Starlings have continued to be a problem on our farm.  They have been eating the chicken food and pooping all over everything.  The Bird-Be-Gone didn’t deter them at all.  I put up streamers again.  We had put up eye reflectors and plastic owls.  I have been feeding the chickens less so it is gone by the evening, but the chickens are hungry in the mornings.  We have a bird and rodent proof chicken feeder, but not all of the chickens have figured out how to use it.  I had tried netting before, but it was a failure.  The goats’ horns kept getting stuck, and there ended up being holes in the netting that the starlings just flew through so I took it down.  But my birthday morning was the last straw.  Look at the insane amount of starlings in the barn!

So the next day I got serious and put up new netting.  This time I made sure it is taut so the goats will hopefully not be able to get their horns caught.  And I made sure there was no holes in it.  And I extended the netting above the people doors so there is less access.

I shut the 3 doors to the barn at sunset and open them back up in the morning.  The first few nights I could hear the starlings in the nearby trees and swirling around as I shut the doors, and in the early morning hours there were still lots of them in there.  There are spaces between the walls and the roof that they can sneak through.  But when I went out there they freaked out and were struggling to escape.  I was hoping this would be a deterrent to them.  Unfortunately one of them got stuck badly in the netting, and I had to cut the net to get its legs out.  So there is now one small hole.  But progressively, day by day, there have been less starlings in the barn

But this early morning at 6:00 there were none!

It is so much more peaceful in the barn now.

The plan seems to be working!  Now we shall see if it continues to work.  I also now worry about the barn swallows and if they can nest in the barn.  I am hoping they will move to the hay barn to build their nests instead.  But without starlings  I can feed the chickens more again.  There will not be poop on every surface and practically every animal  And it is safer as there will be less of a potential for diseases brought into the barn by them.  I am thrilled!

Since I had the privilege of being up so early, I got to see the moon set this morning  And it was gorgeous.  Unfortunately all I had initially was my iPhone which took this photo which does not do it justice.  You could see all the details of the moon’s surface.  It was amazing!

So I ran into the house to get my fancy camera, but by the time I got back, the moon had gone behind some clouds.

But now I have my fancy camera out, I may take some fancy farm photos today.