Nasty Bird Droppings

[pam]

I am having a terrible time keeping sparrows out of my barn. The doors to the big area are kept open during the day and there are so many birds perching on the doors and up in the hay loft. They also use the horses' water buckets to drink and I have droppings everywhere.... I have to clean my big troughs and buckets out so often. It is worse now than the summer.

Has anyone used the recording of the squawking hawk or artificial owls with any good luck? Any other good methods for keeping the birds away?

 

[chandab]

Any other good methods for keeping the birds away?

BArn cats, several... My husband had problems with the birds into everything before we got married; he got a couple barn cats (now there are several

), and we have no birds in the calving barn, the old shop, and the mini barn. The cats rarely go in the big open shed, where I store my hay; so the birds are still pretty bad in there, but its getting better (three cats moved into my hay stack to keep warm, and now the birds stay away from that end of the shed).

 

[Georgine]

Barn cats will do the job for you usually.

Also, on the web they showed a big ball (yellow) with a smiley face painted on it and hanging in the barn.

I have also heard the artificial owl works.

In our barn it seems the cats are most effective, and is actually all we have used.

I don't like the birds in our barn because there is a "litter carrier track" which runs above stalls and the birds will roost there and ruffle their feathers.

I think they may carry fleas or something that fall onto the animals below when they fluff their feathers and will cause the animal below to lose patches of hair.

Sorry, not fleas but lice.................

Don't quote me on the flea thing because I am only guessing. I do know that when we had sheep the birds were plentiful and we were told that was what was happening to our sheep who were "lousy" with fleas.

We do not have sheep now and we do have cats and we don't have birds

.........except the regular barn swallos in the spring who leave in the fall.

 

[Katiean]

I even tried a rubber snake and that did not work. If anyone haas a sure fire method besides the cats (we have those too) let me know.

 

[Connie P]

I have the same issue and I cannot stand it! Bird droppings all over my beautiful barn! I would love to know how to rid the barn of these pests. I have barn cats and also ceramic owls - STILL have barn swallows.

 

[Georgine]

Barn swallows we do have, and the cats don't have much luck with them, however they arrive in the spring and they leave in the fall, and they do a great job on the mosquitos.....so that is a "trade off" for us.

It's a regular swallow that I don't want in the barn due to the lice problem.

 

[pinck43]

don't waste your money on the barn owls. We had no success with them. We even had one hanging in the doorway with the wind blowing it making it look like it was moving. Still no luck. dionne

 

[MyBarakah]

I would suggest a B B gun..... I too have birds take haven in my HUGE (tall) old corn crib. I don't own any sort of gun though.... I just try not to have any waterers near where they like to sit & poop. I have barn cats that LOVE to hunt but where my barn is really TALL, it's near impossible to get to where most of the birds hide out.... My cats like to sit and wait for mice.

 

[Mini Mouse]

I would suggest a B B gun..... I too have birds take haven in my HUGE (tall) old corn crib. I don't own any sort of gun though.... I just try not to have any waterers near where they like to sit & poop. I have barn cats that LOVE to hunt but where my barn is really TALL, it's near impossible to get to where most of the birds hide out.... My cats like to sit and wait for mice.

Noooo Please not a BB gun! Make a cat walk for your cats to get up there and believe me they will climb up there and scare them off.

 

[dangerranger]

I dont know if this works inside but outside I use the old CDs that come with junk mail. I hang them in fruit trees to scare away the birds. DR.

I dont know if this works inside but outside I use the old CDs that come with junk mail. I hang them in fruit trees to scare away the birds. DR.

 

[MinisOutWest]

google- bird spikes, we made our own and try to google - rid of birds. you will be surprised, email me if you need help with making your own bird spikes, but with the photos you will get the idea.

 

[Cedar Ridge Farm]

I have friends that swear this works...take a clear plastic baggie, fill it with water and hang in doorways, etc. Dang if I know why this would work, or even if it really does, but I sure didn't see any birds in their barn

 

[Ashley]

I suggest one of these

They eat adult birds, babies, and eggs. But you have to watch out as if they are by you the birds do dive bomb them with much hate.

 

[pam]

Ashley - what the heck is that picture

I think that I want several of these critters....

Thanks also everyone for the great posts and information about the bird spikes. I had never heard of these before and I think this just might work for us.

 

[Ashley]

Thats a coatimundi, they do wonders. I dont know where you are at, but they need to be in a warm climit in the winter. SO she is in a heated room, let out on warm days. HOwever she is out 24/7 provided there are no other small babies around (chickens, bunnies things like that) in the summer. She does a good job. But you do have to watch as she sure loves to eat the horse placenta to, and testicals.

 

[Miniequine]

I am having a terrible time keeping sparrows out of my barn. The doors to the big area are kept open during the day and there are so many birds perching on the doors and up in the hay loft. They also use the horses' water buckets to drink and I have droppings everywhere.... I have to clean my big troughs and buckets out so often. It is worse now than the summer.

Has anyone used the recording of the squawking hawk or artificial owls with any good luck? Any other good methods for keeping the birds away?

I got two cats. It has made so much difference!!

They are always patroling the barn...The sparrows didn't even come this year.

 

[pam]

We have two cats and we do shut them up in one barn area each night. However, we have a separate shelter that is the real problem. It has a small hay loft area where the birds can get inside but it is difficult for the cats to enter... I am going to try to net off that area with netting and get the bird spikes.... it would be fun to get some new kittens too

Thanks everyone for the great ideas

Beautiful cat picture btw - would make a great postcard or calendar pic.

 

[Reble]

I am thinking of looking into this:

http://www.sparrowtraps.net/index.htm

 

[CyndiM]

I read in a horse magazine that someone put that blue foam insulation in the ceiling of their barn and hung the CD's with fishing line and that got rid of their bird problem. Birds (sparows) won't nest in the open and the blue appears to be sky to them. I thought I'd paint mine this spring, thinking it would achieve the same results.