Plastic Pigeon Prevention Bird Spikes

Bird Spikes..We like them a lot! They don't hurt the animals, are well made and very effective at deterring birds. What's not to like. They are also extremely versatile and can be fixed to almost any surface. Balconies, fencing, walls, bird feeders, guttering, roof ledges and any other place you want to keep Pigeons from landing or pooping on. A great preventive measure. As you may already know, Bird Spikes are also available in metal. The metal examples do look a little more professional in appearance, but the plastic ones are good enough for most situations.

They will do the job as intended. And they don't look too bad either!. The trade off is worth it for most people. They are also cheaper to buy than their metal counterparts. You get more for your money. Some plastic examples, like the ones made by Jones and Son UK are very easy to snap down to the required size due to them having indents (breaking points) running along the base. See the video below for a quick example.

This makes fitting them suitable and adaptable for almost any space big or small. Plastic versions come in many lengths but the most common sizes are 3 Meter and 5 Meter. See the full range here. Bigger quantities are for sale, but the price does rise quite high from 10 Meters and above. Of course, if you have a lot of space that needs to be covered then you will need to shell out the extra cash for more meters. Twenty meters will cost you anywhere from £50 - £60.

I need some. Were can I buy these?

You can buy them online from outlets like Amazon and eBay, or you can go to any one of the well known hardware stores in the UK and easily purchase some. B&Q, Screwfix, Homebase, Lowes, you get the idea. They are widely available. Bird Spikes in general don't just do a great job of detering Pigeons, they also keep a lot of other birds away, of the larger variety, like Crows, Magpies and Seagulls. Anyone can fit spikes. It's a fool proof procedure. You can use a Silicon glue, screws, nails and cable ties to secure the spikes to the desired surface.

In the shops mentioned it's not guaranteed that you will see products made by Jones and Son being sold, so it would be a good idea for you to check out their products on Amazon as they come complete with Silicone glue included for fixing them to the location, a "How To" CD for anyone that needs a little guidance with setting them up, and also an impressive (Free of charge) 15 year warranty!

What Do Pigeons Eat After a Night Out

These days with there being so many scraps of food around it's not hard for a Pigeon to find some tasty scraps that have been thrown away by the millions of people that frequent the city centres of the the UK all year round. In fact, anywhere that people gather, and anywhere in which there are rubbish bins (Everywhere) food can be found. Even without the bins (How many of us even use them) there's no shortage of citizens who, after a night on the sauce, chuck their half eaten bag of chips all over the floor while in a drunken slumber.

Tea for one please

An eye sore for us, a dream come true for our feathered friends! Think about it, there is food everywhere. These birds are smart. They know what time it is. How many of them do you see hanging around in town..Or are they smart? All this junk food isn't good for them, but yet they'll eat as much as they can. If they were more fussy with their food intake it would be better for them overall as a species. Read "What not to feed" below.

 So what do they eat?

Anything really. Cold chips, burgers, bits of kebab, and anything else they can get their beaks around. They're not fussy. Of course, these foods are not very healthy for us or for birds, so if you're wondering what you can feed a Pigeon that is more natural and won't give the poor little fella a pudgy Pigeon chest here is a quick list. Seeds mixes are high on the list. Most seeds that we eat can be fed to Pigeons.

Other foods include grains (feed grains), cereals, fruits (berries) and vegetables (mostly of the green variety), mixed corn, dried peas, brown rice, barely, raw peanuts, Lentils, sunflower seeds, millet, carrots (not too much), lentils and pulses. They need a varied diet, so don't just think, I've got access to thousands of lentils and I'm gonna turn these birds into flying lentils. Mix it up a bit. And don't forget a drink for afterwards (Water).

They also love to eat wild crab apples, Blackberries and Elderberries. I have an Elderberry tree / bush in my garden and the Pigeons always come in the summer and have a small feast when the berries are nice and ripe. They also eat worms and small insects at times.


What not to feed Pigeons

It may come as a surprise but bread isn't actually that good for our wild feathered friends. I know thousands, even millions of people feed bread to Pigeons the world over but its not really that good for them. Also, apart from the obvious, vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprout should not be fed to them. Don't give them any meat products as this can open the door to pathogens (disease) that these birds cannot shake off, leading to their demise.

Their diets have now become so bad from all the scraps, and from people feeding them the wrong foods that pigeons are in terrible trouble in terms of the death and disease rate. That's not the only reason they are in trouble, driven out of their natural environments and too many being killed are also culprits, but make sure you do your bit to help and feed them the right stuff!

Second Hand Pigeon Lofts For Sale

Pigeon Lofts come in many different sizes. Smaller ones are usually cheaper, and the bigger ones can get fairly expensive. However, if you have the room it makes sense to buy a bigger loft / coop because what you get for the money (When buying second hand), in most cases, is actually an excellent deal. Some of the lofts for sale are basically large sheds that have been converted into homes for pigeons. Of course, the size of enclosure you will need is dependant on how many pigeons you need to house. Take into consideration the size you may need for the future if you are slowly adding more birds to your collection. You may need a bigger loft. If not then the smaller examples are fairly cheap.

However, with both big and small, have you ever thought of just making your own..They're quite easy to make. Most of them are made from wood or plastic and can be built from start to finish pretty quickly. There are many different design options and types, from shed like "houses", to perches, nesting boxes, breeding lofts, cages and a whole host of long and short boxes / holes for housing small or large quantities of birds, singly or all together.

This all depends on you, your circumstances, and the space that you have at your disposal. Almost any space and dimensions can be worked with. If you need some design ideas take a look at the video below. It just shows that you really don't need to spend much money. A little creativity goes a long way.

Can't be bothered with any work and still want to buy one used / second hand?

Take a look on Gumtree, eBay, Classified ads and local papers to see what's available. You should find quite a few for sale. But remember, if you need a big loft most sellers will request in their advert that the buyer has to disassemble the loft on collection. So even if you buy one ready-made there is still some work involved in taking it down and then putting it up again. Unless you hire a big vehicle and tow it away in one piece!

Condition is always important. Ask how old it is, and are there any imperfections, such as rotting wood, accidental damages or alterations that have been made so it could be used for housing other birds, like Harris Hawks etc. Diseases and illness: It's always worth asking if the loft has been cleaned prior to sale. Whether it has or not you should still perform your own deep clean with a super strong but safe disinfectant like Virkon S before putting your own birds inside.

How To Get Rid Of Pigeons From The Roof

Pigeons can be a pain in the aine when they keep landing on parts of your property. Personally, if they land on my roof it doesn't really bother me. Out of sight out of mind! What does bother me is when I throw out some bits and bobs, like bread, out to the smaller birds and a big flock of greedy Pigeons who think they're at an all-you-can-eat buffet fly down and just devour the lot! But that's another story. However, I'll quickly tell you what I do to make them fly away and come back another day so that the smaller birds can have a little feed. I fill a jug of water and throw it out at them. Usually two bouts of the water treatment does the trick and they don't come back until a few days later. At which point they are welcome again.

Anyway, getting rid of Pigeons from ledges, gardens and balcony's is fairly easy when compared to getting them not to land on a roof. This is because the usual methods that work with ledges, gardens and balcony's like putting down sticky substances, bird spikes, Scare Ribbons, compact discs (CDs) for their reflection, or pepper etc, don't really work that well with a roof because the area is much bigger. You can cover one corner or ledge of a roof and the Pigeons will just land of another part. So for these methods to be effective with a roof much more effort must be made. More coverage. I don't condone the killing of birds, or any animals to be honest, so I will not recommend you buying and poisons or traps that end in the birds popping their clogs.

So what are the best methods to remove / deter our feathered friends from your roof?

It really depends on what type of roof you have. A flat roof will be easier. A decent method would be bird spikes or a sticky substance like a bird gel repellent that remains sticky around the edge of the roof and a product like Yard Sentinel Repeller installed on the roof for when the Pigeons try to land anywhere else on the roof other than the edges. It will work its magic and scare them away.

Or you could use a sticky substance (gel repellent) on the edges and ridge and also a big bunch of scare ribbons, two sets strategically placed in prime locations on the roof. You're neighbours, if you have any, might be amused! But what counts is the birds will be discouraged.

What is Yard Sentinel?

It's basically a deterrent device that scares animals and birds away. It uses ultrasonic technology (also has an audible Alarm mode) coupled with a motion sensor (PIR infrared). It's completely customisable and has various frequency settings that can be used to repel anything from cats, dogs and foxes, to rodents and BIRDS! It can be plugged into the mains or used wirelessly when powered by batteries. This is a heavy duty item for the price and is fully waterproof and weather resistant so could be used on top of a house no problem.

This method could still be done on a gable design but is more complicated to set up in terms of where to place the Sentinel Repeller.. And the sticky substance you use would most probably be placed along the gable ridge rather than the edges. Or added to both the edges and ridge if you feel its necessary. However, this is dependant on circumstances / roof design, and each case / Pigeon problem. Although these birds do have certain traits and habits each problem is unique to a certain degree.

If you don't want to use a product like Yard Sentinel, depending on how badly you want the Pigeons gone, and if you don't care what your neighbours think, you could buy a fake owl and fix it onto your chimney. Pigeons are scared of owls and will not want to be anywhere in the same vicinity. There are some fake owls on the market that have a revolving head (I think it moves when the wind blows) so they are slightly more convincing (Customer reviews are mixed).

They are quite a cheap item to buy (around £10) so definitely worth considering. However, for the additional £15 you would pay for a portable ultrasonic deterrent like a Sentinel gadget, which has much more versatility than a fake owl (It can deter most animals the UK has to offer) it would be worth considering shelling out that little bit of extra money for a quality item that has a proven track record and can be used for other pest problems.

And, if Pigeons do land and another one of his friends, or other species of bird just happens to be flying overhead and has a great poop-aim and lands a direct hit, a poop on the owls head but doesn't get a response, such as an "Oi you dirty b*****d" or even worse, an owl beak to the face, the birds are going to know something isn't quite right. Hmm, They are intelligent birds, but I don't think Pigeons are that clever!. Would be funny if they were.

There is no 100% solution that will definitely work to make sure no birds ever land on your roof. However, there are a lot of ideas to try. Take it as a personal challenge. You Vs the Homers! Just don't hurt them. That solution doesn't count. Have a solution that has worked for you? I'm interested in clever solutions. Is your roof Homing proof. Tell us about it. Comment below.

Buy Virkon S Disinfectant For Pigeons

If you don't know what Virkon S is, here's a quick low down. Dupont Virkon S is a super effective disinfectant which is widely used in the farming industry. It's also used in many other environments the world over. Basically, anywhere that has the potential for the spread of diseases and viruses Virkon S is considered as one of the best disinfectants to fight, beat and protect against a lot of nasty diseases and viruses, including FMD (Foot and Mouth Disease), Swine Flu and Avian Influenza. Virkon S (Virkon S USA) (Canada) is a virucidal disinfectant, which means it doesn't just stop the virus from spreading but actually kills it.

This unbelievably powerful product really has become a big part of many industries bio security procedure. It plays a very important role. Pathogens fear Virkon S!. And as a result, livestock has reaped the rewards. It's a multi-purpose disinfectant that can be applied in many ways. Of course, it can be ingested by livestock (animals) and can also be used externally to disinfect / sanitise everything from walls, table tops, Stables and Kennels, to Pigeon Lofts and even the Pigeons themselves (Taken by adding a small amount of the Virkon S powder mixed in with the water).

Where can I buy Virkon S from?

Virkon S is available to buy from quite a few online outlets, one being Amazon UK (from numerous suppliers). It's easily obtainable in powder or tablet form. Click here to see all sizes and quantities currently for sale in the UK. For America Virkon S is not as widely available, but can still be purchased. See here for the USA list. When buying bigger quantities (5KG+) it can get fairly expensive. However, depending on what your using it for it can stretch pretty far. And for those wanting to purchase a small amount in order to give it a trial run, it is available in a 50 gram sachet for a very cheap price. It's available for sale in both tablet and powder form, from 50 grams to 50 tablets, right up to the big 10KG Tub. See the link above.

So, what is the dosage for Pigeons?

For pigeons that are showing signs of illness the dosage is around half a teaspoon (that's an average to low dosage) per 4 litres of water. This is a short term treatment (3 - 5 days), but positive signs of recovery should be seen within a day or two. However, a large majority of birds (dependant on the seriousness of the illness) will be totally cured within that short time period. It can also used as a general health tonic for pigeons that are in good health, helping keep illness and viruses away.

The dose for this is around the same, half a teaspoon per 4 litres of water fed to them for two / three days. Some people do this every two to three months, while others treat their pigeons maybe once every 12 months. Virkon S is used in the poultry industry, particularly on young chickens (chicks) with excellent results.

Can Virkon S be used in Aquatics?

Yes. Virkon S has shown very positive results as being an excellent disinfectant for keeping harmful pathogens, viruses and bacteria at bay. It's widely used by private fish owners, Aquaculture and Fish Farms. Very popular with Koi fish. There are dedicated products available for Aquatics, specifically made for that purpose. See the link above for more information.

Looking for the data / information sheet? Click here.