HOW do you keep other birds form eating chicken food?

[katharine]

We have two chickens. I swear other birds eat half their food! We are home a lot so usually I give them a little food several times a day. But we want to go on a vacation! I can;t have someone come a give them food and water once a day because they will starve!

Anyone have a way to keep other birds form eating chicken food?

How about ideas for vacation care? How would they do if we brought them somewhere else for their own vacation?

thanks!

 

[thebanthams]

You are going to fool proof the birds! Netting on cages, or feed them inside? scare them off with shinning decorations? Those fake owls dont work.

 

[pigeonman]

try hanging up a few DVD disc's outside the coop they are shiny they keep the hawks away from my pigeon lofts and small birds away from chicken coop

 

[Michael Apple]

Hanging feeders rarely get wild bird turds in them. The best thing to do is cover the top of the yard with 1" chicken wire. You'd have to have small enough spacing on perimeter fence as well. I ignorantly used 2" x 2" spaced woven wire around the perimeter of the yard. It keeps out the majority of birds, but not those little finches. My other inside coop where I feed a flock inside never has that problem. The CD idea sounds good.

 

[RRIRMom]

I had that problem with the sparrows eating all my chicken feed. Once one finds it, they tell all their friends. I used garden bird net to cover the perimeter of the coup. Then, I watched to make sure it worked. Those sparrows are smart and found a tiny fold that left an opening. When I took care of that, they found a space on the ground that lipped up 2 inches. Fixed that. Now they try, fly around looking for any opening. They are relentless.

I didn't want the sparrows to transfer any diseases or parasites to my pullets. I even had to remove my humming bird feeders as it attracted them too. They would tip it so the nectar would drip out. They would work in pairs to tilt it. Soon, it became a hub frightening off the hummingbirds. Then, they would go after the chicken feed.

Removing these feeders and using the nets have worked so far ... a few still come by to see if I forgot to drape over the coop's door.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I always keep the feeder in the coop, to keep the wild birds away from it. I have water in the coop, also.

 

[katharine]

the thing is they are "free range". They have a coop and we leave it open and sometimes put food it in but 1. the dummies don't seem to realize they can go in and get food and water whenever they want and 2. the wild birds DO.

the hanging feeders, those are good to try?