How do I Keep Birds Away from my Farm?

Large bird populations in and around farms are much more than a nuisance. Birds can contaminate food and water that’s meant for livestock, causing illness and spreading diseases. Acidic bird droppings can damage expensive equipment and farm buildings. Nest materials can block drains and gutters, causing water damage. 

One thing’s for sure, you can’t let bird populations get out of hand. Here’s now to keep birds away from your farm. 

Keeping birds away from your farm: legal considerations

All birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This legislation prohibits the killing of birds or destruction of their nests without an appropriate license. You may be able to get an individual license if you can show that there are considerable risks to public health and safety and/or the birds are causing serious damage. However, you do have to show that you have exhausted all non-lethal methods first.  

Non-lethal methods of controlling birds on your farm

A question we often get asked is ‘what’s the best way to keep birds away from my farm?’ 

The answer is always that there’s no one best way when it comes to controlling birds. The most successful way to control birds on your farm is by using a combination of bird control methods. 

Remove access to sources of food and water

Farms can be an abundant source of food and water for pest birds. Removing sources of food and water will make your site less attractive and reduce the chances of birds gathering in numbers. Do things like:

• Clean up any spilled grain or foodstuffs;
• Store grain in sealed containers;
• Cover animal feeders so birds can’t get access;
• Keep livestock water out of reach of birds. 

Use bird proofing methods to keep birds away from your farm

You might think that bird proofing is costly, but in the long-run, it’s one of the most cost-effective ways of deterring birds. You can:

• Stop birds from roosting or nesting on your buildings or land by installing netting;
• Block any gaps or possible entry points to buildings with wire mesh;
• Consider using bird spikes on buildings (though note that these are not suitable for deterring smaller birds);
• Bird gel makes a surface unattractive to land or roost on. 

Use bird scarers

Bird scarers like our BirdAlert system allow you to use up to 5 methods to keep birds away, ranging from acoustic deterrents to lasers and visual scarers. Having a range of methods at your disposal will prevent pest birds from getting used to one type of deterrent which they almost always do.