Secure the feed and the wild birds will leave quickly

  • No poison to kill other wildlife
  • Prevents wasted feed
  • The constant source of feed means faster growth, more eggs, and healthier chickens
  • Saves money on feed
  • Chickens learn to use quickly

 

 

 

The Best Method of Keeping Wild Birds Away from Chicken Coops

 

Poisons that find their way into wild predators, bird netting that deteriorates or causes the coop run roof to collapse when it snows, fake predators like owls that constantly need moved to keep them effective, none of these methods will work as well as simply putting the chicken feed into a treadle feeder that has a spring loaded door and a narrow and distant treadle.

Not all treadle feeders are the same though as many have wide treadle steps that can be overwhelmed by massive numbers of wild birds.  The models that have a narrow and distant treadle step work best as not enough birds can roost on the step at once to trip it and if they did the couldn’t reach the chicken feed anyway.

A large counterweight is also a good feature as it provides mass that must be moved, something that a five pound chicken does easily but wild birds weighing just ounces won’t every be able to operate.

Check out our review pages on the various treadle feeders by clicking on this link.

 

The best feature on a  treadle feeder is a spring loaded door, something that few treadle feeders on the market have.  The spring provides extra pressure to hold the feeder door tightly closed so that the wild birds can’t just push the door open.   Some of the prettiest feeders on the market don’t have this feature and while the treadle feeders are sharp looking they can’t keep wild birds out of the feed which is why we want to spend our hard earned money on such a product.

Treadle feeders are very simple, an inward swinging door operated by a narrow and distant wooden step on a treadle bar with a spring holding the door tightly closed.   When a five pound chicken steps on the treadle the door opens easily yet a wild bird standing on the ground in front of the door can’t push the door open and a dozen wild birds roosting on the treadle couldn’t reach the feed if they managed to get the treadle tripped.

 Our favorite brand is this model made by The Carpenter Shop.  It is all galvanized sheet metal, easy to assemble, holds around a half sack of feed, and best of all it has the spring loaded door, a narrow and distant treadle, and a massive counterweight.  The customer reviews are amazing, over 130 four and five star reviews and the people are not only pleased, many are ecstatic at having their wild bird or rat problem solved.

 

 

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Keeping birds out of a coop can be easy or difficult

  • Simplest solution, buy a treadle feeder
  • Enclose your entire coop in small mesh chicken wire
  • Cover the existing coop with bird netting
  • Try scarecrow type methods such as fake birds of prey, CDs hung on string
  • Netting gradually deteriorates and scarecrow methods become ineffective

“Wild birds can easily eat more feed than a flock of chickens.  While they are smaller in size there are a lot more of them and they tend to gorge on the feed before leaving.”

 

 

 

What Works, What Doesn’t?

How to Stop Wild Birds from Stealing Chicken Feed

 

Wild birds will vastly increase your feed costs and provide enormous opportunities for disease to decimate your flock if backyard chickens.  Keeping them out can be as simple as purchasing a good quality spring loaded chicken feeder or you can attempt to fence the birds out or frighten the birds away.

The simplest and surest method to control wild birds is to simply deny them access to the feed.  Birds have to eat a lot and often, they won’t survive hanging around your coop if they can’t get to the feed .

The best treadle feeders have a spring loaded door and a counterweight to ensure the wild birds can’t overwhelm the treadle with numbers or simply push the door open.

 

The best wild bird proof feeder is actually this  model sold as a rat proof feeder, manufactured by The Carpenter Shop in Oklahoma City.  The feeder came on the market in early 2012, starting out as a wooden feeder but by 2013 it had morphed into a sheet metal feeder that became the market leader due to its innovative design, spring loaded door, and massive counterweight system.  One of these feeders is going to cost you $75.00 to $100.00 depending on size and how far it has to be shipped but it is the surest method to eliminating wild birds from your coop.

 Another method is to  try to fence the wild birds out of the coop using small mesh chicken wire.   Chicken wire by itself doesn’t make a good barrier wire for a chicken coop because a larger dog or racoon can easily rip through the wire as it is merely twisted together.  People tend to use larger mesh wire that is welded together but the larger mesh also allows small wild birds through.  You can go to the expense of covering the welded wire with small mesh chicken wire or even hardware cloth if you have that kind of budget.

Next up is bird netting or deer netting that can be found in most garden departments or seed stores.   The netting will stop most birds but the netting deteriorates over time and small birds will become trapped in the mesh.

 

 

 

 The next method is trying scare the wild birds away from your chicken coop and chicken feed.  People have tried using fake owls or other birds of prey that are mounted on a post near the flock.  The wild birds eventually lose their fear of the decoys and many times your chickens are afraid of the owl decoys too.  The decoys do need to be moved constantly to trick the wild birds into thinking they are real.

Some have had success using shiny objects tied to strings such as CDs or aluminum foil or aluminum pie plates that will twist and flutter in the wind.  The wild birds will eventually realize there is no danger and the clutter is unsightly if you are the type to keep a neat yard and coop.

If you have a pack of young boys around buying a few b b guns will cut down on the wild bird numbers but there is a risk anytime you have kids and b b guns involved.

 

Another issue is if you allow your birds to free range or leave your coop door open during the day.  The wild birds will fly right in the coop and gorge on the feed.

 Other than the stolen feed the wild birds will leave their droppings everywhere and aside from the smell and filth the disease danger is enormous.  Wild birds carry many, many, varieties of parasites and disease, some of which they are carriers of without becoming sick themselves.

If you use the bird netting or deer netting and live where there is lots of snow make certain that the coop top is well braced as the netting will allow the snow to accumulate and collapse the chicken run roof.

 

 

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Barnevelder

 

 

 Barnevelder

Barnevelder breed originated in Holland, a cross between Dutch Landrace chickens and Asian chickens.  They lay a lot of large brown eggs, have orange eyes, yellow legs and feet.   They are used as dual purpose chickens and for show purposes.  They are good winter layers and are fairly docile birds.

 

The breed is good for free range as it is a good forager and relatively hardy.    The breed is actually more of a show bird here in the U.S. so the dark brown eggs of the original variety are becoming lighter brown as the emphasis is on appearance rather than egg production and color.  They have soft feathers, are reddish brown with some black feathers on their necks and tails with a beetle green sheen.

Roosters will weight around eight pounds and hens will weigh around six pounds.  The hens will lay around 180 eggs per year. 

 

 

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Aracuana

 

 

Aracuana 

Originating from Chile the bird has distinctive tufts of feathers on each side of its head.  It has a small comb, red wattles and ear lobes.   Their name comes from the Araucanian Indians of Chile.
  They were developed from two South American breeds, the Collonca and the Quetro.     The birds are also unusual because the hens and roosters are very similar in appearance. 

They are medium to large size, lay bluish green eggs,  the distinctive tufts of feathers and should have no beard, and no wattles.     The chicken is rump-less, missing the last vertebrae and missing any form of tail.  They have soft feathers and come in black, white, lavender and bluish red.

Roosters will weight around five pounds and hens will weigh around  four pounds.

 

 

 

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Andalusian

 Andalusian

 

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Originating from the Mediterranean the bird has white earlobes, reddish brown eyes, rarely goes broody and is a nervous and easily scared bird.  The birds are very nervous in confinement.   The color is usually slate blue although some can look almost black.

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Two blue birds will sometimes produce actual black offspring with mottling. They have soft feathers.  These are considered ornamental birds that were cross bred for appearance rather than utility.
Roosters will weigh around  seven  pounds, hens around five pounds.  The hens lay white eggs, usually around 165 eggs per year. 

 

 

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Australorp

 Australorp

 

 

 

The name Australorp is short for Australian Black Orpington, developed in Australia from the English Orphington in the 1890’s.   It is a prolific layer, over 300 eggs per year in commercial flocks and around 250 eggs per year in a backyard flock.
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The bird is fantastic for free range as it is hardy and calm tempered.   it is a true dual purpose breed that lays a lot of eggs and has a good meat carcass. 

The are black with soft feathers with a green sheen or pure white.    

Rooster will weigh six to eight pounds, hens will weigh five to six pounds.   The hens lay light brown eggs.   2.6 pounds Hen 1.7 pounds 

 

 

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Ancona

 

Originating from Italy the bird is easy to train and a good breed for backyard flocks.  They tend to be flighty and easily spooked but settle down once they get to know their keepers.  They are good fliers so clip one wing or have them completely fenced in.

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The breed was actually developed in England after a flock had been imported from Italy, inter bred to attain the repeating characteristics.  They are related to the Leghorn and in Germany they are called Mottled Leghorns.

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They are very broody and will produce as much as 250 eggs per year.   They are mostly black or beetle green that is mottled with white.   The toes spread out more than usually, yellow legs with black markings.  They are a hardy breed that does well on free range.

Rooster will weigh about five pounds, hens around four pounds and they lay around 220  white to cream colored eggs per year.  There are also bantam breeds.

 

 

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Brahama

 Brahama Chickens

 

 Originating from large birds brought to the U.S. from Shanghai,  Brahama birds are large and very versatile.   The original stock was extremely large, as much as 18 pounds for roosters and 13 pounds for hens.  The bird was the main meat bird for the U.S between 1850 and the 1930’s.   They will go broody, are calm and friendly birds that tolerate cold weather.  The roosters are generally not aggressive toward humans.

 

They great around children as they are calm and not skittish.    They are docile and easily trained to be handled easily.    

The birds are large with soft feathers in black, white, buff, dark, and light colors with feathered legs and feet
Roosters will weigh around twelve pounds and hens around ten pounds.  4.0 pounds Hen 2.0 pounds

 

 

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Australian Game

 Australian Game

Australian Game chickens were developed from the cockfighting breeds in Australia brought there by British soldiers in the 1900’s.  Like the English Modern Game they were developed using Malay and Old English Game fowl.  They are large muscular birds with hard brittle feathers.

The breed is very lightly regulated as there is no set set of colors or characteristics other than an athletic bird that would be suitable for a cockfight.  Alertness, health, strength, and speed is more important along with a trim muscular appearance.   There are many different colors and there are bantam varieties.

Rooster will weight around five pounds and hens around four pounds.   The eggs will white and slightly tinted colors.

 

 

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Modern Game

 Modern Game

 

 

Modern Game birds are ornamental birds not known for good egg production or meat.  They require better shelter in cold weather and room to exercise to avoid losing their usually fit appearance.   These aren’t the type of chickens once used in cockfighting but more of a poultry fancier version.  The breed appeared in England after cockfighting was outlawed, developed from Malay and Old English game fowl.

 

  The birds are easily tamed and friendly to humans so them make good pets.  They have long legs and a slender build with the earlobes, comb, and wattles usually dubbed or cut off if they are intended for show purposes. 

Rooster  will weigh eight to nine pounds, hens about five to six pounds.  The eggs are white or slightly tinted.

 

 

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