Anyone know how to keep wild birds out of your feeders? I have a feeder in the coop and one outside for the ducks & chickens. I looked outside a little while ago and there must have been 20+ wild birds doing their very best to eat all the food. I have accepted that the crows/black birds eat the leftover dog & cat food, but that is after the animals have a chance to eat (I feed the dogs & cat at night). But I can't afford to feed every wild bird in the neighborhood. A few I don't mind but 20+ is too many. I moved the outside feeder into the duck hut but I can't keep it there all the time. I don't want to get a fake hawk or owl because I don't my girls to get used to a sitting hawk/owl and become used to the sight. We have both REAL predators here. Any other suggestions, please?!
The only way to get rid of them is to stop leaving the feed out. If you're feeding the birds, chances are you're feeding the mice too. I feed my chickens on the ground, so there isn't any left over at the end of the day. Good luck!
Get one of those feeders that require the chickens to step on a lever in order to access food? larger wild birds will still be able to get to it, but the smaller ones (and the mice) will be less capable. https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=56638-building-a-treadle-feeder Edited to link to the BYC do it yourself treadle feeder rather than a random website.
I was advised, as a general rule, to only put as much feed out in the morning as the chickens will eat by late afternoon. Then supplement with some scratch and/or other snacks in the evening. Leave no food out overnight. So really no leftovers sitting around to attract unwanted guests, I presume. I have to admit, I haven't tried this method yet since my chicks are still indoors and given free choice. Once they go out, I plan to follow this method, though. The last thing I need/want is to feed every rodent and wild bird in the neighborhood....we have bird feeders elsewhere on the property for that.
Thank you Will be putting the feed up at night, mice really not a problem outside, my cat brings me all kills (trophies) and he hasn't brought me anything in a long time. Actually the last thing he brought me was a mole that was killing my garden. Will also put a smaller feeder inside the duck coop so that the ducks can get food. Which is the only reason I have food outside anyways. My flock free range and the chickens have a hanging feeder in their coop, they will just have to go inside to eat from now on.
This won't work on crows (they're too big and too smart), but it WILL cut down your population of blackbirds, starlings, and English sparrows: http://sparrowtraps.net/ As I understand it, blackbirds are a protected species, but starlings and English sparrows -- being introduced pests that prey on native birds -- are NOT. We've been using this trap successfully for almost a year now, and it has really cut down on the local population.
