surferdog Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Wondered what the attraction was for this part of the garden. The blackbird is throwing down seed for them! I guess now I'll have to fence it off because of the health implications (Run chickens.... we're all going to die! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I sprinkle stalofan f weekly under my bird table . hope that is good enough as the wild birds have freerange of my garden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jill the potter Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Maybe dumb question, but why would you have to fence off this area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surferdog Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 I don't think they're supposed to 'fraternise' with wild birds because of the risk of disease. Probably too late now..... and anyway I'd rather see them running round occasionally than shut up all the time. Best to live a full life with all the associated risks..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jill the potter Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I agree. Can't see how you can have both. However, Korma has started chasing off other birds, particularly backbirds, from the garden. Thought the cats were bad enough!! Do anyone else's girls do this? Has really confused the blackbirds I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Dove's allowed .. pigeons chased away. all others ignored Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I'm afraid our girls forage under the bird table all the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenmb Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 If they are free ranging in any case and birds are in your garden then I would think that they would be no more likely to 'catch' anything from the wild birds by scavenging below the feeders. Sprinkling the Stalosan is the best option if you have some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomin Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Maybe I'm just unlucky then, my Skye has been ill for over a month and only just getting better. Her illness (some sort of bacterial infection with the most awful white diarohhea sp?) co-incided almost exactly with me hanging up two bird feeders that I'd got a couple of weeks before for my birthday. They used to forage about underneath all the time. When I asked the vet (an avian specialist) whether this had been a factor in her illness he said that it wasn't a good idea to encourage wild birds into the garden if you kept chickens and told me that it would need to be 'addressed'. I know you can't stop them coming in your garden, but our bird feeders attracted loads of birds - as they would! I even used to put live mealworms out for them. It didn't help that Skye was moulting at the time so was at a low ebb and as such more vunerable. It's a risk we have to weigh up - same as foxes with free-ranging I guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Our bird feeders are in the chickens bit of the garden and the bird table is just outside it. We also get the wild birds flying into their run to pinch the food. I'm not going to move them and will just put stalosan down. Hope Skye is on the mend now moomin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I agree. Can't see how you can have both. However, Korma has started chasing off other birds, particularly backbirds, from the garden. Thought the cats were bad enough!! Do anyone else's girls do this? Has really confused the blackbirds I think My 3 louts see off the magpies and I'm sure I saw a green woodpecker exiting stage right at a rate of knots the other day.. Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomin Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Hope Skye is on the mend now moomin. Yes she is thanks, abwsco, took a while though I think Stalosan is a pretty good 'catch all', it even gets rid of Coccidia which the wild birds can carry This is what the vets thought my girl had initially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busybird Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 The lawn under our bird table has been scratched totally bare by the chooks foraging for fallen sunflower hearts. OH is 'in charge' of feeding the wild birds and our girls move as quick as they do for anyone when he appears from the back door and heads for the big shed that houses the wild bird feed. They know that he will throw a few handfulls in their direction when he tops up the feeders. This is the OH who raises his eyes to heaven when I talk of my dream of a walk in run, a cube and a flock of chickens. And when I see him with our three I know it is worth keeping on with that dream Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenmb Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 This is the OH who raises his eyes to heaven when I talk of my dream of a walk in run, a cube and a flock of chickens. And when I see him with our three I know it is worth keeping on with that dream My dream turned into reality with a Cube, Walk in Run and now 7 girls! Sending positive thoughts to your OH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
