I've become a slave to our wild bird population.
Every year a swallow makes her nest under the eaves of our carport. No big deal, we try to be quiet in that area and we park the cars in the yard, unless we're expecting hail. Last year a black snake climbed up there and ate her chicks. We caught him in the act. I was so upset. Mr. Black Snake is no longer on this earth. I may be a soft heart for all animals, but DH is not me.
For the past (I think) 3 years a wren has made her nest in the framework of the people door on one of my coops. The door is a double/split door similiar to a barn stall. She makes her nest in the upper half of the door. Last year she abandoned the nest. There was alot going on in that coop last spring and I guess she finally gave up nesting there.
This year, she's back. Laid 4 eggs. She's now setting. I'm am trying to be as careful and quiet around the coop as possible, but it is kind of inconvenient. I'm only checking for eggs once a day, so I don't have to keep opening the people door. I feel like an idiot doing it, but I knock on the door before entering so she has time to fly up into the rafters. If I have to open the door in the evenings, I leave it open just a crack for awhile, so if she flies off, she has time and enough light to return to her nest.
I'm not worried about mites. I've never had a problem with them. Whatever diseases she might be carrying I'm sure my birds have already been exposed to, since they free range and often share forage areas with wild birds.
My question is this - if she's having to fly off the nest a couple times a day due to human presence, are her eggs likely to hatch? Or am I taking all these precautions for nothing?
Every year a swallow makes her nest under the eaves of our carport. No big deal, we try to be quiet in that area and we park the cars in the yard, unless we're expecting hail. Last year a black snake climbed up there and ate her chicks. We caught him in the act. I was so upset. Mr. Black Snake is no longer on this earth. I may be a soft heart for all animals, but DH is not me.
For the past (I think) 3 years a wren has made her nest in the framework of the people door on one of my coops. The door is a double/split door similiar to a barn stall. She makes her nest in the upper half of the door. Last year she abandoned the nest. There was alot going on in that coop last spring and I guess she finally gave up nesting there.
This year, she's back. Laid 4 eggs. She's now setting. I'm am trying to be as careful and quiet around the coop as possible, but it is kind of inconvenient. I'm only checking for eggs once a day, so I don't have to keep opening the people door. I feel like an idiot doing it, but I knock on the door before entering so she has time to fly up into the rafters. If I have to open the door in the evenings, I leave it open just a crack for awhile, so if she flies off, she has time and enough light to return to her nest.
I'm not worried about mites. I've never had a problem with them. Whatever diseases she might be carrying I'm sure my birds have already been exposed to, since they free range and often share forage areas with wild birds.
My question is this - if she's having to fly off the nest a couple times a day due to human presence, are her eggs likely to hatch? Or am I taking all these precautions for nothing?
