i found a research done on the feasibility of using nets as a from of protection on farms as compared to bird scaring and without any form of protection. I must admit that the research is old being performed in 2007. But what interests me is that they used local nets and it seemed to be cheap at the time(but of course it would probably be more expensive now). i'd like if you guys could check it out and discuss what you think.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjpkPTfk__WAhUEmBoKHby4CVQQFghDMAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.propcommaikarfi.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2F35-Demonstration-and-financial-Feasibility-of-the-use-of-nets-to-prevent-bird-damage-12-07-1.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2zqG2T5q6UbRB8A72PuN1M

iedide:
@ TangoAlpha, you said that your maize had matured 2mths before it was attacked by this birds. Can you kindly give me the exact month(including the week of the month) you first noticed the presence of quelea in your farm?

Secondly, what stage of production was your rice paddy at the time you first noticed quelea?

Lastly for now, How did you ascertain for a fact that the pest that attacked your farm the most where birds and that the birds where Quelea quelea for sure?

Thanks for your anticipated answers.

Let me respond to your post first.

The birds were already on my farm at the time of planting. A farmer I share boundary with had planted his rice over two months ahead of my rice. The birds had started attacking his rice when I was planting.

By this time my maize was already about a month old.
When the birds were done with my neighbor's rice, instead of leaving for where they usually come from daily, they made Thier home at the boundaries of my farm. Apparently they realised that they was plenty food about to be available to them. They waited patiently for my rice.

When I noticed this, I decided to destroy Their nests; thinking it would give them to migrate. They did migrate, but they moved to the section where my maiz was. At this point my maize was ready for fresh harvest; but I decided to leave it to dry out a bit before harvest. The birds upon discovering that their was Maize and given that rice wasn't ready yet, pounced on the maize.

If they had discovered the maize earlier perhaps they would have attacked it even before it matured. Secondly, it wasn't my rice that attracted them to my farm. My rice encouraged them not to return to where the came from. Even right now they are still on my farm , over a month after the last rice grain was harvested. Intact they now live on my farm; they go out in the morning in search of food, and retire on my farm at the close of a busy day.

TangoAlpha:


Let me respond to your post first.

The birds were already on my farm at the time of planting. A farmer I share boundary with had planted his rice over two months ahead of my rice. The birds had started attacking his rice when I was planting.

By this time my maize was already about a month old.
When the birds were done with my neighbor's rice, instead of leaving for where they usually come from daily, they made Thier home at the boundaries of my farm. Apparently they realised that they was plenty food about to be available to them. They waited patiently for my rice.

When I noticed this, I decided to destroy Their nests; thinking it would give them to migrate. They did migrate, but they moved to the section where my maiz was. At this point my maize was ready for fresh harvest; but I decided to leave it to dry out a bit before harvest. The birds upon discovering that their was Maize and given that rice wasn't ready yet, pounced on the maize.

If they had discovered the maize earlier perhaps they would have attacked it even before it matured. Secondly, it wasn't my rice that attracted them to my farm. My rice encouraged them not to return to where the came from. Even right now they are still on my farm , over a month after the last rice grain was harvested. Intact they now live on my farm; they go out in the morning in search of food, and retire on my farm at the close of a busy day.

Do you have any picture of this birds? Just want to be sure that this birds are Quelea quelea.

iedide:


Do you have any picture of this birds? Just want to be sure that this birds are Quelea quelea.

Just wondering why you want to make sure it is Quelea Quelea. Is there any reason? You should share. Otherwise, i really see no reason for such confirmation. Any kind of bird that eats rice will destroy any rice farm. So, what is it about making sure it is Quelea Quelea? Your curiosity might be a clue to solving this challenge.

feran15:
i found a research done on the feasibility of using nets as a from of protection on farms as compared to bird scaring and without any form of protection. I must admit that the research is old being performed in 2007. But what interests me is that they used local nets and it seemed to be cheap at the time(but of course it would probably be more expensive now). i'd like if you guys could check it out and discuss what you think.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjpkPTfk__WAhUEmBoKHby4CVQQFghDMAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.propcommaikarfi.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2F35-Demonstration-and-financial-Feasibility-of-the-use-of-nets-to-prevent-bird-damage-12-07-1.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2zqG2T5q6UbRB8A72PuN1M

The attached screenshot is from the document you posted. In 2007, the cost of the locally made net was N60,000 for 1.5 hectares (3.75 acres). Yes, the price will be higher but I do not think it will be 5 times more expensive now. Maybe twice more expensive.

I think it is a very good option. I really think it is worth looking into. And the size of the net mesh should be considered too. Might be it is the reason someone wants to confirm if it is Quelea Quelea.

This is a wonderful and affordable option. This is why it is good to share ones story. Many are here just to read and steal ideas for their personal gain. Bless everyone who contributes to this wonderful discussion. And I believe that by the time we get more contributions, many rice farmers will give God the glory.

Let us stand together, brainstorm it together and help ourselves.

Bless you brother for this wonderful option which is well documented even with the contacts of shops the nets can be bought.

This is wonderful.

iedide:


Do you have any picture of this birds? Just want to be sure that this birds are Quelea quelea.

I am sorry I do not have the picture on my current phone. I should have the picture available tomorrow.

We didn't get to take many close up shots because they would not allow us. We had two types on our farm. I had to go online to try to identify the birds.

I noticed they were called different names. From African weavers to weavers to quelea to Quelea quelea. And some literature just generalize that family of birds with the Quelea quelea name.

I'll be interested in knowing of these my birds actually aren't Quelea quelea. But then if they aren't, it would mean they share many characteristics of the quelea.

Give me some time to get the picture.

TangoAlpha:


I am sorry I do not have the picture on my current phone. I should have the picture available tomorrow.

We didn't get to take many close up shots because they would not allow us. We had two types on our farm. I had to go online to try to identify the birds.

I noticed they were called different names. From African weavers to weavers to quelea to Quelea quelea. And some literature just generalize that family of birds with the Quelea quelea name.

I'll be interested in knowing of these my birds actually aren't Quelea quelea. But then if they aren't, it would mean they share many characteristics of the quelea.

Give me some time to get the picture.

Thank you very much Sir, i appreciate your efforts.

Just to add, so you can reply both at the same time: Did you notice any presence of locust or snails, maybe rats or any other pest of any sort, and about what size for each pest noticed?

iedide:


Thank you very much Sir, i appreciate your efforts.

Just to add, so you can reply both at the same time: Did you notice any presence of locust or snails, maybe rats or any other pest of any sort, and about what size for each pest noticed?

Thank you very much Sir, i appreciate your efforts.

Just to add, so you can reply both at the same time: Did you notice any presence of locust or snails, maybe rats or any other pest of any sort, and about what size for each pest noticed?[/quote]

Alright. I was on the road all day; visiting some vegetable farms in Epe. I am sorry I couldn't give prompt responses.

I checked my phones and didn't find any pictures of the birds. I asked my people and they reminded me that we were unable to capture any close up pictures. Unfortunately, we were also unable to capture anyone of them dead or alive. What I did was to research online about the birds. I viewed pictures online and compared with what we had seen. They were basically the same.

Like i said earlier, Áfrican Village weavers" Quelea quelea and just Quelea were names used interchangeably in some literature; while other literature appeared to see them as different birds but belonging to the same family. My interest in clearing the ambiguity ended here. I guess I was more interested in the solution than in precisely distinguishing the birds.

I can add that we had two prominently different birds. One was brightly coloured with multiple colours. We didn't observe this eat/suck the rice. But we realised that the brightly colored version seemed to be the spy for the other ones. A few minutes after you see the brightly colored ones at a spot; you will see thousands of the rest on that same spot feasting. We concluded that the brightly coloured one was the one sent out to locate newly available rice.

The other type, the one that came in tens of thousands; the one you should be worried about, is greyish. See someattached pictures culled from the web.

You may also check the following link to get a fuller exposure to these birds

https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/57845/IPA-Red-Billed-Quelea-Risk-Assessment.pdf


To your other questions:

Apart from monkeys that attacked the maize at some point; we didn't have any noticeable attacks from any pests. No locusts (to the best of my knowledge) . Snails; yes. The farms was water logged. i don't recall the population being so much to attract attention.

I was informed though that rats (or perhaps grass cutters) were seen at my next door neighbour's rice farm. We didn't notice them on my own section. We went with the explanation that the reason we didn't see signs of grass cutter was because my farm had become waterlogged at the time the grasscutters should have attacked.

feran15:
i found a research done on the feasibility of using nets as a from of protection on farms as compared to bird scaring and without any form of protection. I must admit that the research is old being performed in 2007. But what interests me is that they used local nets and it seemed to be cheap at the time(but of course it would probably be more expensive now). i'd like if you guys could check it out and discuss what you think.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjpkPTfk__WAhUEmBoKHby4CVQQFghDMAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.propcommaikarfi.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2F35-Demonstration-and-financial-Feasibility-of-the-use-of-nets-to-prevent-bird-damage-12-07-1.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2zqG2T5q6UbRB8A72PuN1M

Thank you for bringing this up. I must confess that I did see this document very early on before my rice came under attack. I wasn't keen netting as an option at that time; so I didn't pursue the netting idea further at that point. Perhaps I was over confident in the capability of my drone. I had test-flown it for a few minutes on sections of my neighbours farm when I newly took delivery of the drone. I saw how it effectively drove the birds. I think I went to sleep after that trial flight-forgetting that my rice was much more than my neighbour's;and that I would need to fly it for through the day and not for just a few minutes.


Second point I would like us to consider when we start throwing different permutations up for analyses. Scenario one: The nets can be planned for semi-permanent installation (where it is not dissembled after harvest). The support structure would have to be more solid (therefore more expensive). the fact that there would not be any installation costs at the next season would be cost-saving

Scenario two: The net and structures are removed at harvest. Structures would not need to be expensive; but installation costs will be incurred every season.

fluentinfor:
- - - MY SUGGESTIONS - - -

1. The main challenge is combating birds. Let us look at the various options we have apart from this net option. For example:
a) using birds chasers, not effective.
b) using drones only. What capacity do we need? How many hectares to 1 drone? How many pilots? And what is the cost of training pilots and managing the system (how to manage the drones and rhe pilots)?
c) using drones which can spray chemicals into the air. What does it entail?
d) using a drone that will not only move in the air but can release lightings, terrible sounds, can shoot fireworks that will make a single drone cover many more hectares. For example, fireworks sent to 500 meters distance and gradual delaying/releasing of the fireworks after releasing the mini rocket can be really effective and it can cover a very larger circumference. This will be super. Perhaps, a single drone can manage 20 hectares farm. Who knows?


2. We can develop a pilot program to test 1 or 2 of the listed options we feel are afordable and effective.

3. We develop a financial plan for it.

4. If possible, we implement it.

5. We have a drone already. So, let us capture the video of the pilot project and post it here.

6. Can we really teach these dead research institutes how real researches should be done? Can we show them how to find solutions to challenges and not just find ways of embezzling funds?

Can this be done? I guess we can only know ONLY after brainstorming it. Anyway, if we cannot do it, someone might pick up our analysis someday. I just feel like doing something good.

Thank you for all these ideas you are bouncing at us. Combining drone operation with firecrackers is worth examining further. it sure can extend the range of the drones exponentially.

feran15:



When you say processing would make the venture more profitable, wont the cost of processing still move further the payback date?

Processing cost should not necessarily push the payback time further by much. To start with, the farmer might not need to spend on setting up a processing facility. The farmer could start by leasing such facility....take his/her paddy to a mill...without owning a mill....(I know there are processing steps that precede milling; but the logic of lease can apply to them too)

If rice farmer that has a cropping arm and a processing arm use the margins from the processing to cushion the stretch s/he is getting from the cropping angle; without much impact on overall payback time.

I'm a novice but was just interested reading thread. Is the use of predatory birds like trained falcons or hawks any help in warding off these birds

kolokolobi:
I'm a novice but was just interested reading thread. Is the use of predatory birds like trained falcons or hawks any help in warding off these birds

Thank you for that input. The presence of the predatory birds could work. But from what I have read, predators find it difficult to attack them inflight because they quelea travels in tens of thousands or more. They can knock-off predators from the skies.

I understand that predators find it easier to attack the nests.

If the predators are trained, hey should probably work. In my search for solutions I was in communication with a bird control company that deploys a device with pre recorded bird calls of the target birds and those of their predators.

Apparently, the target birds ar device into thinking their predators are in the vicinity and they hear the distress calls of their own kind. They assume danger is imminent and they fly away. This has been said t work 100% for many species.

This company claimed not to have the bird calls of the quelea quelea (remember the birds are denizen of African countries) and those of their predators. They wanted me to go obtain those recordings. That was where our communication ended. I was only able to obtain low quality recordings of the quelea; I couldn't get the ones for the predators.

Perhaps if I put in more effort in getting the calls for the falcon and hawks, I could find someone who already has th recordings. However, I felt this American bird control company wanted me to do the field work for them, get bird call recordings that they didn't have ; and they would still go ahead to charge me a huge sum for their device, while they can subsequently make a killing selling that product across Africa.

Anyway, back to your point; there should be a way to carefully deploy actual predators to driving the birds away. Whether one bird would be sufficient at every point would be determined by the experts in that field. Do we have such trained falcons or hawks in Nigeria?

TangoAlpha:


Thank you for that input. The presence of the predatory birds could work. But from what I have read, predators find it difficult to attack them inflight because they quelea travels in tens of thousands or more. They can knock-off predators from the skies.

I understand that predators find it easier to attack the nests.

If the predators are trained, hey should probably work. In my search for solutions I was in communication with a bird control company that deploys a device with pre recorded bird calls of the target birds and those of their predators.

Apparently, the target birds ar device into thinking their predators are in the vicinity and they hear the distress calls of their own kind. They assume danger is imminent and they fly away. This has been said t work 100% for many species.

This company claimed not to have the bird calls of the quelea quelea (remember the birds are denizen of African countries) and those of their predators. They wanted me to go obtain those recordings. That was where our communication ended. I was only able to obtain low quality recordings of the quelea; I couldn't get the ones for the predators.

Perhaps if I put in more effort in getting the calls for the falcon and hawks, I could find someone who already has th recordings. However, I felt this American bird control company wanted me to do the field work for them, get bird call recordings that they didn't have ; and they would still go ahead to charge me a huge sum for their device, while they can subsequently make a killing selling that product across Africa.

Anyway, back to your point; there should be a way to carefully deploy actual predators to driving the birds away. Whether one bird would be sufficient at every point would be determined by the experts in that field. Do we have such trained falcons or hawks in Nigeria?

Now, it makes sense to me that knowing the specie(s) of birds is one of the factors to put into consideration when solving the problem.

So, instead of looking for a general solution like using nets, drones, or throwing stones, there may be unique ways of eradicating each specie.

This gets me to ponder on the option of spraying avicide. You bought from Jubaili and imported from the US. Does it mean the avicide brands you bought cannot kill the specie on your farm? This got me thinking.

But then, I noticed someone asked about cats, rats or whatsoever around your farm.

I am patiently waiting for him to return online. Looks like he is trying to draw out some clues to solve this issue.

How the human mind works is magnificient. Really, it is.

fluentinfor:


Now, it makes sense to me that knowing the specie(s) of birds is one of the factors to put into consideration when solving the problem.

So, instead of looking for a general solution like using nets, drones, or throwing stones, there may be unique ways of eradicating each specie.

This gets me to ponder on the option of spraying avicide. You bought from Jubaili and imported from the US. Does it mean the avicide brands you bought cannot kill the specie on your farm? This got me thinking.

But then, I noticed someone asked about cats, rats or whatsoever around your farm.

I am patiently waiting for him to return online. Looks like he is trying to draw out some clues to solve this issue.

How the human mind works is magnificient. Really, it is.

I am curious too

@TangoAlpha: Once again thank you for having a lot of patience with me.

Do you think that this birds were in anyway afraid of human presence(even if this humans were not necessarily trying to scare them), and at what range in meters did you observe the were afraid to come near humans?

Permit me to deviate a bit from the earlier topic, can we create a what app group for rice farmers and intending rice farmers, am a great admirer of rice farming and have been looking for a thread that discuss how intending rice farmers can go about establishing their own farms and challenges practicing farmers face like the one been discussed. fluentinfor and Tangoalpha pls can u guys make this happen?

iedide:
@TangoAlpha: Once again thank you for having a lot of patience with me.

Do you think that this birds were in anyway afraid of human presence(even if this humans were not necessarily trying to scare them), and at what range in meters did you observe the were afraid to come near humans?

At some point we resorted to manual scaring after all other options we had tried failed us. Yes, the birds respond to human presence or proximity. However, they do not leave the farm just because humans are close. If you chase them away from a spot, they can fly above your head to another spot behind you and stay there until you dislodge them again.

In terms of distance, I cannot really give a figure. I think their response to humans appeared normal, else it might have caught our attention.

I know that there was a time we tried to take closeup pictures, our intention wasn't to scare them; but the birds never allowed us to get close enough to snap the shots. So it's a little of both. They would take off when humans approach them; but the human proximity doesn't drive them from the farm, it only makes them relocation to other point close buy whhere

kingofthenorth:
Permit me to deviate a bit from the earlier topic, can we create a what app group for rice farmers and intending rice farmers, am a great admirer of rice farming and have been looking for a thread that discuss how intending rice farmers can go about establishing their own farms and challenges practicing farmers face like the one been discussed. fluentinfor and Tangoalpha pls can u guys make this happen?

It is a good suggestion; however, such whatsapp/telegram groups end up having members who are not practising farmers and the goals of the groups are not achieved. Really, it is worth looking into for serious minded people who truly want to be succesful.

How many rice farmers do we have? Mechanised farming is the right way to produce rice. And how many people can deploy heavy duties machines on their farms? So, it might be joint effort that can bring solution but i have to be frank with you that bringing together people can be really tough. Most people prefer to go on solo lanes. Do I blame them? Of course not.

Here is my point. If a group is created for the purpose of solving such problem what is the essense of creating such group if the suggestions discussed there are not practicalized? And then, to put them into trials, it may require fund. Such fund most times is out of the reach of most nairaland agricultural section members. This is the truth. Most are subsistence farmers with the exception of some dudes I have read about.

And then, the next approach is to source fund from members of such groups. Will the caretakers be faithful to such trust bestowed on them?

Sir/Ma, this is the reason I have stayed cleared of many of such groups. Personally, i have resolved to dishing out info freely what I can on public forums like this and I hope that someday my works will inspire someone to take a bold step and move forward. I am never scared of releasing vital info. I do not hold information so anyone can contract me for consultation. Never!

If I see any serious minded people who formed any group, I am willing to render my service.

Your suggestion may come to reality. Who knows tomorrow?

TangoAlpha:


Thank you for that input. The presence of the predatory birds could work. But from what I have read, predators find it difficult to attack them inflight because they quelea travels in tens of thousands or more. They can knock-off predators from the skies.

I understand that predators find it easier to attack the nests.

If the predators are trained, hey should probably work. In my search for solutions I was in communication with a bird control company that deploys a device with pre recorded bird calls of the target birds and those of their predators.

Apparently, the target birds ar device into thinking their predators are in the vicinity and they hear the distress calls of their own kind. They assume danger is imminent and they fly away. This has been said t work 100% for many species.

This company claimed not to have the bird calls of the quelea quelea (remember the birds are denizen of African countries) and those of their predators. They wanted me to go obtain those recordings. That was where our communication ended. I was only able to obtain low quality recordings of the quelea; I couldn't get the ones for the predators.

Perhaps if I put in more effort in getting the calls for the falcon and hawks, I could find someone who already has th recordings. However, I felt this American bird control company wanted me to do the field work for them, get bird call recordings that they didn't have ; and they would still go ahead to charge me a huge sum for their device, while they can subsequently make a killing selling that product across Africa.

Anyway, back to your point; there should be a way to carefully deploy actual predators to driving the birds away. Whether one bird would be sufficient at every point would be determined by the experts in that field. Do we have such trained falcons or hawks in Nigeria?

I am aware falcons have been used on the aviation industry to curb bird strike. I do not know if this could be scaled to solve this problem in agriculture apart from the sound mimicking.... It however provides an opportunity that can be explored as an alternative to solving this problem.

kolokolobi:


I am aware falcons have been used on the aviation industry to curb bird strike. I do not know if this could be scaled to solve this problem in agriculture apart from the sound mimicking.... It however provides an opportunity that can be explored as an alternative to solving this problem.

I would be very much interested in a solution like this. It is a promising option. Do you know if this is in use by the Nigerian Aviation? Perhaps one should contact NCAA... Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

kingofthenorth:
Permit me to deviate a bit from the earlier topic, can we create a what app group for rice farmers and intending rice farmers, am a great admirer of rice farming and have been looking for a thread that discuss how intending rice farmers can go about establishing their own farms and challenges practicing farmers face like the one been discussed. fluentinfor and Tangoalpha pls can u guys make this happen?

Thank you for your suggestion.
I am a bit wary of such groups. @fluentinfor has mentioned some of the issues with them. A good way to achieve the end you have in mind is to identify the people you would like to network with, and have a personal business relationship with them. You can engage them privately towards that end. You can have as many of such separate arrangements.

Then sometimes later, you can decide details to initiate pooling all those contacts together and connecting them.

Otherwise you will be saddled with an unwieldy groups of people with different levels of seriousness, disparate visions, passions or motivations.

If your a rice farming enthusiast, you can proceed by reaching out to one or two clearly valuable contacts across the various rice threads on nairaland.... let's see where that takes you.

...for instance, @fluentinfor is someone I have pencilled down for further networking.

I would be glad to meet other guys you too have shortlisted.

Cheers

TangoAlpha:


I would be very much interested in a solution like this. It is a promising option. Do you know if this is in use by the Nigerian Aviation? Perhaps one should contact NCAA... Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

In Nigeria I don't think so but I am aware in some airports in Europe and the US.

kolokolobi:


In Nigeria I don't think so but I am aware in some airports in Europe and the US.

I know dogs are used to clear run ways from birds invasion in many airports. You know this is ground level and may not work on Farms.

I do not think airports model will work for Agric since it is ground level; however, it can still be looked into. Yes, it is possible to have birds as predators to scare them away.

I reached out to my contacts and I realised using nets on rice farms is not new in Nigeria. It is exactly the same principle as covering earthen fish pond. So, this issue to me is solved.

Like I always tell people, reaching out to local farmers is a powerful way to excel in farming. Internet farmers are noise makers. Lol.

And yes, my curiosity about identifying the specie of birds where the farm is located is very vital so you get the right mesh of net you should use. I was told that farmers in Kwara and Lafiagi adopt 1.5 inches mesh. Farmers in Ibadan in the document that showed us one of the right measures used 0.9inch mesh. I believe 1 inch can still work there. And the net is very affordable. Very affordable.

The question OP must ask himself is what is the right mesh size for the kind of Quelea on the farm?

@TangoAlpha, do you plan returning to your farm to cultivate rice again? Can you do one acre pilot?

Ok, yes...I am still curious to know what our guy who is asking about cats, rats and insects around the farm is trying to do. Lol!

Perhaps I can chip in on the use of drones. I use this but for a different purpose. I just completed a topological survey of 78 hectares of farmland using a hexacopter. I have a mavic Pro as well and I think this may serve the purpose of scaring of the birds without too much piloting skills required. Get an app installed on your android or iOS device such as Drone Deploy or Litchi. Input the boundaries of your land into it and your drone can fly in the pre-programmed route with no controls. It will take off, move around the field and return to launch all by itself. The mavic is pretty noisy as well so it will surely scare them off.

fluentinfor:


I know dogs are used to clear run ways from birds invasion in many airports. You know this is ground level and may not work on Farms.

I do not think airports model will work for Agric since it is ground level; however, it can still be looked into. Yes, it is possible to have birds as predators to scare them away.

I was thinking the falcons or hawks will operate from pre built elevated posts within and around the farm. Like I said I'm no expert in this just thinking if it could be scaled and used along maybe the drone model. Increasing the number of predatory birds around particular farms could also ward off potential bird attacks. Im thinking.

kolokolobi:


I was thinking the falcons or hawks will operate from pre built elevated posts within and around the farm. Like I said I'm no expert in this just thinking if it could be scaled and used along maybe the drone model. Increasing the number of predatory birds around particular farms could also ward off potential bird attacks. Im thinking.

I have heard of hawks trained by security agencies in the US to 'arrest' nuisance/illegally flown drones in restricted areas. The hawks will capture any such unauthorized drones and take hand them over to the authorities.

I do agree that opportunity exists for us to explore this option. Unfortunately, it might end up being financially unaccessible to most f us if the required expertise to train and manage such predator birds is not yet ready available in Nigeria.

I am in sync with you on this.

Thank you for this.

Cheers

Stylz69:
Perhaps I can chip in on the use of drones. I use this but for a different purpose. I just completed a topological survey of 78 hectares of farmland using a hexacopter. I have a mavic Pro as well and I think this may serve the purpose of scaring of the birds without too much piloting skills required. Get an app installed on your android or iOS device such as Drone Deploy or Litchi. Input the boundaries of your land into it and your drone can fly in the pre-programmed route with no controls. It will take off, move around the field and return to launch all by itself. The mavic is pretty noisy as well so it will surely scare them off.

I sure will follow up on this. Many drone companies charge arm and leg for software that allow preprogrammed flights. This tip from you is invaluable.

Thanks a bunch.

fluentinfor:
I reached out to my contacts and I realised using nets on rice farms is not new in Nigeria. It is exactly the same principle as covering earthen fish pond. So, this issue to me is solved.

Like I always tell people, reaching out to local farmers is a powerful way to excel in farming. Internet farmers are noise makers. Lol.

And yes, my curiosity about identifying the specie of birds where the farm is located is very vital so you get the right mesh of net you should use. I was told that farmers in Kwara and Lafiagi adopt 1.5 inches mesh. Farmers in Ibadan in the document that showed us one of the right measures used 0.9inch mesh. I believe 1 inch can still work there. And the net is very affordable. Very affordable.

The question OP must ask himself is what is the right mesh size for the kind of Quelea on the farm?

@TangoAlpha, do you plan returning to your farm to cultivate rice again? Can you do one acre pilot?

Ok, yes...I am still curious to know what our guy who is asking about cats, rats and insects around the farm is trying to do. Lol!

how affordable are the nets? have you found out from the farmers?

fluentinfor:
I reached out to my contacts and I realised using nets on rice farms is not new in Nigeria. It is exactly the same principle as covering earthen fish pond. So, this issue to me is solved.

Like I always tell people, reaching out to local farmers is a powerful way to excel in farming. Internet farmers are noise makers. Lol.

And yes, my curiosity about identifying the specie of birds where the farm is located is very vital so you get the right mesh of net you should use. I was told that farmers in Kwara and Lafiagi adopt 1.5 inches mesh. Farmers in Ibadan in the document that showed us one of the right measures used 0.9inch mesh. I believe 1 inch can still work there. And the net is very affordable. Very affordable.

The question OP must ask himself is what is the right mesh size for the kind of Quelea on the farm?

@TangoAlpha, do you plan returning to your farm to cultivate rice again? Can you do one acre pilot?

Ok, yes...I am still curious to know what our guy who is asking about cats, rats and insects around the farm is trying to do. Lol!

Thank you so much for this extra work. I sincerely appreciate you even more.

I intend going back to the farm for rice if my issues (quelea birds being the greatest) are resolved satisfactorily.

I'm not too surprised that the nets are already being used by rice farmers in Nigeria given that field tests were done over ten years ago. The question is what particular type are they using? Where are the nets sourced from? What's the cost? What dimensions do they come in? In their experience, what's the average lifespan of the nets?

Like the Oliver Twist that I am, could you kindly assist me further by asking your contacts these questions.
The feedback will provide valuable inputs into my viability assessments; which will inturn sanction my going back to crop rice.

One inch mesh should shut out Quelea quelea, even though the mesh size of the nets I have considered so far in my research is 3/4 square inches.

These efforts of yours confirms that we have made significant progress on this thread with our quelea control quest.

Thank you sir.

I am encouraged by the prospect of the nets being very very affordable.

I can explore the prospect of a one acre irrigated and net covered pilot during this dry season.

Let the details of this net come in first...lol

I am also curious about the information @iedide is about to share with us....

Cheers

TangoAlpha:


Thank you so much for this extra work. I sincerely appreciate you even more.

I intend going back to the farm for rice if my issues (quelea birds being the greatest) are resolved satisfactorily.

I'm not too surprised that the nets are already being used by rice farmers in Nigeria given that field tests were done over ten years ago. The question is what particular type are they using? Where are the nets sourced from? What's the cost? What dimensions do they come in? In their experience, what's the average lifespan of the nets?

Like the Oliver Twist that I am, could kindly assist me further by asking your contacts these questions.
The feedback will provide valuable inputs into my viability assessments; which will intimate sanction my going back to crop rice.

One inch mesh should shut out Quelea quelea, even though the mesh size of the nets I have considered so far in my research is 3/4 square inches.

These efforts of yours confirms that we have made significant progress with quelea control quest.

Thank you sir.

I am encouraged by the prospect of the nets being very very affordable.

I can explore the prospect of a one acre irrigated and net covered pilot during this dry season.

Let the details of this net come in first...lol

I am also curious about the information @iedide is about to share with us....

Cheers

I'm with you on this too.