Pigeon Trapping Tips

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First, you need to buy a pigeon trap. There are many models on the market, but most are basically large cages, with one-way entry doors.

Next, you need to set the trap in the area with the problem pigeons. You might want to wire the doors of the trap open for a few days, and set bait - cracked corn works great - in the center of the trap, and get the pigeons acclimated to feeding in the trap. Once they are used to entering the trap for the bait, you can set the trap for real. Pro Tip: Once a first pigeon enters, more will follow.

What do you do with the pigeons once you've trapped them? Well, you may have heard that pigeons are moderately competent at finding their way back home. Like, over oceans and stuff. They can see magnetic fields or something. So you can't relocate them. That means you have to kill them, if you want to stop them from coming back.

Overall, it's my opinion that pigeon exclusion methods, using spikes, electric track, or preventative netting, are the best ways to keep pigeons away for good. Far better than trapping.



Here are some other do-it-yourself articles I wrote that might help you:
How to clean pigeon poop
Types of pigeon repellent
What To Do About Pigeons In Your Chimney
What Do Pigeons Eat?
Diseases Pigeons Can Carry
How Can Pigeons Enter Your House?
How to Find Pigeon Entry Holes In Your House
Best Ways to Remove Pigeon Feces from Concrete
Are Pigeon Feces Dangerous?
Should You Feed Pigeons?
Steps to Find and Remove a Dead Pigeon
Are Pigeons Good Pets?
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Pigeon Damage?
What Should You Do About Pigeons In Your Chimney?
What Should You Do If A Pigeon Gets Inside Your House?
Is it Legal to Trap A Pigeon?
What Are Pigeons' Mating Habits?
Can You Use Mothballs to Help Repel Pigeons?
Needle Pigeon Strip
How to Use Pigeon Bird Netting to Keep Pigeons Away
How to Keep Pigeons Out of Barns
Can You Scare A Pigeon Away With A Plastic Owl?
Should You Ever Poison A Pigeon?
Property Modifications That Will Keep Away Pigeons
How do Wildlife Rehabilitators Take Care of Pigeons?
Should You Relocate A Pigeon?
Do Pest Control Companies Remove Pigeons?
Can You Use Rice or Alka Seltzer to Kill A Pigeon?
How Pigeons Communicate
Pigeon Shock Track
What Are the Symptoms of a Sick Pigeon?
Is A High Pitch Sound Deterrent Machine Useful Against Pigeons?
Do Pigeons Live Primarily in Urban Or Rural Areas?
How to Remove Pigeons From the Wall

Some people love to keep pigeons because they are smart, beautiful and in some cases even profitable. People will keep pigeons in pigeon coops and pigeon farms. You may not know it, but there are pigeon race competitions where people will release a pigeon away from their home and count the time it takes for the pigeon to return. Restaurants are serving pigeon as a delicacy and farms that raise pigeons are now making more and more money.

When these birds aren’t raised for pets they can become quite the nuisance, leaving droppings everywhere and causing damage to buildings. In this case they are no longer the source to relieve some stress; these pigeons are, in fact the cause of your stress. Because of this you may be looking for tips on how to trap them and if you are, you have come to the right place.

Live Traps
If you have a new pigeon problem, meaning that it started a month or two ago then you can use live traps as a way to trap the pigeons. These birds are very smart and that is why they have been trained and used by humans in many different situations from war time to the pigeon races. Because of this level of intelligence you must know what you are doing with a pigeon cage. The right bait is absolutely necessary and you can check when you purchase the cage what the best bait is. You also have to make sure that you conceal the cage to make sure that the bird does not mind going inside. Some of the best bait includes seeds that you may have purchased at your local supermarket. There is no need to get fancy when trapping pigeons.

Get Them Used to You
You will never trap the pigeons if they have no reason to come to you or into your trap. Fortunately that can be done by using corn every day. All that you have to do is get some corn and spread in the area where pigeons usually gather. When pigeons get used to the idea of getting food without actually having to hunt it or scavenge it they will keep coming back for more. Once you have them in the location every day, you want to put some of that same corn inside the cage. Now keep in mind that pigeons are fast, so you should get a trap that’s specifically designed for them. Getting another one could actually hurt the bird. These traps can be purchased at home and gardening stores everywhere and they are not harmful to the pigeons. It’s important to remove animals humanely in every situation possible.

They Will Keep Coming Back
Unless the pigeons have just found your place there is a very good chance that they will keep coming back. As mentioned before, some people make a living with pigeon races, which consists of releasing the bird and letting it find its roost. This means in addition to trapping and releasing the birds you will also need to consider what you will do to prevent them from making a roost out of your home a second time. There are many different deterrent options for pigeons. There are fences, netting and stakes that are safe and meant to keep the birds from being able to comfortably land. You will want to have a plan that uses a combination of trapping and deterrents to keep your home pigeon free.

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Pigeon Trapping: How to Trap a Pigeon - Homeowners go looking for pigeon traps mostly after their pigeon problem refuses to go away with repellent interventions. Those birds just don’t know when they have overstayed their welcome and they beat the repellents every time because they’re so intelligent. For trapping, you may choose to go with either lethal or live traps.



Lethal traps

Lethal traps kills the pigeon as soon as it enters into the cage by means of a snapping or constricting mechanism. Lethal traps get rid of any pigeon captured permanently, but the intelligence of the bird is their shortcoming. When one pigeons is caught and killed, the other members of the flock will alert each other to the danger posed by the trap and none will go near it again.

The other issue with lethal trapping is that it is illegal in many areas because of its inhumane manner of getting rid of pigeons. It can also be very difficult for homeowners who are not animal control professionals, to set and use lethal traps without injuring themselves.

Live pigeon traps

The most common design of the live pigeon trap is the one-door trap. As the name suggests, it has only one door through which the pigeons enter and it is built to accommodate many birds at once. When setting this trap, know that once one pigeon enters, the others will follow. The Tomahawk Extra live pigeon trap for instance, can trap up to thirty pigeons at a time. There are also other examples like the collapsible pigeon traps. Follow the following steps to trap pigeon alive:

  1. Start out by getting some seed bait and spreading it out for the birds in a particular location. Repeat this over a couple of days so this eating pattern can be established for them.
  2. The pigeons will start returning to this spot everyday once the feeding is regular. Once this is established, get your cage ready.
  3. Introduce the cage trap to the location and put the seed inside it. Let them feast for another few days to gain their trust in the cage
  4. Set the trap to catch as many of them as possible.

As humane as live trapping seems, it is not always the best way to get rid of pigeons because after trapping and transporting them away from your abode, they are able to return to where they were captured on their own. For this reason, some people prefer to kill the birds after they’ve been trapped. Read the guide What To Do With A Pigeon That You Catch.

What to do after live trapping pigeons

The thing about trapping pigeons is that unlike other animals, live trapping and relocation rarely work to keep them away from your home. Pigeons are known for their amazing ability to navigate their way back home (where they roost) from anywhere they are taken to. It is this ability that made them so useful for sending communication in the olden days, and even during world wars I and II. It therefore holds that they will return to their roost spot in your house if you do trap and relocate them. It then seems that the only way to get rid of them after trapping, is to kill them; or modify your building structure to deter them from their roosting spot.

You have to decide what to do with your pigeons once you trap them - kill them or set them free. Whatever you choose, do it quickly so the pigeons do not suffer for long. If it is permitted for you to kill them where you live, do so quickly and humanely – by gassing or breaking their necks with pliers.

Bait

Traps need to be baited to attract the pigeons. Foods like grains, seeds, fruits and water, which are the birds’ favourites work best in luring them. For your trap to be effective, you should put this bait out for a period of time before actually putting it in a trap, so that the birds feel safe enough to enter your cage in large numbers.

You can use a pigeon as bait for other pigeons as well. They are social birds and are likely to perch and eat where a member of their species is, so keep a pigeon inside the cage and it will lure others in.

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