Pigeon Deterrents

[sqweek01]

A friend of mine has a problem with the pigeons her neighbour feeds. There's about 50 of them and it's been going on for quite some time so she has got to the end of her tether.

She's always got on with the neighbour & done odd jobs for him but he simply won't listen to her with regard to the pigeons. She doesn't mind him feeding the birds but there are too many of them, and all the work she does in her garden is being repaid by pigeon-poo. Thus it's really getting her down.

She's tried various things; shiny items, vaseline, chili pepper spray etc but nothing has worked. What else can she try? Would a ferret work? As in let a ferret wander around the garden to leave its' scent.

What else can she try?

Regards

Clare

[OllieMartin]

Netting plants is the only certainty I can think of.

Is the problem just with the poo, or are the pigeons attacking her plants too?

[Glutton4...]

Get a Gun!

I'm plagued by the ruddy things too. We have a flat roof, and they're 'at it' all the darn time. Sounds like a Rugger team up there!

[lottie dolly]

has she contacted the council,that many,plus the mess is not good for health surley,

[julesapple]

What your friend needs is one of these;



We don't have pigeons or seagulls in our garden any more.....

Jules

PS This is Jakk the Harris Hawk, and I apologise for the rubbish photo.

[sqweek01]

Thanks for the replies

She has no trouble with her plants, it's just the poop. Her husband has bought himself a gun & has bagged a few, but she's worried what the neighbour will say!

I'm sure she's talked to the council but I'll ask her to make sure.

Jules; he's lovely, shame you're so far away!

Regards

Clare

[binley100]

Are they wood pigeons or the flying rats that you get in town centres. ?

[sqweek01]

They're the flying Rats you usully get in town centres...

Regards

Clare

[binley100]

Wouldn't fancy them in pigeon pie. I'm sure councils class them as vermin , they may be able to help.

[Hilary B]

If they are feeding mainly on veg and/or bird table, they are edible. If scavenging in the streets... rather less edible (to put it mildly).
It's not the species that makes the difference, it's the lifestyle (of the pigeons). The same kind used to be kept for food in the Middle Ages (I have photos 'somewhere' of a massive pigeon loft that would once have been used to rear pigeons for meat).

[sqweek01]

They're eating the food & seed that my friends neighbour puts out, dunno where they are the rest of the time. The council has banned feeding them in our town centre so they've just shifted to where they find food.

Regards

Clare

[di]

A little bit gruesome but a chap at our lottie hangs up a dead pigeon on his plot to put off the others....seems to work.

[zebedee]

Get a gun! The bigger the better! Blasted things; I hate 'em

[Hilary B]

Might be worth getting Environmental Health onto the problem. Pigeon poo, in quantity, is a health hazard (psittacosis?????).