HELP! Starlings!

[teckelhut]

I have never had a problem with Starlings in the past. but this year we had a mild winter and a dry spring and the Starling population just EXPLODED! They are squeezing through my 1 inch wire to get into some of my coops and they are digging under the coops to get into the ones that have rabbit wire. I am at wits end on what to do! They poop all over the waterers. They poop in the chicken feed. They annoy some of my hens to the point where they do not want to lay. I go out there every hour and literally find 10 to 20 Starlings in each coop. I am killing as many as I can but most escape once I open the coop. Only to come back in later. Anyone have any suggestions? This is getting out of control.

 

[artsyrobin]

i have a pet starling and they are really smart- might try one of those plastic owls to help deter them

 

[teckelhut]

I never thought about that! Yes. I can get those owls locally. At this point I will try anything. I like birds, seriously. ANY kind of birds. But I am not kidding when I say there are over 50 around my place right now.

 

[Kelsie2290]

http://www.sparrowtraps.net/
This is a repeating sparrow/starling trap. I got a couple last summer because I was having so much trouble with sparrows, they worked equally well with starlings when they were migrating through in the fall. For a couple of months I was catching 20+ birds a day in them.
Using them I have found that they work better if you have them on a solid surface and raised up a little off the ground on something like a piece of plywood or skid. Make sure the back end with the trap is a little higher than the front (there is a small piece of swinging wire that keeps the birds in the main part of the trap once they are caught, if it leans the other way they will figure out how too get under it and out. Keep a live bird or two in the trap, with sparrows a male adult sparrow works best, with the starlings use an adult not a juvenile. If you use them where the chickens can get to the trap, put some 2x4 wire or something around the trap the chickens can not get through but the birds can... my chickens very quickly learned to stick their head in the bait tray and eat the seeds... I use regular birdseed usually.

 

[teckelhut]

That looks like just what I need! I will order one right now. Thanks!