Any ideas on how to stop birds from stealing hanging basket lining material?

Question

I have cocoa fibre linings in my hanging baskets and the birds have destroyed them by taking strands for nesting material. It's too late for this season, what can I do to prevent it happening next year - other than changing the type of lining

Answer 1

Personally, I let them get on with it - they need nesting material as much as food.  Last year, my neighbours and I had to stop putting out birdseed because it attracted rats, so giving them nesting material is the least I can do - after all, the linings are relatively cheap and if you leave putting up your baskets until after the nesting period, they can only take the old ones..

Answer 2

Birds have needs... since you choose to use this material, birds will come and take it... they cannot stop their instinct to make a nest.  As long as you use this material, and birds make nests, you can expect to have this problem.  Snakes and CD's may prevent them from taking so much... but their instincts will override this and once they learn the snakes and CD's wont hurt them, they will ravage your baskets....

The only suguestion I have is buying some screen door material, and wrapping that around your fiber liner... it may make it too hard for the birds to tear out the fiber.  that or go buy a slingshot and practice.

Answer 3

Hang some old scratched up cds from strings around them..the flashing of the cds and the movement scares them away

Answer 4

Are you sure it is birds and not a squirrel I had terrible problems this year with one doing that  ruined 3 baskets  I put a moth ball in each basket that stopped him they don't like the smell  I know how you feel at one point I wondered if it was worth doing baskets again  but I have solved that now got pigeons eating all my broccoli   just hope they leave a bit for me but by the looks of it they wont  all good fun isn't it

Answer 5

putt a rubber snake by them

it works for me

Answer 6

people put metal pie tins and old Cd's in fruit trees to keep birds from getting all the fruit first, maybe you could figure out a way to do something with those.. like hang a CD from the bottom of the basket or something.

I would prolly let them take it too, maybe move it to somewhere i can watch from a window so i can at least enjoy the show. i don't know where you live, but I'm sure the birds were there way before your house was built there. so i usually let them have the things they like unless its damaging my house or something.  

Next year you could try supplying them with a different type of nesting material, Straw or hay. A small bale of hay is like $4-5, and If you have a dry place to store it, should last all season, and if you have any left over, you can use it to help protect your plants in the winter. I'm not sure how much a bale of hay costs, but if you look around after thanksgiving, alot of people buy them for decorations and then get rid of them. you could store it somewhere until next nesting season.  Make sure to keep it dry tho or it will mold.  birds like dog hair too, when we brush our dogs, we clean the brush out into a bag, then dump it outside, the next day its all up in the birds nests :)