Sparrows, how do you keep them out of the coop?

[70monte]

I can't keep the sparrows out of the coop. The hardwire on the windows and vent had pretty big squares in it for them to get in so I stapled chicken wire on the backside of the hardwire and now they just go in through the pop door. They are crapping everywhere in the coop as well as eating the feed and I'm afraid they are going to give my chickens some type of disease.

Today I watched three sparrows go into the coop through the pop door. I went over and shut the pop door and saw that one of our cats was watching the birds through one of the windows. I put the cat inside the coop and he caught one of the birds and the other two got away.

Does anyone have any suggestions or should I just not worry about it?

Wayne

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Hmm....just recently saw a thread or two on this...I'll have to look.

Here's one:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=31319

Another:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=179570

Here's another:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4906641

Also- Gallo del Cielo (fellow BYCer) fixed his coop door with strips to keep wild birds out: (scroll down to see the door)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=56638

Also he is the member that made a treadle feeder:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=56638-building-a-treadle-feeder

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Sparrows carry the northern fowl mite. It is really common for chickens to get mites, and for the owner to have to treat for them. But wild birds going into your COOP is definitely not desireable.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Owl statue maybe?

I know someone who tried it in his barn to keep swallows and pigeons out. Worked for awhile, but he didn't move it so they lost their fear of it

 

[7L Farm]

Get a trap.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Eat 'em?

yeah, I know... go away...

 

[emarble]

belive it or not I live in Missouri and in a rural missouri cookbook their is a receipe for Sparrow LMAO but it is true Myself I'm Not eatin one

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
You would need alot .

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:

Yeah, there was a thread on here about eating them a while back.

To the OP, good luck with the sparrows. My girls got poultry ticks from wild birds. I fed chickens in the coop and it brought the birds in through the pop door and the larger 1" X 2" welded wire I used. First thing I did was stop feeding in the coop so that I could decrease the risk of disease transmission. I put shade cloth strips over the pop door, which kept out everything but the sparrows. The little rascals wormed their way straight through it. Then I put 1/2" hardware cloth up on parts of my coop exposed to the outside. Those steps immediately stopped birds from entering the coop. I still had the problem of large numbers of birds getting to the feed outside (and I like to offer free-choice food to my girls). I made a treadle feeder and that put an end to my wild bird problem. I still have wild birds in my back yard, but not the numbers I was attracting with my all-you-can-eat buffet. Trapping might work in some places. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have worked for me. The numbers of birds passing through every day was simply too great to even think of trapping them all. Good luck!

 

[70monte]

Thanks for the links and advice. I do keep feed available at all times for the chickens so I may have to limit when I feed them. Maybe in the evening before they go in to roost. I do have a light in the coop so maybe they can all eat before roosting. I have two 4" pvc pipe feeders so they kind of have to take turns eating.

Anyone have any suggestions on the best time to feed if I go that route? Thanks.

Wayne