Help with Jackdaws

[Westley78]

Hi guys, I need some advice....

The farmer has asked me to sort out the Jackdaws on the farm as they have been causing problems around the farmhouse.

I’ve been watching them and they mainly seem to feed in the paddocks when the horses are out, which at the moment they are out in the afternoon then taken in the next morning.

I went up there this evening and there were around 200 of them across several paddocks. I shot the first one in the head with my AA510 from about 25yds and it dropped like a stone. One of it’s mates must have clocked what happened and sent out a death call, with that the whole flock lifted from every paddock and headed off to the trees, not to be seen again for the rest of the evening.

At this rate it will take a long time to put a dent in the numbers if I can only take one at a time, so I wondering if there is a better/more productive way of reducing their numbers?

thanks in advance

[London Best]

I had exactly that problem. I found I had to be there before the birds got there, when they arrived in 1s/2s/small groups. I had to be there with a shotgun before it got light.

[ninjaferret]

Crow trap

[Westley78]

Just now, London Best said:

I had exactly that problem. I found I had to be there before the birds got there, when they arrived in 1s/2s/small groups. I had to be there with a shotgun before it got light.

Thanks LB, I’ll have to try then once they start taking the horses in of a night...

[oldypigeonpopper]

2 minutes ago, ninjaferret said:

Crow trap

Hello, this maybe a better solution 

[ninjaferret]

Crow/ladder trap, it can be left out and works all day every day. To me it's a no brainer..........

[Eddie B]

Several options such as

Ladder trap

Early morning around paddock

Late evening roost shooting with shotgun.

[GingerCat]

is it just me or are there lots more about this year?

[Westley78]

Thanks guys, really useful feedback...

[oldypigeonpopper]

1 hour ago, GingerCat said:

is it just me or are there lots more about this year?

Hello, I have seen a big increase this year on corvids

[jall25]

1 hour ago, GingerCat said:

is it just me or are there lots more about this year?

Same here 

 

Loads about -

been trapping 10 /15 a week and shooting 5/10 every few days - but they just keep coming - same with crows 

Oddly very few rooks 

[ClemFandango]

A ladder trap is the most effective solution I have come across. 

Make sure you make the gaps on top to fit jackdaws. 

Put the time in with pre-baiting and don't be too keen to set it. 

Empty the trap after dark and go back to your prebait routine. 

[Walker570]

9 hours ago, ninjaferret said:

Crow/ladder trap, it can be left out and works all day every day. To me it's a no brainer..........

In that situation this is the answer.  Pretty easy to make, even out of pallet wood and ask the farmer to fund some wire netting.  It can stand out in the field 24/7.  I used to have an opening at one end which allowed the crows/rooks/jackdaws to walk in and feast on the stale bread etc., once they got used to doing this..... a day or two close the door and then they will drop in from the top. Don't kill all of the ones caught leave a couple as decoys and kep feeding it.   I had over thirty rooks in mine in just a few hours on one occasion.

Yes, and seems to have been a good breeding season for all the blacks.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Walker570

[Westley78]

Thanks Walker 👍🏻

[strimmer_13]

Literally hundreds here, if not verging on a thousand. I notice with every shot hundreds get up off the neighbours farm as well, both being very close to town. 

2 years ago, thousands of pigeons mainly in groups of about 50 and maybe the odd crow and jackdaw, this years probably the odd group of 5 pigeons about, with loads of groups of about 60-70 jackdaw. It's exploded. 

Going to scavenge the skip at work for some wood and make a ladder trap this week, knock the numbers down a bit. 

[Eddie B]

1 hour ago, ClemFandango said:

A ladder trap is the most effective solution I have come across. 

Make sure you make the gaps on top to fit jackdaws. 

Put the time in with pre-baiting and don't be too keen to set it. 

Empty the trap after dark and go back to your prebait routine. 

Great tip. Can make all the difference👍

[steve_b_wales]

15 minutes ago, Eddie B said:

Great tip. Can make all the difference👍

 

[ninjaferret]

3 hours ago, Walker570 said:

In that situation this is the answer.  Pretty easy to make, even out of pallet wood and ask the farmer to fund some wire netting.  It can stand out in the field 24/7.  I used to have an opening at one end which allowed the crows/rooks/jackdaws to walk in and feast on the stale bread etc., once they got used to doing this..... a day or two close the door and then they will drop in from the top. Don't kill all of the ones caught leave a couple as decoys and kep feeding it.   I had over thirty rooks in mine in just a few hours on one occasion.

Yes, and seems to have been a good breeding season for all the blacks.

And don't forget water.................And another tip, hang cable ties[ BIG ONES ] from the ladder to stop the clever ones climbing out..............

Edited August 3, 2020 by ninjaferret

[Walker570]

Yes and magpies know how to climb out.

[Westley78]

Thanks guys, appreciate all the input...

[Westley78]

So I finally got around to building the trap....

It’s been out with the roof off for about a week. I’ve baited it with some white bread a few eggs but had to put one of the roof panels across the lower part of the door opening to stop the farmers wife’s puppy from stealing the bread.

It’s on a flight line between two small woods but doesn’t seem to be attracting much interest yet, is it worth while putting some full bodied decoys around the area to attract the attention of passing birds?

[Walker570]

The only time I have used a drop cage such as that ...  and it looks tidy .... is in a farmyard area where problems with rooks happened so they where already there..

Always baited ours with whole maize both inside and outside initially.  Never needed to use a decoy other than a couple of caught ones left inside.

 

[Smokersmith]

You need a call bird .. hopefully someone in the area will be able to help.

[steve_b_wales]

On 02/03/2021 at 20:23, Westley78 said:

So I finally got around to building the trap....

It’s been out with the roof off for about a week. I’ve baited it with some white bread a few eggs but had to put one of the roof panels across the lower part of the door opening to stop the farmers wife’s puppy from stealing the bread.

It’s on a flight line between two small woods but doesn’t seem to be attracting much interest yet, is it worth while putting some full bodied decoys around the area to attract the attention of passing birds?

You could put a couple of decoys in the trap, and maybe on or two sitting on the roof. Hopefully, they'll come in. If there's a dead lamb about, try that, as it's worked well for me in the past.

[Westley78]

1 hour ago, steve_b_wales said:

You could put a couple of decoys in the trap, and maybe on or two sitting on the roof. Hopefully, they'll come in. If there's a dead lamb about, try that, as it's worked well for me in the past.

Thanks 👍🏻