Scrub Jays -- Help!

[JenniferK]

We have a henhouse/outdoor run that are pretty secure from any kind of predator, but we let the hens out into a larger run during the day with access to their coop. I thought our hens were pecking their eggs until I caught a scrub jay inside the hen house. Usually what we find is one pecked egg a day, generally with a fairly small hole and most of the egg still inside. At one point we had chicks in a small pen just inside the hen house door, and the little corridor that made just inside the door seemed to deter the jays for a while, but now they're back. The fake flying owl that we posted outside the coop didn't seem to make any difference at all. Does anyone have suggestions?

 

[Doc Henry]

Rollout nest boxes?

 

[Lofty Dreams]

I have a cat named Pumpkin he goes after wild birds,but leaves my chickens alone. They dont bother him at all as a matter of fact, he goes into my chicken coop checking for the house mice not finding anything. I have heard of trap-door nest boxes
+ you can tell what hen layed what egg
- you have to take them out

 

[tammyd57]

I would try hanging a piece of fabric over the coop door like a curtain. The jays probably won't push it aside to get in but the chickens won't have any problem getting through.

 

[3chimama]

I like that fabric over the door idea!

 

[JenniferK]

Fabric over the door sounds like a good idea, and easy to try. I'm not sure what is meant by roll out nest boxes... Do you mean where the eggs roll out? I think that would require some pretty major structural changes to our hen house.

 

[Doc Henry]

Yes you would have to make structural changes but they come with other benefits like ease of gathering eggs and they will keep your chickens from ever eating their own eggs. I don't see the changes as major but you would have to cut an opening if you dont already have one.

 

[la dee da]

Quote:
Maybe instead of tilting to the outside you can make a little area inside that the eggs will roll into. The area with have only one open side so every other side is covered with wood.

 

[JenniferK]

Thanks for the suggestions, all of you. I made a curtain with a bunch of slits in it and so far today it seems to be working, but I have a feeling that eventually it won't and then we'll be looking at the roll out nest boxes...

 

[High Roost Ranch]

Quote:
If the curtain fails, try loading up some eggs with habanero hot pepper sauce or something similar that will singe the tail feathers off those scrub jays.