Having birds on your property can help bring an air of happiness to it. There’s really nothing like waking up to the beautiful songs of a robin or looking out your window to see the colorful chest of a blue jay or cardinal. However, there are a handful of birds you’ll want to keep out of your yard. Crows can bully other birds and take food away. And then there are pigeons. Pigeons are birds you likely would rather not have on your property. In order to prevent pigeons from damaging your property, here is what you need to know about how to keep pigeons away.
All animals want to be close to shelter, food, and water. The same is true with pigeons, so when it comes to how to keep pigeons away you’ll want to identify what is attracting pigeons to your property in the first place. You also should know why it is so important to keep pigeons away from your property.
You may look at pigeons as just another kind of bird, but that is not the case at all. You may enjoy having chipmunks or squirrels on nearby trees, but chances are, you’d set out traps if you started to see rats show up. Think about pigeons the same way. Pigeons can transmit any number of diseases through droppings. The diseases are not just spread to other animals but can actually move on to humans, too. It is possible for pigeons to spread E.coli, psittacosis, histoplasmosis, and other diseases. Of course, the pigeons can also be covered in mites, bed bugs, ticks, and lice, which may transmit to your pets.
Pigeons produce a rather large amount of droppings, and the droppings are extremely acidic. This means they will end up staining your property while causing damage beyond just the need to wash down the property. The feathers of pigeons can stick, too, making the problem even worse.
You also have to deal with the noise of pigeons. Pigeons usually do not travel on their own, but instead will travel in groups. Once one pigeon shows up on your property, it won’t be long until others arrive. You’ll want to use the tips for how to keep pigeons away as soon as possible, otherwise you might be overrun.
The pigeons will want to be near both food and nesting areas. Now, you don’t need to have food offered directly in your yard. In fact, there might be a neighbor that offers sources of food you can’t do anything about. It is having the nesting areas near these food sources that bring pigeons to your property. So you’ll want to look for areas of your property that birds will want to turn into nests. It is okay if you have the small bird houses (where the opening is just larger than the size of a quarter). Pigeons need a larger open space.
Beyond looking for a place to nest, a pigeon will look for food as well. Pigeons are again like rats, in that they will eat just about anything. If you have garbage sitting around, the birds will pick through garbage bags and eat this. They will also eat from bird feeders and dive in on vegetable gardens. They can eat just about anything, so if you have exposed food, chances are, this is a reason why pigeons are coming to your property. You’ll need to do something about it if you want to know how to keep pigeons away.
You need to look around your property for the shelter and food sources. First, if pigeons have started to live around your property, you’ll likely already know about it. You’ll see their droppings and feathers sticking to the area. If a nest is already in place, you’ll need to contact animal control and have them come out and remove the nest. There isn’t anything you can do personally if the nest is up. However, once the nest has been removed, you’ll be able to begin preventative measures.
Look for areas where larger birds might nest. If you have exposed openings around your roof, now is the time to fill these in. Filling these areas in prevents not only pigeons but also rodents from turning the roof of your house into a home.
Now, you need to look for exposed food. First, don’t put your garbage out until either the morning or the night before trash pickup. Then, when the garbage has been picked up, take the garbage bins back inside. Don’t let these items linger.
Pigeons may attempt to eat at compost piles. In these instances, it is important for you to not leave the compost exposed. While air flow is important, you must block off access to it. Whether this means you purchase a ready-made container for it or you build one around the compost pile, you need to block off access. You can use a chicken wire construction, but this is not always the best way to go as it still gives off the aroma and pigeons can pick through the wire.
If you have a garden, you’ll want to protect it, too. You may already have a small fence around the garden to keep out rabbits and squirrels. However, if pigeons are picking at your garden, you’ll need to go a step further and install a roof. The roof can be made
out of metal wire as long as the birds cannot squeeze through (this is where the chicken wire can be most beneficial). If you don’t want to invest in a roof just yet, there are home remedy options you can try.
If you put out food for other birds and pigeons are coming, you may need to stop feeding the other birds for the time being. Once the pigeons move on to other properties, you can put the food back out.
While you look for ways to protect your property and prevent pigeons from remaining, it is important for you to know city guidelines for removing pigeons. In some locations it is illegal to kill pigeons. So look up the local and state laws before moving forward with particular pesticides and home remedies.
One of the best ways to prevent pigeons from hanging out in your property is having a pet. You don’t need to leave your dog out longer than normal, but pigeons would rather live in an area free of dogs. If you are not interested in feeding any kind of bird, then you may want to invest in an indoor/outdoor cat as well (especially if you live on a larger property in the country).
Pigeons do not like the taste or smell of stronger spices. Coat areas where the pigeons are landing with black pepper, chilli, and other spices to prevent the birds from landing in the area. You will need to do this on a regular basis to keep the pigeons away; at least until the birds move on to another location.
These might not be the most attractive additions to your home, but if there are only small areas where pigeons land on your property then anti-roosting spikes may be an option. These spikes cross hatch into the air several inches, making it impossible for the birds to land on posts, along fences, and near rooftops. These are inexpensive to install and will ensure the pigeons do not turn areas of your property into landing zones.
This is one option when you can’t install a permanent option, such as if you’re renting a property and your landlord won’t do anything. The gel application is sticky and the birds won’t want to land on the area. You’ll need to apply the gel-repellent occasionally (especially after a rain), but it does work well as an answer for how to keep pigeons away.
If you have a major problem with pigeons, one of the options for how to keep pigeons away is to invest in an ultrasonic device. Make sure to look up reviews for the specific products so you know you’re getting one that works well. This device sends out an ultrasonic sound that you can’t hear but the pigeons pick up. This is the most expensive option, but it works well.
While you may want to feed the birds, there are some species of birds you want to keep away from your property. One of these species is the pigeon. Pigeons can become aggressive, push other birds out of your yard, and destroy different areas of your yard while forcing you to clean up. By taking some of these suggestions for how to keep pigeons away, you’ll significantly reduce the chance of pigeons turning to your yard for shelter and food. After all, if you use these different tips they will look for other nearby areas to call home.
Featured Image by burtamus from Pixabay
(Visited 52 times, 1 visits today)