I strive my finest to forestall, repel, and deter starlings at my feeders.
And earlier than you say that I ought to feed all of God’s creatures with a smile on my face, I would like you to know that I wholeheartedly disagree! I’ll gladly ship you all my starlings and allow you to pay for all of the chicken meals they eat. ????
*Click on right here to skip on to the 4 methods that assist cease starlings!*
Listed below are THREE the explanation why I attempt to maintain European Starlings out of my yard:
Starlings are aggressive!
- Among the finest causes to do away with starlings is as a result of they’re aggressive in the direction of different birds, and it’s not unusual to witness them attacking and scaring away different species from my feeders.
Starlings journey in giant flocks!
- The opposite downside arises with the truth that starlings don’t journey solo. These loud, raucous birds typically arrive in giant flocks, fully taking on your feeding station. I really feel dangerous for another species that attempt to sneak in for a fast chew. If starlings simply got here one after the other, I’d take pleasure in them MUCH extra.
Starlings are invasive to North America!
- Do you know that starlings aren’t even speculated to be right here? Again in 1890, 40 starlings have been introduced over from Europe and launched in New York Metropolis’s Central Park. The person accountable (Eugene Schieffelin) had a mission to introduce the entire birds talked about in Shakespeare’s performs in North America.
- The remaining is historical past as starlings simply conquered the continent, alongside the way in which out-competing a lot of our stunning native birds. Their potential to eat nearly something and adapt to human growth is uncanny, and second to no different species, besides perhaps the Home Sparrow. Thanks for nothing Eugene!
Only a warning earlier than we start: Even implementing the methods listed beneath, starlings are extraordinarily laborious to forestall in your yard! My finest protection is utilizing the entire suggestions collectively.
#1. Select your meals properly.
A good way to maintain starlings away out of your chicken feeders is to make use of meals they don’t take pleasure in consuming. Let’s take a look at the physique kind of a European Starling. Particularly, take a better take a look at their beak.
The form of a starling’s beak is lengthy, pointy, and mushy, which is ideal for consuming invertebrates reminiscent of bugs, spiders, worms, snails, and caterpillars. Their beak additionally permits them to eat fruit, grains, and small seeds.
If you’re utilizing any of the beneath meals at your feeding station, then you’re in danger for a starling invasion!
Meals that starlings CAN’T RESIST:
- Cracked corn: Starlings LOVE cracked corn, and it may be their favourite meals! Take away instantly to assist do away with starlings.
- Sunflower kernels/chips: Due to their mushy and pointy beaks, starlings like several seed that has already been cracked open, reminiscent of sunflower chips.
- Suet with corn, peanuts, and many others.: In my yard, starlings go loopy for suet, however provided that it has cracked corn, peanuts, or different shelled seed inside. If I simply put out plain suet, they have an inclination to not eat it as quick.
- Shelled Peanuts: As you will note beneath, peanuts nonetheless within the shell are nice to make use of to forestall starlings.
- Millet: Starlings love consuming any kind of grain, together with all kinds of millet.
- Mealworms: Invertebrates make up a big portion of a starling’s weight-reduction plan in nature, so this isn’t stunning.
- Bread or different human meals: There’s a motive starlings thrive dwelling round folks. They love lots of the identical issues we eat!
So what meals maintain starlings away from our chicken feeders?
Figuring out which kinds of meals starlings don’t favor is essential in your quest to forestall them. Small shifts within the meals I supply in my feeding station have made an infinite distinction in retaining them away.
Due to their slender and mushy beak, starlings have bother consuming any meals that has a thick outer shell. Their beak doesn’t present the kind of leverage or energy wanted to crack the meals open.
Listed below are FIVE meals that assist deter starlings:
- Meals #1: Black-oil sunflower
View Worth – Amazon | View Worth – Chewy
Starlings will eat black-oil sunflower, however in my humble opinion, they don’t appear to find it irresistible. When you have an enormous starling downside, you might also have to take away black-oil sunflower, however fortunately I’ve not had many points providing it.
- Meals #2: Striped sunflower
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Any such sunflower seed has a a lot thicker shell than black-oil sunflower. Fortunately, starlings have large issues opening up the shell to get to the scrumptious seed inside.
View Worth – Amazon | View Worth – Chewy
The miracle seed! Starlings, squirrels, and different blackbird species don’t take care of safflower, however most different feeder birds (cardinals, chickadees, and many others.) eat it willingly.
- Meals #4: Peanuts within the shell
A starling’s wimpy beak can’t break by the laborious exterior.
View Worth – Amazon | View Worth – Chewy
This small seed is just too small for starlings to hassle with.
And there you may have it. ???? Being conscious of the meals in my yard is a central a part of my starling prevention technique.
#2. Use a starling-proof chicken feeder.
This technique is my favourite strategy to maintain starlings away from chicken feeders. If starlings can’t bodily entry your chicken meals, then they’ll’t eat! ????
The excellent news is that deploying a starling-proof chicken feeder will cease starlings from feeding. The dangerous information is that the feeder can even stop another medium-size chicken or bigger from consuming, together with many that you just need to see!
Listed below are three kinds of feeders that stop starlings:
Caged chicken feeders:
A metallic cage encloses the feeder. The holes are sufficiently small to maintain starlings (and squirrels) away, however large enough to let most smaller songbirds by to feed. I LOVE watching starlings grasp onto the skin of the cage and simply take a look at the scrumptious meals on the within. ????
Audubon caged tube feeder Examine Worth – Amazon
Weight-sensitive feeders:
These feeders can sometimes be adjusted to shut when a specific amount of weight is utilized.
I personal the Absolute II hopper chicken feeder beneath, and it’s one of many favourite total feeders in my yard. And it’s additionally nice at stopping squirrels. ????
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Let me be clear, a weight-sensitive feeder WON’T cease starlings like a caged feeder. The hope is that you’ll decelerate a complete flock of starlings.
For instance, on the Absolute II feeder above, I could make the perches extremely delicate to weight, the place just one medium-sized chicken (like a starling) can feed at a time. As quickly as a second starling tries to hop on the perch, the feeder closes.
I really like this feeder as a result of solely ONE (perhaps two) starlings can eat at a time. It’s nice as a result of a complete flock of starlings can’t sit there and wipe your entire meals out in a sitting.
Upside-down suet feeders:
I completely take pleasure in feeding suet to woodpeckers in my yard. The issue is that starlings additionally LOVE consuming suet.
A method round that is to buy a suet feeder that forces birds to cling and feed the other way up. Woodpeckers don’t have any downside with this methodology, however starlings don’t notably take pleasure in consuming like this.
Birds Alternative Upside-Down Suet Feeder View $ on Amazon
My upside-down suet feeder has completed an excellent job stopping starlings from devouring all my suet. It’s really humorous to look at the starlings attempt to eat the suet, as they hop up and down, however can solely handle a chew at a time.
Lastly, only a warning that it could take a while for woodpeckers to find your upside-down suet feeder. And total, they positively don’t prefer it as a lot as my different suet feeders.
#3. Discourage starlings from nesting in your yard.
Starlings LOVE constructing nests round people. That’s as a result of these birds are cavity nesters and like utilizing vents and different small openings round your own home to construct nests and lift their younger.
For instance, I stay in a suburban neighborhood and generally see starlings flying out and in of the vents positioned on the perimeters of virtually each house.
Fortunately as a house owner, it’s simple to forestall starlings from nesting in your vents. Merely seal any opening with a vent cowl. Many are made particularly to maintain birds out AND nonetheless perform usually. Listed below are two choices you’ll be able to take a look at:
As well as, in case you have any birdhouses or nest packing containers in your yard, you will need to continually monitor them for starlings!
As cavity nesters, starlings are naturally interested in any nestbox in your yard. To maintain them away there are some things you are able to do.
- First, choose a nestbox that has a gap diameter of lower than 1.5 inches (3.8 cm). This gap dimension is just too small for starlings to suit by.
- In case your nest field is giant sufficient for starlings, then it’s going to take lively administration in your behalf to make sure that they aren’t nesting inside. Throughout spring and summer time, my recommendation is to watch your packing containers each day and take away starling nests and eggs as quickly as you see them. (Since European Starlings are invasive and never native to North America, they aren’t protected by The Migratory Chook Treaty Act, which suggests humane destruction of nests and eggs is allowed.)
Many starlings favor utilizing the identical nesting location 12 months after 12 months, so it’s important to verify they by no means begin utilizing your birdhouses!
Tip #4: Distract starlings utilizing a lot of CHEAP meals!
That is one in all my favourite methods to regulate European Starlings, and it runs counter-intuitive to what you may assume. We’re going to feed them as a lot as they’ll eat, however we’re going to resolve WHERE it should occur!
Here’s what it’s essential to do:
Supply MASSIVE quantities of cracked corn positioned no less than 15 toes away (4.5m) out of your different chicken feeders.
Starlings LOVE consuming cracked corn (and different grains). And fortunately, cracked corn is without doubt one of the most cost-effective chicken meals you should buy by weight.
Subsequent, I fill a big chicken feeder with low cost cracked corn. Then I dangle this feeder away from my different feeders which have the costlier meals that I don’t need the starlings to eat. I additionally be sure to place loads of meals on the bottom since starlings eat right here too.
Study extra concerning the LIVE streaming cams in my yard HERE!
I’m sorry if the above image is tough to see, however I needed to indicate my feeders full of cracked corn positioned behind and away from my different feeders.
This technique has helped maintain a number of the starlings away from my major feeding station, which lets different birds benefit from the sunflower seeds, peanuts, and suet in a little bit of peace.
Closing ideas about stopping starlings:
If you wish to stop starlings and cease them from coming to your chicken feeders, I’ve discovered that these 4 efficient methods work:
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Supply meals that starlings don’t eat.
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Use starling-proof chicken feeders.
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Get rid of potential starling nest places.
- Distract starlings with a second feeding station.
When you have an enormous starling downside in your yard, it could be finest to mix methods (that’s what I do)!