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[Eileen]

Has anyone got ideas for discouraging rooks from visiting my garden?

 

I let the hens free range and also ground feed a mixture of sunflower hearts, sultanas, cracked maize and rolled oats.

 

The rooks and their jackdaw buddies seem to know when I'm putting out the ground feed and come and mob the hens and wee birds, gobble up the good stuff and leave.

 

If I hold off feeding the good stuff until later, the rooks invade the eglu run and eat the layers pellets from the eglu feeder!

 

The only solution I can think of is to not feed the hens at all.

 

I feel like I'm constantly shoo-ing the big bullies away.

[Mrs Frugal]

What about tying old CDs to the branches of any trees or large shrubs that you have? This might deter them. It's supposed to work for magpies so it might work for Rooks too. Anything shiny that will flash when it's moving in the breeze might help. I hope it doesn't deter any of the little birds who aren't a nuisance though.

[Eileen]

Hi Kate,

the neighbours tried the CD idea last year, but the rooks attacked them! And after ripping the CDs down, they starting banging on their windows! At 4am! That continued all summer long.

 

I feel like we could be in line for a re-make of "The Birds".

 

This year, the windows have been left alone, but the blasted birds have focussed their attention on my poor chookies and their friends' food.

 

I tell the girls they should be aggressive and chase the invaders away, but they say "ooh - did you see that juicy bug over there? It's MINE"

[Mrs Frugal]

Oh my goodness ! They are hooligans, aren't they! I don't know what else to suggest, I'm afraid. We very rarely get rooks here and the only nuisances are pigeons. Good luck though, Eileen. I hope someone has a masterplan to get rid of them for you.

[Egluntyne]

How about a wind sock such as this

 

 

You can get them quite cheaply from ebay.

[Eileen]

That's worth a try, Egluntine...

 

both of my neighbours have flags in their front gardens.

I think I'll rig up something on a pole and attach it to the eglu run.

 

cheers!

[Lesley]

We have the same problem with crows - they are eating the ducks feed and stealing eggs We keep finding broken eggs in the sheep paddock

 

I did think about one of the wind socks - or a pretend owl/hawk - or a scarecrow.......... but will the hens be scared witless, or eggless more likely ?

[Egluntyne]

I have Stanley the Scarecrow looking after my girls.

 

They ignore him completely.

 

I got him to give the impression of a person in the garden to put the fox off.

 

This is his identical twin brother.

 

 

I got Stanley off ebay....come to think of it....he was described as a windsock.

[Lesley]

That's the nicest windsock I've ever seen!

 

We've been looking at decoy owls - they are 22" high and might do the trick.

[Egluntyne]

I know I'm a barmy old bat, but I'm really fond of him.

 

[Cinnamon]

Didn't Gordon Ramsey cook some Rook the other week?

I know its for sale at my local farmers market (although I have never been tempted!)

[Eileen]

I did a google on owl decoys and found someone who uses them to lure magpies and other corvids..... I want the OPPOSITE effect!

 

Rook pie is supposed to be tasty....

[Chocobo]

We have a tree full of rooks, at least 10 nests... And they are very loud... But personally i love rooks, their my favourite wild birds.. am i the only one who likes rooks?

[Lesley]

I love rooks Gina -especially the ones in your garden

[Chocobo]

We get baby ones down some years, last year there was one on the road which was almost ran over, we took it in and it became really affectionate towards me.. and it was soooo cute, it then returned to its flock when it got older

[Eileen]

Well, my scarecrow windsock arrived on Tuesday.... I hung him from one of the trees in the front garden, and success!

 

My chookies have been able to dine in peace.

The wee garden birds are also dining, though I haven't seen my dunnocks.... but they can also feed in the back garden.

 

I do reckon I'll have to move mr windsock around regularly. Today I've seen a patrol rook circling above.... I'll be curious to see if he comes back with his troops.

 

but - so far so good.... and I haven't been woken at 4am by the rooks for two days now!

[Egluntyne]

That is great news. Is he a Stan look alike?

[Eileen]

yes, he is one of Stan's clones.

And is that Stan as in Flat Stanley? Good name!

 

The rooks have congregated in my trees a couple of time today, eyeing the feed on the ground and eyeing Mr SC, then flying off. You can see their minds working ..... should we chance it or should we wait a bit?

 

Maybe instead of a bird under his arm, the windman shoud have an airgun?

[Happy-Mama]

The rooks in our garden pull the wild bird feeder off it's hook then eat the contents if it's empty they look towards the kitchen window as if they are expecting me to run out and refill it for them. If I'm not there they dump it in the middle of the garden. Thankfully they haven't been banging on the windows or causing any other havoc. At the moment I find them quite amusing but wouldn't if they started doing that. I'm getting a rabbit/rabbits in September so if they bother them I will get a scare crow too.

[Eileen]

I had a nice Mason Cash seed feeder which I used for black sunflower. The rooks totally destroyed it - first they figured out how to unscrew the thing, then they figured out how to knock it onto the ground, eventually breaking it. And those feeders are not made any more. Sigh.

[Happy-Mama]

Sorry to hear they broke your feeder Eileen.

It is a little scary how intelligent they are