Hello! Thank you at the outset for reading this.
We have a 40x20 pole barn we have enclosed and in one of the bays we have a chicken coop, we have sheep in another two bays.
Outside the barn we have a lean-to that covers the chicken run with an automatic door that allows the chickens to exit into the run from the coop.
We have covered the walls of the run with hardware cloth. We left the area above the framing for the walls open; unfortunately, doves are able to enter and exit through there.
That’s where it started. The doves were coming into the run through the space between the framing and the lean-to trusses holding up the roof in order to eat the chickens food. At first it was just a couple.
Now the doves have found the barn to be a better spot. The chickens have their routine and spend half their time in the middle hallway of the barn with the sheep and the other time in the actual run. The chickens also free range about an acre in the back pasture.
We throw scratch for the chickens into the middle hallway for our flock; unfortunately, the doves like it, too, eating scraps of what the chickens don’t want.
In the meantime, I’ve noticed my flock losing a lot of feathers and thought it was molting. I picked up Miss Diva two days ago to see if I saw anything and yes, I saw lice. I then turned on my Steve Austin Bionic Vision and looked for mites and while I don’t know if they are mites, I do see little tiny grey things crawling around, not black dots. I thought the grey things were those sugar ants.
In any case, I bought the Elector PSP and will spray the coop, run and barn hallway as well as bathe the flock.
My issue is with the doves, tho. I put up a bunch of blank CD’s, hung them from the rafters (trusses) but that has not deterred them.
I bought bird netting which I am in the process of hanging, but it’s difficult because I have chronic vertigo and I’m wary of climbing a 20 foot ladder to hang it. I wanted to cover whatever open area on the sides and front of the barn I have seen the doves fly through.
My husband is also in the process of closing up the high point of the barn front and back to make a regular doorway, he already did the back, he just needs to do the front.
First photo shows the inside of the barn looking toward the back where my husband boarded up the ceiling area.
Second photo shows the front of the barn where it is open and my husband will be closing it off with wood soon.
The sides will remain open, I was thinking of putting bird netting so they can’t fly in through the sides.
Besides the things I listed here, any other suggestions on how to keep the doves out? Thank you
We have a 40x20 pole barn we have enclosed and in one of the bays we have a chicken coop, we have sheep in another two bays.
Outside the barn we have a lean-to that covers the chicken run with an automatic door that allows the chickens to exit into the run from the coop.
We have covered the walls of the run with hardware cloth. We left the area above the framing for the walls open; unfortunately, doves are able to enter and exit through there.
That’s where it started. The doves were coming into the run through the space between the framing and the lean-to trusses holding up the roof in order to eat the chickens food. At first it was just a couple.
Now the doves have found the barn to be a better spot. The chickens have their routine and spend half their time in the middle hallway of the barn with the sheep and the other time in the actual run. The chickens also free range about an acre in the back pasture.
We throw scratch for the chickens into the middle hallway for our flock; unfortunately, the doves like it, too, eating scraps of what the chickens don’t want.
In the meantime, I’ve noticed my flock losing a lot of feathers and thought it was molting. I picked up Miss Diva two days ago to see if I saw anything and yes, I saw lice. I then turned on my Steve Austin Bionic Vision and looked for mites and while I don’t know if they are mites, I do see little tiny grey things crawling around, not black dots. I thought the grey things were those sugar ants.
In any case, I bought the Elector PSP and will spray the coop, run and barn hallway as well as bathe the flock.
My issue is with the doves, tho. I put up a bunch of blank CD’s, hung them from the rafters (trusses) but that has not deterred them.
I bought bird netting which I am in the process of hanging, but it’s difficult because I have chronic vertigo and I’m wary of climbing a 20 foot ladder to hang it. I wanted to cover whatever open area on the sides and front of the barn I have seen the doves fly through.
My husband is also in the process of closing up the high point of the barn front and back to make a regular doorway, he already did the back, he just needs to do the front.
First photo shows the inside of the barn looking toward the back where my husband boarded up the ceiling area.
Second photo shows the front of the barn where it is open and my husband will be closing it off with wood soon.
The sides will remain open, I was thinking of putting bird netting so they can’t fly in through the sides.
Besides the things I listed here, any other suggestions on how to keep the doves out? Thank you
