Sparrow-proofing my coop.

[harrisville chicken]

I finally added some more chicken wire just below the roof and above the human door on my coop/run to keep the sparrows from flying in and stealing chicken feed from my hens. I think you can see the gap in this photo.

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Trouble is, now the sparrows are coming in the pop door below, eating a bit, then not being able to find their way out, and they're trapped. This slightly annoys my hens, who won't go in the run until I open the human door and let the sparrows fly away.
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I have one solution in mind, but would like to hear any suggestions from all of you, especially if you've had this problem before.
More photos of the coop are on my BYC page.
Thanks.

 

[jafo]

They gotta eat too,,,,,,,,,,,my chickens are very adamant on who's there for lunch. Blue Jays here, but they stay clear of the coop, and if there's anybody in the run, the jays have had it. How muchcan a sparrow eat anyway? do they stockpile? Try putting an inexpensive bird seed / feeder outside the coop???

 

[LynneP]

You're wise to block them from entering to prevent disease in the coop. If you add a porch in front of the pop door, so that the chickens exit on a right angle, it may discourage the sparrows- they dislike dark spaces.

For a chuckle concerning bats and sparrows with chickens read here-

http://moonovermartinborough.com/2009/09/19/uninvited-guest/

Maybe you need a cat!

 

[harrisville chicken]

Quote:
Sparrows can carry diseases I don't want to expose my girls to.
Plus the sparrow(s) flitting about the run prevent the hens from going it to lay. When I let the sparrows out, the hens wil then go back in (I guess to see if anything was stolen, I don't know.)

 

[elmo]

You could set up a bird feeder for the sparrows elsewhere, making that an easier meal for them.