Mad at the chickens

[Lynette]

I let my chickens out when I get home from work to free range. I feed wild birds, so I have bird feeders. My chickens always run right over to the feeders and start scratching around and eating what is on the ground. Any time a bird lands on the ground they will chase it. I just say my RIR snatch a bird up off the ground that was trying to eat, start shaking it violently and kill it. I couldn't get out in time to save it and the chicken took off with the bird in its beak. Of course it tore it up and ate it. I am pretty angry! I have been feeding wild birds for 12 years. I don't like the chickens under the feeders hogging something that isn't theirs. I can't fence off the feeders because it would just be too much hassle. I am thinking about not letting the chickens out for a while if they can't stay away from the feeders. Either that, or I am going to have to try and lay some scratch on the ground and hope they stay there.

 

[lorieMN]

chickens are not humans and so wont understand the "if you cannot behave you cannot be out" thing..the chicken was just being a chicken,,you will have to either keep them locked up or put a fence around the feeders to keep them out..no sense being mad at them,they really dont care..

 

[WoodlandWoman]

You let your chickens out to free range in your yard, because it's their home. The food they forage in their own range IS their food. Seeds, green feed, insects, worms, frogs, lizards, small mice and small birds that they find to eat are their food. Some of the wild birds eat other birds, too. It's not just the raptors, either. I know it's disturbing to watch, but it's a natural behavior.

Fencing would not only prevent accidents like that, it would reduce the risk of disease and parasites being spread between the wild birds and your chickens. I can understand where that might be inconvenient, though. I don't know what kind of feeders you have or what type of seed you feed, but some of these ideas may help reduce the interaction between the wild birds and your chickens. It's possible you are already doing all of this.

Do you have a platform feeder for the birds that like to feed on the ground? It would give them a safe place to eat, when the chickens are out. They're very popular with the birds in my yard, as they are easy to land on. All the ground feeding birds will eat on them in my yard.

Once the chickens clean up the seed on the ground under the feeders, it should reduce the number of birds there, also. You can also rake that area to clean it up. Do you use trays attached to the bottom of your feeders? They can catch spilled or dropped seed and reduce the amount that falls to the ground. Birds can then eat that spilled seed from the tray.

Do you feed any mixed seed? I've noticed that when I've used mixed seed in a feeder, many of the birds will dig through it for their favorites and spill a lot of seed. Now I only have one type of seed in any particular feeder and there is much less waste.

Your local population of wild birds may very well learn to stay away from your chickens, over time.