how to stop rooks stealing eggs

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portmead

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I am having trouble with a rook stealing eggs ,my hens live in a garden shed with a double nestbox at the back they have total free range so need the door open all the time to go in to lay ,the cheeky b******** has even stolen my china eggs ,any suggestions please ?
 
The cheeky barsteward :o How about making a daytime door opening cut into the main door allowing you to keep the bigger door closed? Maybe the rook wouldn't be so brave if he was confined within a dark space once inside so wouldn't venture in.
 
May sound a bit barbaric but if you hang a dead rook / crow over the entrance it will solve your problem. Old CD's dangling down ??? as a more PC solution ??? Not sure if this will work though.
 
Smaller entrance might work. Cover nest boxes with plastic or paper flaps.
 
Hello
Haven't had so much luck with dangly CDs

The dead crow thing works though - old farmers trick!

Failing that, you up to shooting it? Works for me!

I suppose neither option is particularly nice but I don't like sharing my eggs with cheeky birds!


Jamie
 
We've been noticing eggs disappearing from our hens nestbox for weeks, and finally found the culprit was rooks.We caught them on a webcam casually entering the coop and emerging with eggs kind of skewered on their beaks. We're making a scarecrow, and trying the trick of dangling cd's and fluttering fabric from string. Also shut main door and left just pop hole open. We're not too keen on getting a dead one to hang up.Heard of Larsen traps but no idea how effective in this situation. Any advice?
 
Using traps OK but you usually end up with live birds which need to be killed. Most likely to br crows or magpies rather than rooks.
 
I think I've been outsmarted by the local jackdaw community. If not jackdaws, then I've noticed a few magpies have recently appeared and been fighting with the jackdaws.

I went away for five days with a hen sitting on a dozen eggs. my friend looked after them while I was away and he said there was about six of seven eggs. I just thought he'd miscounted or the hen was covering the rest up, Orpingtons are big birds after all!
This morning I went to check on her and her eggs and saw there were three left. At first I thought my friend had taken the eggs by accident but quickly ruled that out because he knew they were to be hatched out.

There's also a distinct lack of eggs at the minute. I normally get on average five a day but I'm down to one or two. Beng slightly paranoid, I wondered if someone was getting into the garden and helping themselves but there's no sign of entry. There's very rarely any crime in the village so ruled that out as well.

There's no sign of broken eggs but I'm going to check around some nearby trees where they often perch and see what I can find.
I fear I may have to get my rifle out.

Jamie
 
Now there's two eggs left.
No signs of disturbance, broken eggs, signs of entry, rat droppings etc etc.

I'm baffled! I need to sit out under cover and shoot whatever appears, whether it's fur, feather or human.

Only joking about the last one, but if someone did appear then they'd get a jolly big fright facing an angry me bursting out from under my elderberry tree!

Jamie
 
I think I'm the victim of either a Jackdaw or Carrion crow too! I've been getting fewer eggs than normal lately; and have suspected either egg eating hens or corvids. Saw a blue Cream Legbar egg in the house today, but when I went back to collect it it was gone! Help please...
 
I'm steadily reducing the numbers of the local corvids by giving them 'lead poisoning' :shock:
 
I bet you're using "Magic" too..... That lead is flying isn't it ?!... go on ! admit it ! You're a sorcerer ! :lol: ... It's when the Corvids become animated after death I start worrying. :-)05 Necromancers are another thing all together... :-)10
 
Rats will also steal eggs and can be quite discreet about it..

With the rooks, if you are happy to dispatch them one way or another, you can make a trap. They like a tall cage (I made one from 4 posts in the ground in a square with netting around and pegged on ground). On the top, make a slot (two planks with a 4" gap) - bait it with a loaf of wet bread on the top. As they take it, bits will fall inside - they will go inside to get the rest.

When they land, they will land on the boards. Once they see a way in, they will drop in through the boards with ease but can't get out because they are flying and their wings don't fit through!

The full details can be found here: Crows and Rooks with poultry
 
Rebelodicus said:
I bet you're using "Magic" too..... That lead is flying isn't it ?!... go on ! admit it ! You're a sorcerer ! :lol: ... It's when the Corvids become animated after death I start worrying. :-)05 Necromancers are another thing all together... :-)10
Click to expand...

Zombie crows....

I'm prepared for when the undead horde arise, not quite so if the undead horde flies.

Does that rhyme?
 
I haven't ruled out rats but my cats keep an eye out for them!

Strangely, after knocking down a few flying pests I noticed an extra few eggs today. It's a bit early to say for sure but I'll be continuing to get some payback for a while yet.

Jamie
 
I'm prepared for when the undead horde arise, not quite so if the undead horde flies.
Click to expand...

Indeed :-)11 :D

Your prefered hand weapon, come the day of undead hordes ? I have my courtyard ready for the netting roof to be fitted at a moments notice :-)02 ... I hear it's the moaning and loss of local wildlife that might be one of the first signs... :-)02 .. :-)01 ... That and the people running around screaming :lol:

Seriously though... Have you got a Cockerel to add to your cats security ? Mine has a definate knack at catching and flattening rats. :-)17 With that and the cage trap we keep on top of that one. My cats are hunters of birds and mice, but big rats they run from. :lol:
 
Might be a bit late to help, but we had a similar problem. No eggs and no evidence of where they went! The odd black feather lying around but not a lot else. Set a trap, and caught a squirrel, so that was the cause of the chewed feed dispenser but still losing eggs. In the end I bought two of the plastic nestboxes, where the eggs roll forward into a covered section. My egg numbers shot up overnight! I hope problem solved, although still have fewer eggs from my runner ducks...and they aren't too keen on my nest making abilities in the first place without shoving a big plastic thing in with them :-)02
 
Rebelodicus said:
I'm prepared for when the undead horde arise, not quite so if the undead horde flies.
Click to expand...

Indeed :-)11 :D

Your prefered hand weapon, come the day of undead hordes ? I have my courtyard ready for the netting roof to be fitted at a moments notice :-)02 ... I hear it's the moaning and loss of local wildlife that might be one of the first signs... :-)02 .. :-)01 ... That and the people running around screaming :lol:

Seriously though... Have you got a Cockerel to add to your cats security ? Mine has a definate knack at catching and flattening rats. :-)17 With that and the cage trap we keep on top of that one. My cats are hunters of birds and mice, but big rats they run from. :lol:
Click to expand...

Got three! two big buff orps and a frizzle pekin with an asbo on him. He's too busy attacking me to notice any rats. Stupid bird!
My egg numbers are slowly improving, need to keep up the flying pest control.

Jamie
 
RPJ said:
I think I'm the victim of either a Jackdaw or Carrion crow too! I've been getting fewer eggs than normal lately; and have suspected either egg eating hens or corvids. Saw a blue Cream Legbar egg in the house today, but when I went back to collect it it was gone! Help please...
Click to expand...
Try roll away nest boxes(pricy-but you can make the box by your self and get only inserts for them which are not to expensive)If they cant get to the eggs they stop comming :-)17
 
I found some old candles in the shape of eggs in the back of a cupboard so i put these where the rooks had been taking eggs, first couple of days they never bothered with them then they were gone and they came back for more!
 
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