Laying hens and bird scarer

Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
Daughter's laying hens have gone off their lay and we think it's down to neighbour's bird scarer going off just up the valley. Every time it goes off they freeze. Had 1 day with zero eggs this week, from 100 hens.šŸ™

Anyone else had this trouble? Better to talk nicely to the neighbour or will they get used to it?
 

Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
She has run them through winter without light in previous years, and whilst lay rates obviously drop off a bit, still gets good results. Has a batch of pullets late summer to keep this going.
Something has either spooked them, or something is taking the eggs, as it's gone from several dozen a day to nothing/ next to nothing in a week or so, which roughly coincides with the banger.
As I say, they freeze when it goes off.

Have set up a trail cam to see if anything taking eggs, but can't see any evidence of this, and its roll away nest boxes.
 

thorpe

Member
Daughter's laying hens have gone off their lay and we think it's down to neighbour's bird scarer going off just up the valley. Every time it goes off they freeze. Had 1 day with zero eggs this week, from 100 hens.šŸ™

Anyone else had this trouble? Better to talk nicely to the neighbour or will they get used to it?
pizz off!
 

thorpe

Member
calm down jerry but i get fed up of people having a go at my birdscarerers even when igive em a2hr dawn delay bloody pigeons are full by then!
 

Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
i dont know where in devon you are but im at least 200 miles away but your welcome to come and shoot our pigeons.
šŸ¤£šŸ¤£
Said neighbour does seem to use the banger much of the year on and off, and has upset several others with its regularity and early starts on various occasions. He certainly hasn't worried about your 2 hour dawn delay in summer - it usually starts well before dawn.

My question really was aimed at not having to speak to him if possible - wondering if the hens would get used to it or if it is not even the cause.
Thinking about it they will have experienced it before, though they probably will have been further away previously - bird flu lockdown has limited where we can currently keep them.
 

thorpe

Member
we only use gas guns if we have to , certainly dont want to upset our urban fringe neighbors . but they dont mind upsetting us , footpath round every field cant keep sheep cant keep cattle outside have you ever seen a bull terrier exercising his natural instistincs in 2021 ? i have it shocked me , as it did the dogs owner, never mind the 500kg bullock whose throat he was hanging on!
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Put a radio in the hut. They will listen to that and not get startled by the banger.
If itā€™s dead quiet and there is no background noise, the banger will be more likely to startle them.
Or have they got bird flu? There is a lot about here.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Banger here doesnā€™t start till 9.30. Then once an hour till 3.30 . Iā€™ll have to wind it out a bit as the days get longer but will never be before 7 am or after 7pm in accordance with NFU guidance. Kept the pigeons off so far. I donā€™t trust light sensors. A full moon can trigger them and they start unacceptably early as the days get longer.
The clowns who have them going off from 3 am at four shots an hour on a dead still morning really do us all a disservice and can only hasten stricter regulation or a complete ban. I only use one as a last resort. Gives me no pleasure disturbing the peace but I canā€™t afford to lose too much OSR either.
 

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