Pigeons use natural sheltering sites where they can roost and nest. But city living is ideal for pigeons because they can readily access food and water.
This free housing in the city provides them with window ledges, bridges, and warehouses. Rooftops, where predators are rare, are also ideal substitutes for natural cliff sides.
When pigeon flocks grow and become a pest, killing them is often the preferred choice of action. However, killing pigeons is not humane.
There are better and non-lethal methods to fix this nuisance problem. We give you below five effective and humane ways to keep pigeons away. Some of them are budget-friendly too.
Birth control
The challenging aspect of being a barn owner is keeping pigeons away from barns. The OvoControl program is the most humane and effective solution to having fewer pigeons in your barn. Due to their breeding capabilities, these birds can represent a challenging pest. But you can solve it by interrupting their breeding with birth control.
As nesters, pigeons can raise more than a dozen young annually. If these nesters have plenty of space and food, their population can increase exponentially.
Fortunately, birth control is available that reduces the growth of the flocks. They come in the form of food that, when eaten, can cause them to lay eggs that fail to hatch.
Birth control is a humane exclusion measure to discourage nesting and roosting, effectively stopping the eggs’ development.
Barn owners can use these birth control measures to keep pigeons away instead of using lethal and inhumane methods. Businesses that use these safe methods have seen a decrease in pigeon populations.
Anti-roosting spikes
Protect your ledges using anti-roosting spears to stop the pigeons from roosting. It is an excellent option to minimize the areas where the pigeons can make a home.
These spikes can make it a less viable option, thereby limiting their foothold. The anti-roosters are very popular because the protrusions make it difficult for pigeons to land on them.
The anti-roosting spikes are long-lasting, durable, and require no maintenance. They are clear-colored, making them hard to notice from afar.
This way, the tips do not spoil your home’s aesthetics. You need to measure where you want to install them to know how many of them you will require.
Each kit has spike segments that cover the ledge space based on how widely you space them apart to stop the pigeons from hanging out.
Make sure to measure your ledge before purchasing them. That way, you know how many kits you need to buy. Each kit has the measurements given in the description label.
Ultrasound repeller
Pigeons have a heightened hearing sense, allowing the birds to hear things humans cannot detect. They are born with keen ears to hear other birds, which alert them to a mating partner, danger, and food. Using a repeller, you can use this aspect of pigeons to get rid of them.
A pigeon ultrasonic repeller can help remove them from your barn by emitting distress sounds and calls. The repeller has many pre-recorded calls, making it sound more natural, which the pigeons can hear. Maximize the call by installing the repeller where the pigeons congregate.
Other similar repellers use sound frequencies that only pigeons can hear. Some other control device uses a frequency level that can be irritating to keep them away.
Sound-based deterrents may not bring in the results immediately, but using them consistently can work. Leave the devices on for a few hours every day.
Reflective surfaces
Use reflective surface materials to keep the annoying pigeons from pooping all over the place. Use a light reflector to ward off pigeons without spending too much. Pigeons detest bright light flashes because they react with the avian eyes, leaving them feeling disoriented.
The prism effect can be applied using several things in your house or going for budget-friendly reflective surfaces available at a department store. These materials catch the light, scaring away pigeons. These reflective materials are the most favored pigeon defectors if you want to go for low maintenance and convenience.
They can cover a vast area, crackling loudly and catching the light in the wind if you hang them on a string so that they flap in the wind. Then position the things in vertical places near where pigeons roost. They can effectively keep the pigeons away, lasting many months.
Scare-pigeon
Powerful birds of prey such as falcons and hawks are predators of pigeons, although you cannot hire them to scare pigeons. However, there is an alternative that can have the same effect. They are called scare-pigeons. Scare-pigeon is a life-like pigeon control device that keeps these birds away.
Get a 3D pigeon scare that emits predator sounds and makes erratic movements. But pigeons can eventually get it if the scare-pigeons stay in one place.
Therefore, move it from one place to another to trick the pigeons into thinking that they are for real. The figurine rotates its head using solar energy as a natural predator bird does.
The scary figurines are lightweight and are perfect for scaring pesky birds. It would be best to secure the scare-pigeons, so they do not get blown away.
Putting sand inside the figure through the bottom hole can do the trick. Use the plug that comes with it to seal them. Alternatively, use a pipe and secure the figure to a board.