Starlings

[aoxa]

I understand. It is not an ideal solution for many! Sometimes it works on farm situations.
The bird traps that they sell for european sparrows and starlings do work quite well.

Thanks

I'll see if I can my hands on some. Do you think locking the birds up for a few days will force them to move on while I wait on a trap?

 

[Nambroth]

Thanks

I'll see if I can my hands on some. Do you think locking the birds up for a few days will force them to move on while I wait on a trap?

If you are having weather anything like here (cold, snow) then it might be worth a try as long as it's not detrimental to your chickens. Starlings, as all wild birds, need to feed daily in this cold to survive. Unless someone nearby is feeding them or they have a good food source, it's possible they'll move on. They won't forget your place as a food source, but perhaps if they come back you will have traps ready!

For what it's worth in case you feed wild birds, I have found that they won't eat black oil sunflower, safflower, or thistle. I only put these out for wild birds now and the starlings don't come. They used to come for the suet feeders but I've dissuaded that!

 

[aoxa]

If you are having weather anything like here (cold, snow) then it might be worth a try as long as it's not detrimental to your chickens. Starlings, as all wild birds, need to feed daily in this cold to survive. Unless someone nearby is feeding them or they have a good food source, it's possible they'll move on. They won't forget your place as a food source, but perhaps if they come back you will have traps ready!

For what it's worth in case you feed wild birds, I have found that they won't eat black oil sunflower, safflower, or thistle. I only put these out for wild birds now and the starlings don't come. They used to come for the suet feeders but I've dissuaded that!

That's very helpful! Must be why they've never bothered my feeders before, as we only fed safflower I believe.. It is VERY cold. It has been the coldest week this year. Coldest day was -41.8F

They were never a problem in spring/summer and fall. Must be the lack of food. They come in droves. It's insane!

 

[Nambroth]

This cold snap is making a lot of wild animals do things that they don't regularly do, in search of food. In many parts of North America, the normal food sources (both natural such as seed and nut trees, in addition to our manmade crops) did not produce much mast this year due to weather patterns and ecological patterns, so there was less food overall to start with.