[gg]

We put out a bluebird house and ever year have had 3 broods of babies born. But a strange thing happened to the last batch of eggs last month. We checked and the eggs were gone. My husband removed the nest (I do not know if you are to do this but he did). He brought the nest into the house and it was made of pine straw...I said do not throw that away take it outside and they can use the straw again. When he started to rip it apart we found in that tiny nest an 18 inch rat snake thicker than a pencil wrapped inside the nest. YUK I can not believe he got inside that tiny house and ate those eggs...has anyone else had this happen.

[jimbo2012]

you need to get some metal around the pole it stands on or tree so they can't slither up.

[CaptJohn]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

you need to get some metal around the pole it stands on or tree so they can't slither up.

Ditto. An inverted cheap tin/metal pie plate should work.

[Golfer in Sanibel]

My brother-in-law is a bluebird expert. He has hundreds of boxes in public areas and golf courses in Medina County Ohio. He replaces the nest while the mother is nesting her eggs. About six to ten days after the eggs are laid, he'll wait until he's sure the mother isn't in the nest. He washes his hands with Netrogena soap to get the odors off his skin. Then he reaches into the box and gently lifts out each chick. He thoroughly inspects each chick for blow worm larva. They attach themselves to the chicks and suck the blood out of them and kill them. He has a Kool Whip container with dried grass and he places each chick in the grass. He then takes out the nest and throws it away. He has an old paint brush and he uses it to get everything out of the box making sure there is nothing left in the box.

Then he reaches into a trash bag and grabs several handfulls of dried grass he has saved and stuffs it into the box. He uses his fist to make a pocket in the grass as you would to form a pocket in a baseball glove. When satisfied, he will place the chicks back into the nest.

His nests hatch hundreds of bluebirds a year. He put a box in my yard in Ohio and taught me how to do this. It is quite amazing.

So don't worry about your hubby tossing the nest. There is plenty of pine straw around. The two of you might consider washing your hands and taking some pine straw and building another nest. I'll be in TV by Thursday of next week. If you would like me to help you just send me a pm. Good luck and keep up the Bluebird work. As you may know, they were nearly extinct in the 60s and it's only through the good work of people like you that they are thriving now.

[quirky3]

Originally Posted by gg

We put out a bluebird house and ever year have had 3 broods of babies born. But a strange thing happened to the last batch of eggs last month. We checked and the eggs were gone. My husband removed the nest (I do not know if you are to do this but he did). He brought the nest into the house and it was made of pine straw...I said do not throw that away take it outside and they can use the straw again. When he started to rip it apart we found in that tiny nest an 18 inch rat snake thicker than a pencil wrapped inside the nest. YUK I can not believe he got inside that tiny house and ate those eggs...has anyone else had this happen.

Yes, sadly, I had that happen in the Jacksonville FL . I set up a bluebird house in a tree and it was actually the newly hatched chicks that disappeared one night - and we do have black snakes around here. Sorry it happened to you. Hopefully you can try the metal idea.

[jebartle]

Belonged to a garden club in NC, and we also cared for numerous blue bird houses at the country club....While checking on the birds one afternoon, we discovered a GIANTsnake hanging outside the birdhouse...Scared the !#$& out of me!....Ugh....

[asianthree]

and yuk

[batman911]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

you need to get some metal around the pole it stands on or tree so they can't slither up.

Or you could coat the pole with oil or lard.

[zcaveman]

This is how nature works. You can do what you want to try to circumvent it but it will go on.

[CaptJohn]

Originally Posted by zcaveman

This is how nature works. You can do what you want to try to circumvent it but it will go on.

Reminds me of the television commercial years ago about butter or margarine where the woman said: It's not nice to fool mother nature!

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by zcaveman

This is how nature works. You can do what you want to try to circumvent it but it will go on.

This is all VERY INTERESTING.....each post I've read so far.

We just came back from 4 days in northern Vermont visiting the grandkids and their new adolescent chickens (who grew very fast from baby chicks)..........they will soon vacate their original chicken coop for the bigger one on the hill.........our daughter & her hubby told us that a bear has been spotted plus a bobcat.

Makes me wonder how long these chickens will survive, especially considering the bobcat who broke into a neighbor's chicken coop a few days before we arrived. Our grandchildren have "laying hens". They hold them in their arms and bring them inside the house.

It seems to be all the rage with the younger generation these days; not just in Vermont. However, the fox are around as everyone knows....but now the bobcat and the bear? Is it even worthwhile to try to raise laying hens ????

I realize they are not bluebirds..........but in reading the interesting feedback on the bluebird issue.............I just figured I'd ask.

The other question for the experts out there on wildlife in the northeast or even in Florida.........do squirrels and chipmunks CHEW THROUGH THE SCREENED IN PORCH SCREENING?????

Our new 3 season screened porch is in it's last days of completion.
They are rolling in the screen tight screening after an "expert" refused to do so..........saying that the chipmunks and squirrels will just chew right through it.

We do have chipmunks and we do have squirrels. We don't feed them at all.

Does anyone think this will be a problem? I went online and read suggestions of mothballs and various home made potions with hot pepper, ammonia, etc...........or using D-con as bait/poison..

Has anyone had this issue in the northeast???? Trapping was another
option; however, after trapping at least 28 groundhogs a few years back, I doubt if he'd want to start that all over again for chipmunks and squirrels.

Thank you in advance . We didn't want a glassed in room "hot box"; we wanted screens.........but now this statement by the screening experts.
Go figure. It came out beautifully.........just don't want the critters getting inside the house. Until I read the online articles, I never even knew that chipmunks can COME INTO THE WALLS, ATTICS, ETC.

They are cute as can be.........but??? I also didn't know they chew screens. Ditto for squirrels.