Solitary chicken - need advice

[Nikipins]

The wild birds in my garden have gone a bit loopy.

 

Last year husband built a pond, we now have a thriving colony of newts and toads. I love watching the newts, I think they look like mini dragons. Anyway all was peaceful until evil genius blackbird arrived. We have a new blackbird, I know he is a new one, because he is partially albino with white speckles on his wings. He has perfected the art of fishing for newts and baby frogs in the pond. He stands on the edge of the pond, still and watching and then makes a grab for the closest amphibian. I'm sure it has fished out half a dozen in the last half hour. I know blackbirds can take the odd frog or newt but this one seems to have swapped his whole diet to them.

Next is the magpies. We used to have the occasional magpie but just lately their numbers have been increasing, I counted five of them in the chicken area earlier. I had noticed that I was getting less eggs and today there is a broken one in the nest box, I suspect the magpies have been stealing, I had spotted they were getting bolder, running up and down the run seeming unconcerned at being enclosed. Time to invest in a roll away nest box and some shiny bead curtains for the run door methinks. The chickens seem totally unconcerned being invaded by the black and white feathered fiends.

[Nikipins]

Now the pigeons have arrived to fill up on my veggies from the garden before settling down to sleep on the chimney. ready for their early morning sing song. It's amazing how the chimney magnifies the sound into the bedroom at 4.30am.......

[Nikipins]

Air rifle?

[WitchHazel]

People may be a bit squeamish about this... if you are squeamish, don't read on.

 

One of the most effective ways to deter magpies from stealing eggs is to hang a dead magpie outside the coop door. It's possible to buy magpie traps to trap a magpie, which you then have to cull, to hang up.

 

I know it sounds horrible, but it does work. We did it at our allotment after we lost baby chicks to marauding magpies.

[The Dogmother]

We do it at work on the estate too - the gamekeeper's son has magpie traps out; he is very successful and hangs their remains out by the chicken runs and near where the ducks nest.

[Angie]

I agree a bit sqeamish but very effective, my Uncle Harry used to do it every spring to protect the chooks and an occassional crow, they can be just as nasty. Other than that a new WIR perhaps.

[WitchHazel]

Don't wat to hijack the thread, but do want to say I feel so much better about it now that I know others have experience of it.

Thank you