song birds in the coop a problem?

[nuchickontheblock]

We just built a new coop and have not completed the enclosed run yet. Our girls mostly free-range in our fully fenced in back yard anyway. Over the weekend had some song birds go in the pop door and scratch around on the floor. I assume that they have avian lice, mites and whatever else diseases that I don't want my chickens to have.

My DH thinks that if we put some fabric strips over the pop door opening that the chickens will go through, but it will deter all the little birds (sparrows, etc.). I was going to try this approach this weekend when I have time.

Any other ideas or thoughts about this?

 

[7L Farm]

I let mine free range so I have to leave the door open so they can lay their eggs in the coop. I noticed some birds in the coop. I also found & egg that had a hole poked in it. I think the bird poked the whole.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I also had a problem with wild birds getting into the coop. I put up strips of shade cloth over the door and that worked perfectly for most birds, except the house sparrows, they simply wiggled their way through the three layers of hanging fabric strips that I installed. I wonder if vinyl strips (the kind you might see in a walk-in refrigerator) would work better to keep them out. You can look at my byc page (down towards the bottom) for all that I did to keep wild birds out. Good luck.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

Thanks for the Picture. that is exactly what my DH suggested. My concern is will they spread any diseases or lice, etc.???

 

[stargirl]

I'm fairy convinced that garden pigeons gave my hens a respiratory infection. I saw them sneezing in the garden, and my girls both started sneezing shortly after. They wander into the run to pick up spilt food, and my hens are often chasing them around the garden. There's nothing I can do

 

[ThinkingChickens]

It's hard to keep wild birds away. I've seen bluejays and woodpeckers come and eat right along side my chickens. It's strange to me that the little birds aren't afraid of the chickens, but they all seem to coexist. I'd say it's near impossible to keep them separate.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
Wild birds can spread a variety of things. My chickens got poultry ticks from the wild birds (https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=56638-poultry-ticks). I don't know if the ticks originated from a bird in the coop or one roosting in the tree above it. My back yard still has a lot of wild birds, but fewer than there were and they don't go in the coop. There's not a lot else I can do so I don't worry too much about them. Thankfully, we haven't had any other problems. I stay vigilant though and inspect the chickens every month for external parasites and once a week I check the coop at night.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

Gallo del Ciello,
Wow!! what a lot of work you did to your coop. . . . I would have been tempted to take a torch to it instead LOL. Nice coop by the way.
Thanks for the information and pictures. My girls had lice previously and that was bad, but I inspect and dust them pretty regularly and we are in the clear with those for now. Those ticks are very nasty looking! I'm not much of a fan of parasitic bugs!