Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: jonesblack on July 09, 2010, 09:45

Title: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: jonesblack on July 09, 2010, 09:45
Has anyone got an idea that will stop crows form eating the chickens pellets?
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: jonesblack on July 09, 2010, 10:01
Tried that, too many crows and no i don't have a shot gun  licence!
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: carolbriar on July 09, 2010, 10:41
We are just in the process of covering our fixed run with chicken wire to stop the blessed things coming in and eating the food.  We must be feeding half the population of jackdaws, crows etc in our area. I look forward to a bag of layers pellets lasting me longer :)
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: carolbriar on July 09, 2010, 10:51
I made a crow out of an old sock and black cardboard wings and beak and hung it on the side of the run - they all ignored it!  It did look very realistic - everyone who saw it thought it was real.  I didn't put any legs on it though - perhaps that was the problem :wacko:
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: mole trapper on July 09, 2010, 11:49
Better than a larson trap, look into a ladder trap, catches multiple crows only down side is that it is quite a size and yo then have to kill them.  my worst problem is sparrows at the moment!  they sneek into shed and clean me out!
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: TeaPots on July 09, 2010, 12:34
I had a similar thread on here about a month ago...have some trees and a huge rookery alongside my garden, with over 30 crows at a time descending!  :ohmy: A really good friend came, shot about 8 in an hour, and Most of them have moved house now, only one or left, and as I said on that post, all the wild birds in East Anglia have now been wormed  ::)
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: GrannieAnnie on July 09, 2010, 13:03
I have the same problem with all the wild birds getting through about 3kgs a day of pellets!  Runs too big to cover over, and even the feed I put inside gets eaten by them!

Darn things!
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: TeaPots on July 09, 2010, 13:27
Yup,   the little robin and sparrows go right into the coop for whatever they can find   :mad:
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: joyfull on July 09, 2010, 18:28
if you use a treddle feeder this may put them off.
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: GrannieAnnie on July 09, 2010, 22:29
You wanna buy me 14 treddle feeders Joy??   :D :D :D
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: joyfull on July 09, 2010, 22:38
when I win the lottery I will buy you 15 then you will have a spare one  :lol:
Slightly off topic I have found a place in Nottingham that has a couple of big plastic barrels for you that I can have next time I go in with the big van - they have lids as well and are clean  :D
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: GrannieAnnie on July 09, 2010, 22:47
Oh Joy, you are very good to me!  But I don't want big plastic barrels!  Brian does!  But he hasn't done anything with the barrel you gave him the other week!  Don't put yourself out, he's not worth it!
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: carolbriar on July 11, 2010, 19:29
Well, my Oh and I have just spent the last two days covering our fixed run with chicken wire as we were fed up with crows, jackdaws etc coming down and eating food, messing everywhere and even having fights.  We have used 50 metres of chicken wire which is 6 foot high.  It took 4 rows of stitching the wire together and lots of extra posts and posts over the top for the wire to sit on - lots of hard work but ooh so worth it.   :) 
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: Thingy on July 13, 2010, 16:19
Gah, the crows...the bane of my exsistance at the moment.

I found a simple solution...I trained my dog to run at the pen every so often...it doesn't bother the chooks (they are used to the dogs running around) but it scares the crows :)
Title: Re: Stopping CROWS eating pellets!!!!!!
Post by: carolbriar on July 13, 2010, 17:13
Unfortunately as soon as we were away from the run the crows etc were down again.  Since we put the roof on it has been interesting to see the crows, jackdaws etc pacing up and down trying to work out how to get in.  It's amazing how much less food we have been needing :)