Not in the mood to feed European Starlings…

[alwaystj9]

Is it necessary to leave feed out all the time?

 

[SemiSweet2391]

Is it necessary to leave feed out all the time?

I suppose not, but the convenience of not having to worry about their food is appealing to me

 

[alwaystj9]

Between ants, goats, mice/rats and wild birds all wanting to chow down, I couldn't afford to leave feed out all the time. I naively thought they would get full and move on. Nope. None of the free-lunchers ever got full and moved on, they just decided to homestead. Now I just feed mine at set times and just enough so they clean it up by morning. It's also the only time I can see all the birds together and can monitor the flock for health and other issues.

Some people use treadle feeders to keep mice and rats out. It might keep wildbirds out too.

 

[saysfaa]

You might take a look into nesting sites. I don't think it will solve your problem but it might help in the long run.

It is even more likely to help the native species. Starlings devastate bluebird, purple martins, northern flickers, woodpeckers, and others by killing their eggs and chicks.

 

[SemiSweet2391]

You might take a look into nesting sites. I don't think it will solve your problem but it might help in the long run.

It is even more likely to help the native species. Starlings devastate bluebird, purple martins, northern flickers, woodpeckers, and others by killing their eggs and chicks.

Like look for starling nests? And destroy them..?

 

[saysfaa]

Like look for starling nests? And destroy them..?

That is one option.

Another is providing nests that the native birds can use but the starlings can't.

Old patterns for making bluebird nests had entrances big enough for starlings too. Newer patterns have a precise size that lets blue birds in but not starlings. Purple martins are too big for that to work but using a crescent-shaped entrance instead of round will work.

At the least, if you have old stype bluebird or purple martin nests around - take them down between nesting seasons if you can't do it during the nesting season.

And repair buildings that let starlings in. We had a few such buildings.

 

[SemiSweet2391]

That is one option.

Another is providing nests that the native birds can use but the starlings can't.

Old patterns for making bluebird nests had entrances big enough for starlings too. Newer patterns have a precise size that lets blue birds in but not starlings. Purple martins are too big for that to work but using a crescent-shaped entrance instead of round will work.

At the least, if you have old stype bluebird or purple martin nests around - take them down between nesting seasons if you can't do it during the nesting season.

And repair buildings that let starlings in. We had a few such buildings.

Ok this is great! We do have a birdhouse, so I will check the size of it.

 

[Penpal]

In order to get the intruders to leave you alone, don't leave out wild bird food. It's the middle of summer, the wild birds will find food at this time of the year. The more you feed them, the more eggs they will lay (not so with all birds).

In the evening put the chickens in their shelter and give them enough food and water to last until you would normally feed them in the morning. This way, when you let the out they don't need food. In early afternoon feed them in the coop, unless you don't see starlings in which case you can leave them outside.

If you are able to set them up on a schedule where they have enough to fill up on, but not more, there won't be food left for the intruders. I would not normally suggest keeping food in the coop, but if you do that and close the door, they can fill up without being bothered by the starlings. This is how you teach the starlings that the gravy train is empty. I don't know how long it will take for them to stop seeing your chicken yard as a lunch wagon.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Dealing with wild birds is easier than dealing with squirrels or rats but the same Howard E. posts on dealing with rodents apply. Find his posts using the search feature.

There are basically three methods starting with the cheapest and most effective.

Sanitation, bulk feed in metal drums with tight lids, clean up pathways used to get to and from their nesting site, a bit impossible to do with birds, so natural predators can thin them out. Then a proper rat proof treadle feeder, and most are not at all ratproof or wild bird proof for that matter. It needs a distant and narrow treadle, not a big wide step close in. It needs the door spring loaded and set at least three to four pounds for rats, a bit less for hordes of wild birds, and at least five pounds for squirrels. Watch the negative reviews and don't trust any "review" sites with Amazon links, they are commission driven sales, they will not be honest.

Exclusion, Ft. Knox coop. No free range.

Elimination, poison and or traps. Probably not possible with flocks of wild birds, might even be illegal. Not a long term solution, when one population is gone a new flock will move in.

But, as soon as you stop feeding the starlings they will move on, they have to hustle for natural food or starve to death. Take a look at this blog, one of my customers, that talks about how they solved their wild bird problem. https://fifthcrowfarm.com/new-grant-funded-chicken-feeders-installed/ This was over ten years ago, every few years they buy more springs so the feeders are still in use. The key is keeping them up out of the mud and poop so they don't corrode.

 

[Love Donkeys]

The only time and place my chickens can get their grain is 8:30am in their coop. Never any grain left outside. At 4pm they get Scratch-feed on the ground, they never leave a speck of behind....

The problem with allowing wild birds feed along with your chickens is that......
1. You have to buy extra grain.....
2. The extra cost starts to add up.....
3. Wild birds can carry Avian Influenza which they will pass along to your
chickens.....
4. Chickens with bird flu usually have to be destroyed......