Over the last few weeks, I have noticed a drop in our normal egg production which always makes me suspicious. In our chicken run, we have plenty of places for the chickens and geese to nest, but every now and then they find a new place but I generally find these as the number of eggs drop off, however not this time.
Today, I discovered the cause.
I am always amazed at how clever things can be, even the most seemingly stupid things. So today, I was sat doing a quote when I noticed a rook from our local rookery land in the chicken run (which is fairly normal activity) thinking it would be scratching around for some spilt corn etc, but to my surprise, it just walked right into one of the laying sheds!
A few seconds later, I came out with a very large egg in its beak! The thing could hardly fly with it, but after a shaky take off, made it over the fence and away.
Anyway, after about 5 minutes, it came back. It landed and walked into the shed, so I dashed out to catch it in the act…but it was a bit too quick and guessed my moves, but still managed another egg!
The crazy thing was, the chicken was still sat on a nest and allowed this to happen – unbelievable!
So a few bits of carefully sculpted wire later, I think I have now “rook proofed” the shed….we shall see.
Rooks can be quite a help to farmers as they normally feed on leather jackets and other grubs which can be harmful to pastures. The only problem is the sheer number of them – especially in a rookery. One of the biggest issues is noise and the amount of excrement created in a rookery.
Every now and then it is beneficial to thin the numbers out so April and May is the traditional time to do this, shooting out the nests and young birds as they emerge to fly for the first time. Rook pie used to be a delicacy in years gone by, I have tried it and I have to say it is an acquired taste and a bit chewy…!
If you have an active rookery that needs thinning out, call Rapid Pest Control now to deal with your rook problem. I know one that will be thinned out sooner than they think!
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