koo2cat Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Hi All Does anyone else have this problem? We have 7 hens and two grub feeders (well 3 actually but usually only put 2 out). We have to fill up the feeders each day so we are getting through quite alot of feed. I thought perhaps we had hungry chickens until I noticed that we have a hedgeful of sparrows quietly helping themselves to the layers pellets all day long!! Now I know sparrows are endangered and I am happy for them to take a bit but I am not sure I want them helping themselves to copious amounts of organic chicken feed at £10.99 a bag!!! I can't think how I can stop them other than building an enclosed run which isn't an option at the moment. Any ideas?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 You could try a treadle feeder. The chickens stand on a platform and their weight opens a flap giving them access to the food. Too large for a standard eglu run but will fit in a cube run (bit of a struggle if you have the one with a small door) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky1 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 As Mama says, or this is another type of demand feeder - again a tight squeeze in a cube run (haven't tried it myself). Its not a treadle, but the girls operate it by tapping the toggle underneath. They soon pick it up Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I have the same problem with Starlings. I have a net curtain over the eglu door made out of some fairly dense weave greenhouse shade netting. It seems to work pretty well. In the past I have tried some other types of netting barriers but they have frankly confused the chooks. With the shade netting over the run door the chickens can push it out of the way to get in and out and it helps to put off the starlings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Shirl Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 As Mama says, or this is another type of demand feeder - again a tight squeeze in a cube run (haven't tried it myself). Its not a treadle, but the girls operate it by tapping the toggle underneath. They soon pick it up Good Luck Thats a great feeder Chucky1. Where did you buy it? Mine are too light to work a treadle feeder and when they do open it it frightens the life out on them, but that looks excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helly Welly Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 We have dozens of sparrows in our garden every day but they on't touch the pellets as we have put out lots of bird feeders. We have one big bird table which mainly feeds the pigeons and three other feeders for the sparrows. The chickens hang around under the feeders, hoovering up any spillage!! Try feeding the sparrows their own food, it's definately cheaper. You could tempt them with some bacon rind, uncooked, ours love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Yes, we have that trouble too - and a robbing robin! Then when the girls free range, they eat the leftover wild bird food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 You could try putting whizzy and flappy things around the run to startle the sparrows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky1 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Hi Chicken Shirl http://www.parklandproducts.co.uk/page6.php Hope this does the trick. ps there was a thread about this a little while back - just took me a little while to track it down http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=52883 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Shirl Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Hi Chicken Shirl http://www.parklandproducts.co.uk/page6.php Hope this does the trick. ps there was a thread about this a little while back - just took me a little while to track it down http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=52883 Thank you so much. This would help me a lot, I can't leave my hens for too long as we feed them three times a day and don't leave food out for them. They are always eating things in the garden as they free range all day, but it would be nice to go out for the day sometimes. Thanks again. Shirley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Looks like a chicken merry go around fares please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koo2cat Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Thanks everyone for your replies, I didn't get the usual e-mail link to say I had a response so apologies in getting back to everyone late. I must say I like the idea of the big feeder and I could put that in the eglu run, as long as they can work out how to use it! It would be worth buying one just to see them try!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
