Barn swallows... go somewhere else...

[riptides]

Well,

These past few months I have made a lot of progress on the inside of our old dairy barn.

Unfortunate over the years, we have had a lot of Barn Swallows make it their hatchery. While I do agree and like that they keep the insect population under control, I just cannot afford the time of cleanup required as they home in the barn.

I plan on shutting the barn off from them. I have removed most of the nests and plan on window treatments in the next few days, to seal it up. I still have not found a carpenter to make my my 22 plus windows that I need. Cost is too darn expensive for me. Time is too consuming for me to do it myself.

So, back to the Swallows, how can I encourage them to go elsewhere? I think they are genetically programmed to come to the barn.

Are there Barn Swallow houses available? Recomendations accepted and open to all suggestions, except firearms.

 

[k0ua]

Google is your friend


How to Build a Barn Swallow Bird House | eHow.com

James K0UA

 

[riptides]

yeah... but...

Real world experience is here on TBN with a certain trust factor.

But thanks for the link. I may opt for another shelter outside the barn, but I will not be hanging chicken wire in my barn.

 

[Tig]

I think they are genetically programmed to come to the barn.

I agree on the programmed comment to the point that they seem to come back to the exact spot. At my parents place they like to build nests on the window trim. Same exact spot each year.
I play this game with a robin each year. Last year, he moved on to plan B, then C D E... almost half way through the alphabet. You think he would pick a tree at some point but no. This year, he's back already, checking out the garage when I had the door open Saturday. We had a quick "chat" and he left. I've secured all last years locations and I'm going to try a motion detector/chirp alarm on a couple of new spots that can't be covered.
If chicken wire is too ugly, then maybe some of that black plastic netting. It's pretty much plastic chicken wire, but less visible.

 

[g0rd0]

get yourself a birdguard Bird Control | Electronic Bird Control | Bird Gard
call them up and tell them what you want gone and they will put in the appropriate chips. You then set the speaker on top of your barn and useing the instructions set the volume and type of bird you want gone and say good by.
The bird gard is electronic (mine is for blueberry feilds jays, grackles, gold finches ect.) it lets out preditor sounds and scares away the unwanted without bothering your livestock.
I put mine on the 12volt power sorce that came with it insted of batterys, then set the dawn to dusk mode with 15 to 30 min intervals.
I cannot begin to tell you how impressed Iam with it and the cost is really reasonable

 

[Sterff]

For the windows buy some plexi-glass and screw it over the window holes if you aren't concerned about looks.

 

[riptides]

For the windows buy some plexi-glass and screw it over the window holes if you aren't concerned about looks.

heheh.... you price plexi-glass lately?

The cheapest solution I have found so far is to build the windows to original specs.
42H 38w 9 pane glass.

Which I will probably have to do, cause it is labor intensive.

 

[riptides]

get yourself a birdguard Bird Control | Electronic Bird Control | Bird Gard
call them up and tell them what you want gone and they will put in the appropriate chips. You then set the speaker on top of your barn and useing the instructions set the volume and type of bird you want gone and say good by.
The bird gard is electronic (mine is for blueberry feilds jays, grackles, gold finches ect.) it lets out preditor sounds and scares away the unwanted without bothering your livestock.
I put mine on the 12volt power sorce that came with it insted of batterys, then set the dawn to dusk mode with 15 to 30 min intervals.
I cannot begin to tell you how impressed Iam with it and the cost is really reasonable

Interesting link. Thanks!

 

[Combustix]

You can get bird blocks at HD or lowes, they are reasonably cheap, and you would just have to nail them in. They work pretty good I use them in my garage.

 

[Sterff]

heheh.... you price plexi-glass lately?

The cheapest solution I have found so far is to build the windows to original specs.
42H 38w 9 pane glass.

Which I will probably have to do, cause it is labor intensive.

In our barn I found it easier to remove the existing glass (the panes fall out all the time) and replace it with a sheet of plexi-glass. I think it cost around $100 for a 4'x8' sheet here. That does about 5 or 6 windows depending on the size.

 

[Western]

What about using clear plastic, just long enough to prevent nesting, or buy time to build your windows.

 

[riptides]

What about using clear plastic, just long enough to prevent nesting, or buy time to build your windows.

I am now using a hazy plastic heavy weighted sheet on each window. Last night I saw three taking up residence, so it is best I get off TBN and in the barn.

I use a heavy duty stapler to get the plastic up, I'll take them down when the breeding season is over. But I think they have multiple hatches a season, or that is what it looked like these past few years. I need to check on that.

Unfortunate, I have other pressing needs in the house for carpenter type work. I was thinking about using craigslist for bidding out the window frames. The glass work I can do myself. The frames, I need to last another 100 years. I only have 5 complete ones left in the 100 year old barn. Gotta love oak, and the worksmanship back then.

 

[Western]

I am now using a hazy plastic heavy weighted sheet on each window. Last night I saw three taking up residence, so it is best I get off TBN and in the barn.

I use a heavy duty stapler to get the plastic up, I'll take them down when the breeding season is over. But I think they have multiple hatches a season, or that is what it looked like these past few years. I need to check on that.

Unfortunate, I have other pressing needs in the house for carpenter type work. I was thinking about using craigslist for bidding out the window frames. The glass work I can do myself. The frames, I need to last another 100 years. I only have 5 complete ones left in the 100 year old barn. Gotta love oak, and the worksmanship back then.

Aint that the truth, older it gets, the "purdier" it is

 

[2manyrocks]

People used to pull wooden windows out and donate them to Habit Restore and places like that for resale. If you have a standard size window, could be a few to be had if you call around.

 

[riptides]

2manyrocks Yep. They have not had the number I require. But I got some for another building I have, and made a little more of a donation on the sale.

They are a good organization, and your idea is spot on.

I have even tried a company down south of me that specializes in recovery. We got an original claw foot tub from them and had it refinished. Now that was an install project!

 

[2manyrocks]

Yes, their inventory entirely depends on whomever has done a remodel and donated building materials.

Unless you see some windows on CL, it's a matter of waiting or having them built. Wooden windows used to come off assembly lines at mills. Having them built by hand could get expensive.

If you could tolerate some historical inaccuracy, maybe you could have simple full pane window sash built inexpensively to which you would add the same kind of plastic dividers they put on metal doors/windows today?

The ongoing maintenance problem with traditional multiple pane windows has always been that the window putty dries out and then has to be replaced every so often. I'd think you'd want a design that avoids this.

I'd take the barn swallows over having to reputty a bunch of wooden windows for the rest of my life.