Starlings

[DebiRose]

Help! We can’t keep feeding all the starlings in town what can we do to keep the wild birds out of our chicken food we have free range chickens I put the food inside the coop but the starlings aren’t shy they go in and eat it along with the sparrows. Is there anything we can do to stop the Starlings from eating all the chicken food?

 

[EmtheFishLady]

How are they entering the coop? You need to find out how they are gaining access and remove their ability to do so.

 

[Weeg]

You can also get a treadle feeder. I love the Grandpas feeder a bunch! You can look it up online. Treadle feeders keep the creatures out

 

[hayley3]

Help! We can’t keep feeding all the starlings in town what can we do to keep the wild birds out of our chicken food we have free range chickens I put the food inside the coop but the starlings aren’t shy they go in and eat it along with the sparrows. Is there anything we can do to stop the Starlings from eating all the chicken food?

I normally have starling trouble when it's snowing and they can't get food anywhere else and they come in droves. I couldn't keep them out of a barn and they pooped in droves too.

 

[cmom]

I have a spot I put out seeds and grains for the wild birds nowhere near my coops. Luckily they don't go into the coops. Good luck...

 

[Howard E]

Get a rat proof treadle feeder. Starlings are more or less flying rats......and every bit as smart as rats. Maybe more so.

As an added bonus, you cut off the real rats, mice and sparrows too.

 

[Al Gerhart]

You can also get a treadle feeder. I love the Grandpas feeder a bunch! You can look it up online. Treadle feeders keep the creatures out

Not all treadle feeders keep the creatures out. That requires a narrow and distant treadle, a counterweight, and a spring loaded door. Even then the best feeder isn't going to stop several squirrels or a flock of pigeons or dozens rats. However the inward swinging door design will trap the critters if they get swarmed so you can dispose of them. Rats learn to avoid a feeder that will trap them. Then they leave as they begin to starve.


Grandpa feeders will not stop a flock of birds. The treadle is too wide so the birds just gang up on the treadle and eat their fill. The door is not spring loaded, they can just push the door open and eat. You have to block the treadle open for weeks during training so the rodents and wild birds continue to eat and then know that the feed is inside the feeder.

Read the negative reviews, Amazon claims a 4.6 stars but the negative reviews are 1 out of 7.

https://www.amazon.com/product-revi...e=all_reviews&pageNumber=1#reviews-filter-bar

The Grandpa feeder is a poorly designed feeder that only survives because of articles out there with affiliate links bragging about a product so they get a commission. At least if you go with a guillotine style feeder buy the knock off brands that are 50% less. Or one of the aluminum Chinese feeders that sell for under $50.00, same feeding tray, just as dangerous, but one third the price of a grandpa feeder.