House Sparrows

[Kev]

How do you deal with these? The problem besides the fact they're full of mites and lice, they have been sneaking their way into the pens and coops to get at the feed.. OK so I patch the gaps as I notice them.. last straw was watching to see what the latest route they have been using.. they are just squeezing through the chicken wire to get in! Last. Straw.

I got an elevator type sparrow trap, but it only caught a few sparrows. I think it isn't helping the next door neighbor has a bird feeder and they keep finding new ways to get in the pens.

Help?

 

[onthespot]

I hear ya! They are thick this time of year. I think they eat as much as the chickens! I don't do anything but mumble under my breath, but short of locking the chickens in sparrow proof hardware cloth aviary... that is too expensive for me.

 

[Rooster#3]

i have several scoped pellet guns and a semi auto 22 cal air pistol you could try a fake owl or rubber snakes near the pens but i dont know if a fake owl would scare your chickens

 

[fancbrd4me02]

My chicken pens are screened. You can buy the stuff meant for screen doors or window screens realatively cheaply, and it keeps the insects down too. The kind I got was a roll about 5 wide. Just staple it over your chicken wire. No more sparrows, possibly no more mice. Less flies.