How To Keep Sparrows From Eating My Chicken Feed?

[June Chick]

Alright. I feed 8 chickens and 7 ducks, and apparently, about 50 sparrows. One of those 3 is not supposed to be eating here... take a guess.

How can I get them away? I don't mind one or two, but honestly 50 throughout the day is WAY too many! Their charging me double what I should be buying for chicken feed, and it's not ok.

So, how do you keep them away? I will NOT shoot them, poison them, or harm them in any other way. Scaring them, I'm fine with, but I don't know how.

 

[Compost King]

Maybe a trap would work... a trap too small for the chickens. The only problem is that no matter where you relocate them... they will just fly back!

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I am in the same situation. I have netting over the run, but got larger openings so that snow can fall through. Well, it's perfect for sparrows to get through. I tried cds. Well, the cds are flying around in the wind with the sparrows in the run.
I can't build a fortress to kerp them out.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I keep feed in my raised coops with only the chicken door open. I've only found two birds in there in 2 years. But I've always had feed in the coop.
The 50 birds will find it if you put inside. Covering your whole run top and sides with 1 inch chicken wire would be the cheapest way i know of. GC
ETA; if you get snow or ice where you live. You will need something stronger for the top.

 

[Folly's place]

I too have house wrens, and they bring the mites or lice, and could bring nasty chicken diseases if you're really unlucky. Only a secure coop and run will keep them out, and only feeding in there. Fewer will go inside through a low door, like a chicken door, but they will still learn about it.
You could keep your birds in that wren-proof coop and run for a week or two, which will discourage some of them.
For some reason, my chickens, who would kill and eat rodents or other small animals, don't harass these rotten wrens!
My previous (late lamented) barn cat would get them if possible, but nobody else out there right now cares.
Mary

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I switched to a pellet ration as the sparrows can't eat them as easily. Keeping feed inside with only a smaller door for access can help, otherwise there's not much else you can do. You could try trapping, but usually more birds just move in to take over the territory.

 

[GRB73]

I have this problem too. The sparrows wait until I open the run door and in they fly. I covered the entire run in bird netting--It has small holes to prevent birds from becoming stuck.
That mostly did the trick but the birds still fly in if the run door is left open, which it usually is if my chickens are free ranging.

 

[June Chick]

They're already on a pellet diet, and the run door is almost always open because my chickens free range... So I'm stuck with them? :/

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You could try those treadle feeders.

 

[June Chick]

You could try those treadle feeders.

Thank you! I didn't even know those were a thing. They do run up a price though. Has anyone ever made one and had it work correctly?