Pigeon invasion

[Pen]

I've got a pigeon problem in that they have taken up residence in the barn where my pony lives. They roost on the rafters and my rubber mats are getting plastered in their droppings. I feed hay loose in there too and so that too is getting contaminated by droppings as well. Apart from putting those spikey metal strips on top of the rafters is there any other way of evicting the pigeons? I've seen devices that emit some sort of noise that is supposed to discourage pigeons from occupying buildings. Does anyone know if they are effective please?

 

[GreyDot]

I'd think that any audio device will also annoy the ponies. I have had good success with tying old dandy brushes/broom heads to the rafters (so that the bristles are facing upwards) and the birds don't want to sit on them. It is a time consuming job, but it does work. If you concentrate on the rafters that are above the stables, it should help.

Or buy a cat.

 

[PurBee]

You could try wrapping barbed wire around the rafters only if theyre much higher than the height of your ponies if they rear - if not you’ll have to go for spikes on the top of the rafters.
I hate using barbed wire and dont usually, but it’s something easily available and for this problem would be a potential success for stopping the pigeons.

Pogeons like to sit-roost, so a nice flat square rafter allows them to sit on them. Whatever you can do to put on the rafter to make it uncomfortable to sit on would help deter them.

My male cat has caught a few pigeons this season…unfortunately most to play with and maim rather than kill, so i tried to rehab them and discovered their fondness for resting in a squatting sit position.

 

[teapot]

Get a hawker in

 

[Widgeon]

Get a hawker in

Afraid I'd have to agree - we have exactly the same problem but in the hay barn, and our YO periodically has them all shot. Harsh but the only way to keep them under control. There are far too many for the three cats (who are good hunters) to deal with.

 

[Pen]

Thanks for all your replies. The rafters are very high as the barn is at least as high as a 2 storey house. I can see barbed wire around them or brush heads on top would work but not sure if we(pensioners) could do it ourselves due to the difficulty of working with the wire at that height. We have 2 outside cats but of course they can't get up to that height. Years ago we did have an owl roosting in there which was great as it solved a rat problem we had at the time. I did wonder whether the noise emitting thing would disturb horses but the pony is not shut in there at night. Its just matted and a stable size area has bedding as well and she also has access to another smaller shelter as well as a yard area. I like the hawk idea and we do have a sparrowhawk visiting the garden daily and I keep hoping he'll do the job for us.

 

[Chuffy99]

My son and his friend go and shoot a friends barn a couple of times a year, ask around for someone handy with an air rifle, pigeon pie is the reward

 

[ponynutz]

Or buy a cat.

ye...

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I've got a pigeon problem in that they have taken up residence in the barn where my pony lives. They roost on the rafters and my rubber mats are getting plastered in their droppings. I feed hay loose in there too and so that too is getting contaminated by droppings as well. Apart from putting those spikey metal strips on top of the rafters is there any other way of evicting the pigeons? I've seen devices that emit some sort of noise that is supposed to discourage pigeons from occupying buildings. Does anyone know if they are effective please?

We had similar in our indoor schol. 30 pigeons flying from one end to the other whilst riding pooing on your as they went,. We decided enough was enough and popped them all off with vermin control. Got it all sorted.

In your case i would do the same.

 

[HashRouge]

I would also get a hawker in. We have a bloke with a Harris Hawk who periodically turns up at work (posh independent school) with his gorgeous bird to try and scare away some of the pigeons and sea gulls. It's not effective for very long but I think you'd have better luck in an enclosed space. Our problem is that they're trying to keep them out of a large, open campus (and deter them from going in the chapel). I think they only tend to do it if we've got fancy visitors or an open morning coming up.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Air rifle, you can pick one up for about £150 from a local gunroom. Just put the horses out incase they get scared.

Or post on the local page.. I’m sure someone with a air rifle would happily sort them for free.

 

[Dave's Mam]

Ah we have loads of them in our barn, but it's an open fronted barn & there's not a lot we can do. I've been shat on several times & dead squabs fallen into water buckets.
We did have a guy with an air rifle out to the closed barn, but they just came back. We just live with them.

 

[cauda equina]

My setup is an open barn too and I had the shitting problem with swallows over the feedroom
A local handyman put up a plywood ceiling over it to keep the mess out

 

[Parrotperson]

Just a warning. Those sound emitting things that are supposed to deter the little blighters don’t. The same as the ones they sell to get rid of mice in your house. Don’t work.

Get someone in to shoot them or a hawker.

 

[SpotsandBays]

Air rifle works for us. They tend to bugger off for a few months before returning, although they haven’t come back in a while!
We get pigeons and white doves and they end up breeding together and making weird mongrels ?
I wouldn’t mind them if they didn’t make so much mess.

 

[Pen]

Thanks for all replies. I think a proactive response is going to be the only way to get shot of them! I won't be wasting money on a scaring device anyway. I wonder if there has been a pigeon population explosion as we have been here nearly 30 years and hardly ever seen a pigeon before. It is the mess they make that just can't be borne.

 

[AnShanDan]

Just adding that we have a local peregrine falcon, it has a very distinctive call and it terrifies our wood pigeons. Could you try playing that to yours??

The PF is an amazing bird, very fast and agile.

 

[Wizpop]

What about a couple of plastic hawks on the rafters or a model cat? I’m sure I’ve seen them with glittery eyes!!

 

[Wizpop]

PS Have a look at bird scarer/ garden ornaments on eBay.

 

[ThreeFurs]

Down here in [not sunny] south australia, a similar problem has arisen at barn where I keep my 26 y o retiree schoolmaster, [aka Mr Classic]. Owner gave me the startling news last week that Classic has been killing pigeons, and teaching his paddock/boyfriend/significant other, 'Will' how to do it too. They get a few a week, it seems. This is the gentlest horse you could imagine, who nary in a decade has even moved into my space without permission. He stomps the pigeons, but seems to tolerate the chickens who cluster around his evening feed. I love a murderer! I know a 'hangry' old warmblood gelding won't entirely solve the problem, but he's got them on the run.

 

[Pen]

Wow, I've never heard of a horse killing pigeons. Maybe the rest of the flock will take the hint. I don't think my pony has got it in her to trample them unfortunately although one her late companions may well have had a go. I like the idea of a recording of of peregrine falcon + a model of one and will look into this before resorting to the big guns!

 

[GreyDot]

My horse kills rats! He's an absolute labrador but last year we had a rat issue at the yard and over the course of 3 months he was into double figures!