'em!!!! They're flyin' mice!!! Imported from europe by a very stupid individual, they take over other cavity nester's cavities, pecking the eggs (and chicks) of our tit-mice, chickadees, bluebirds, etc.,. Our true native sparrows don't use cavities, they're cup nesters. If they're coming in droves I'm pretty sure their weaver finches...look for the black bib on the male. European weaver finches are an invasive, non-native species and are not protected.

Here's a about the flyin' mice...

American Bird Conservancy

 

[2DogsFarm]

Would a double layer of poultry wire or deer netting keep the finches out?

I'm with IntheSwamp - I HATE these "sparrows"!
In my barn they have destroyed the eggs & fledglings of a poor, dumb robin who put her nest in my rafters. She keeps laying, they keep tossing the eggs - sometimes with embryos and once a poor little nekkid fledgling - onto the barn floor.

Even the bigger starlings steer clear of them. Only the barnswallows take no sh*t from these sparrow-wannabees.
The swallows chase them out anytime they come anywhere near the swallow nest.

 

[Intheswamp]

Double layering poultry wire might help but you'll have to be pretty exact on getting the layers to overlap so that the holes are small...probably using 1" hex wire would be required. 1/2" hardware cloth would be best but the most expensive, especially if you have a large area to protect. Trapping the vermin is the best.

Ed