HELP ME! The birds keep eating all the dog food!

[KIKE]

My wife and I left our dog in the backyard while we went out of town for a long weekend. We bought a 5 gallon food and a 5 gallon water dispenser before we left so our dog would have plenty of food.

The day after we left, a friend went to check on our dog and said the food was empty. 5 gallons, gone! I know our dog didn't eat it all because she's not a big eater. Our friend filled it with another 5 gallons. Upon our return, I discovered that not only was the feeder empty again, but the back porch was covered in bird feces. The birds ate most of 10 gallons of food.

The logical solution is that our dog would chase the birds away. Well, that's not the case. She's not interested at all, and apparently the birds aren't afraid of her. The dog looked as if the birds pooed on her, so I assume they didn't leave her alone while she ate.

Does anyone know how to keep the birds away? I don't care about humane/inhumane ways to do it, I just want them gone, never to return. Cat aren't really an option because I'm allergic.

Any ideas?

 

[hrafn]

This is a site for the care of pet birds lad, not about setting cats on them.

Is her food inside now? Once the free supply is gone the birds should figure out that there's no reason to take over your porch, and go elsewhere for a meal.
Alternatively, why not hang a bird feeder somewhere where they can eat freely without making a mess on the porch?

 

[Garet]

Why not board the dog or hire a pet sitter???? Leaving a dog out in the yard all week-end with very little human contact is cruel and negligent.

Also, please don't get any more animals until you're responsible enough to take care of the one you have.

Birds and their droppings can carry over 60 diseases

Also, take your dog to a vet.

 

[SquawksNibbles]

Agree with the others that this is a place where fellow bird lovers can chat to each other about care for pet birds. We don’t usually talk about ways to keep wild birds away, especially if it involves inhumane ways. In fact, most of us here look for ways to attract wild birds to our yards by putting out bird feeders.

Please consider getting a couple bird feeders that provide plenty of proper food for birds. This will most likely draw the birds away from any other pet food in the yard.

And also please look into having a dog sitter take care of your dog. Enough food and water can’t save your dog from the temperatures your place may have. Not sure where you live or what climate you have, but tempatures can be a problem depending on where you’re located. Also getting a dog sitter would keep you from having to keep a ton of food outside, and therefore stop the birds from eating all of it.

And also please don’t do any inhumane things to these birds. As far as heir concerned, you are giving them free food so of course they’ll take it. And after all, they’re just trying to find something to eat to survive. Not saying they should continue eating from the dog food, but it’s definitely not something to go killing wild birds for, in my opinion.

 

[Shezbug]

I think it is hilarious that you are feeding dog food to the local wild birds, bird feed is so much cheaper!
I would just offer the foods the local birds like so they leave your dog food alone, I also would never leave my dog in the yard alone for a weekend as it is cruel and neglectful.
Why not take your dog with you or get a sitter next time, then you will be certain that your dog has food and water when needed and is not left out in the weather to battle with what ever happens while you are away.

 

[Porter]

Put the food in a covered environment, that most birds would not be comfortable entering.
It also might not be birds, perhaps you have resident racoons... or foxes... or opossum.
Leaving a dog with a big bucket of food and water even for a long weekend without having someone check on them once or twice is just asking for trouble. Easiest case scenerio would be to hire a trusted local kid and offer them like twenty bucks or so to check on the dog per day.

I do that with my birds when I travel, they check, feed and water and play with them for like ten minutes a day, and everything is fine.