New hens not going into Eglu Go Up

[bim]

Has anyone found a good way of preventing wild birds and rats helping themselves from food left in the 'grub' holder thing? I feel as though we are feeding the entire wild life population in our garden!!

[fluffy chick]

Hmm we don't seem to have a problem but was considering rescuing a cat to keep mice and rats away. Although my neighbour has a cat so maybe that's helping. I assume you're bring the feed in at night? It might help to take the food in earlier so the chooks clear the ground before bedtime. As for wild birds I'm at a loss although a cat might keep them away too

 

Of course you could consider putting rat traps out (obviously not where the chooks can go!)

[bim]

thanks for the suggestions ...............

BUT

We already have a cat - although she can't get into the chicken run.

At night the wild creatures can't get in to the food because we shut the end gate on the eglu run.

The grub food holder is permanently on the side of the run, which the chickens have access to all day. We let them out into a bigger run for the day time, which is open to wild birds. It's mainly pigeons that help themselves.Maybe I should get a shot gun!

[fluffy chick]

hmm pigeons are a pain here too actually but so far havent gone down into the run. I'm not how to stop them except putting netting over the top of your big run some how. It sounds like you have a similar set up to me. Are you sure mice etc cant fit thru the holes of the eglu run? I once saw a wild wee bird inside my run!

[Lavenders_Blue]

A treadle feeder might be a solution. I think Chucky Mama uses one, so might be able to give you some more info if she sees this thread.

[clucker1]

I have noticed today a pigeon busy building its nest in the trees above our chicken cube. Can pigeon poo cause any problems for my chickens, ie if it drops through the roof of the run? Could put the girls rain cover over as a permanent thing. Also, shortly will be building them a WIR, any ideas? Thank you!

[Chucky Mama]

I have a problem here with pigeons and like everyone else, the odd rat. I use a treadle feeder like THIS It is set so that the weight of the chicken (heavier that a pigeon and rat) on the 'platform' opens the feed trough. I don't know how much different makes of treadle are, I suspect they are all pretty much the same. I find mine intermittently frustrating. Mash clogs and pellets can block. I find in the cold weather a little condensation forms on the inside causing the food to get damp and clog in the overly narrow outlet- only a little and only occasionally but just enough to be annoying. It does however keep the rats and pigeons away. I would love to be skilled enough to make

as the design is much better. I keep trying to persuade OH to build me one but so far no joy. I may splash out and buy a Grandpa Feeder as I think the design is less prone to clogging. If you have bantams and they are a similar weight to a fat pigeon, you wont really be able to tackle the pigeon problem.

 

I have stopped feeding wild birds in my back garden as I find that the chickens sit under the feeders picking up spillage. This means that they are eating seed that is contaminated with wild bird droppings. I now feed the wild birds in the front garden which works very well. We now have a male pheasant who has set up home in the front garden called Fergus

[Guest]

I treated myself to a grandpa feeder and am so pleased I did as it saves me bringing in the grub feeders every night. Although I have not observed any unwanted furry things in the vicinity of the cube, I didn't want to tempt fate, and being petrified of rats chose the grandpa feeder. The chickens took a little longer than the 2 weeks to get used to the idea of eating out of this metal contraption, but after 4 weeks they have all mastered it without getting their heads chopped off!! Expensive - yes, worth the money - definetely.

[Duncan08]

We have always fed the wild birds and have a few different nesting boxes, a resident hedgehog last year was living under the old shed that we took down so we had to make a new house for him, and we have had field mice nesting but not too many and I havent seen them for ages, they are fun to watch though, they would come out at dusk and pick all the tasty bits of seeds the birds had dropped, they are no bother outside as long as they do not get too many and they stay outside!

 

I don't bring the feeders in at night, but don't think they are being raided as there is always plenty in them.

If I did find them emptying out too quickly, for their height I would have to think Rat rather than mice and then I would start to bring them in.

 

I had been throwing an extra handful of corn out for a pair of wood pigeons that visit. BUT this morning noticed about 8- 10 of them in the garden so that is going to have to stop! We also have a resident robin who has his own territory and loves his share of our girls mealworms.

 

We enjoy them all, (But I don't want to be overrun with the Pigeons), not sure though about having them pooing directly above the run. I think would need to adjust it a little.

[Henhathnofury]

There is a sign there that you might possibly have rats, Duncan. Every summer we have the same pattern: lovely little field mice, big eyes. Cute as buttons. Then they disappear. The reason is that mice disappear when rats move in - they cannot co-exist. You may not have seen them because they are largely nocturnal. But if you do see any in the day - that means there are too many and/or they are sending out a weaker scout to test the food/nesting site.

[Duncan08]

Thanks for your post, that happened to us last year. And we ended up with a big rat living under the old timber shed. He had taken over the mices den, he was living on all the wild bird food stored in the greenhouse. We never caught him, but did catch some mice who must have fled to the neighbours shed in a humane trap.

You really need to be vigilant though, we had to stop feeding the birds for a few weeks and make sure anything edible was stored securely.

We seem to be okay here, my friend lives near a golf course and has given up feeding the birds completely or they end up with loads of them!