Predatory birds can be difficult to fight off when it comes to your chickens, but there are ways to minimize losses among free range birds.
If your birds are not free ranged, you can eliminate losses completely; but most homesteaders prefer to free range their larger flocks of birds, as a loss here and there wouldn’t be as significant as feed costs.
We have two tips rolled into one today, so let’s protect those birds!
Free Ranged Bird Protection
First, we’ll cover free ranged birds. Most homesteaders prefer to keep happier birds that yield richer eggs and more nutritious meat; these are some of the biggest benefits of free ranging your chickens. However, they are “sitting ducks” when it comes to hungry predatory birds.
How do you fix this? Reflective pinwheels! That’s right! These shiny little pinwheels reflect light back up to the predatory birds that are checking out your chickens! You can also mimic this effect with mirrors, aluminum foil, shiny baking sheets, all of which can have a similar effect. Another highly effective option is the shiny reflective tape that’s made for this purpose! It makes it hard for the birds to stake out their prey, offering the chickens some protection. It also gives them an opportunity to hide when a rooster sounds the alarm, before the bird can snatch one of his hens or chicks.
Another option is using string, if you have trees, bushes, or posts throughout the area. This adds a second layer of protection, further deterring the birds. The birds will be put off by the string as it hinders their ability to attack or land on the ground. This might be impossible to do on the entire property, but you can do it in the places where your chickens are frequently found. You could even put up a few t-posts in on of their favorite open spots, and run the string across the tops of the posts. It’ll save you money on fencing costs, and you can continue raising your pastured birds with no feed at all!
Protection for Birds in Runs
If predatory birds are entering your chickens’ run, place bird netting over it. This stuff is insanely cheap, and it lasts for a very long time. My netting only gets holes when it snags on the fence (wind won’t do this, it has to be you or an animal), or when we do it ourselves. It also keeps your chickens IN. Once they realize there is a net, they’ll never attempt to get out again. Definitely dual purpose, and you cannot beat the price (I’ll link what I use below). I’ve had the same netting up for a year now, and only replaced it because I accidentally ripped it while moving the coop last year. That one lasted for a year, too. This roll would last me for a long time, but I’m building a new coop and run (see this update, where I mention my fence post and plank coop build! Still not complete yet!). It’s a huge run, so I’m going to have to buy MORE netting, even though the rolls cover 700 sq ft.
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