Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living Woodpeckers destroying my barn

They are particularly bad in the Spring and slightly less so in the Fall. Last November I fixed 11 holes. I bore them out round and then glue a round plug in them.

How can I keep them off the barn? Firearms are not an option.

a barn owl would solve it.

or perhaps a decoy of one

barn cats.

If there was such a thing as flying barn cats, I'd consider it. The woodpeckers' favorite spots are between 16' and 36' high.

I called the pet store and they just sold the last barn owl, so maybe decoys.

I wonder if I need more than one. The barn is pretty big.

They are staking out their territory as this happens mostly in the spring breeding season and again to a lesser extent in the fall when the young of the year are seeking their own areas. High on the building carries further than lower down which is why the woodpeckers are hitting those places. If they were hammering at the siding all year long and in more varied parts of the barn, then it would strongly indicate you had an insect infestation and treatment for them might be a wise action.

There is not a lot one can do to prevent this, predator bird decoys might work, at least for a bit, as might Mylar strips and balloons. The most successful processes that I have seen have been residing to aluminum or vinyl siding in at least the most commonly afflicted areas but that is probably not an option. I have read of a hollow log being placed at a high point in an attempt to redirect the birds' efforts but have no idea if it worked or not. It is another option to keep in mind.

Thanks, there is definitely no insect infestation. The rough sawn native white pine board and batten siding is installed over an 1.5" drainage plane. This makes for one hell of a drum. I've heard of that Mylar strips can work as well as plastic grocery bags, but they are unsightly. I felled, sawed, stacked and dried the material for the siding. I couldn't imagine siding over it with aluminum or the like.

Seems like there's some decent info here. Might not be alot you can do though, given the aesthetics of your wonderful barn.

http://icwdm.org/handbook/birds/Woodpeckers.asp

http://www.grangecoop.com/preventing-woodpecker-damage/

Good thing you don't have acorn woodpeckers, they are a pain where they are found, unless you're interested in their acorn gathering and storage capabilities. Your barn would be filled unless you put mesh over it. (I've heard chicken wire can help. Perhaps you can figure out a seasonal system removable for most of the years..

Good luck,

Geno

What about an air rifle?

SSS

Yeah the barn cat idea was humor after seeing the pics you posted.

If left unchecked, they will drive you nuts. Wait 'til they start hammering their peckers on sheet metal...

You need a Remington 121 with a smooth bore. 22 shot shells through a .410 barrel. I have one and it was hell on starlings at our old place in the burbs. Real quiet, No down range issues.

I think you should rig a sound system and blast flight of the valkyries whenever they peck the barn.

If anyone has a 121SB for sale, please PM me. Thanks Steve!

I'm going to work on this... I know I have the loud speakers, I just need to find a cheap switch that picks up the hammering.

I wonder if I could retrofit a coyote call.

Woodpeckers attacked my privy and one drilled a nesting hole so I nailed a couple of rubber snakes on the side of the building. No further damage.

Take rat traps baited with peanut butter and duct tape them by where the woodpeckers are making their holes. No more wood peckers. I used it to get rid of woodpeckers drilling holes in a stucco office building.