How to Kill Birds - Starling, Sparrow, Pigeon Control

Lethal bird control is rarely necessary. In most cases, birds can be completely controlled via exclusion products or other means. However, in some rare cases, lethal control is a viable option. For example, in this large parking garage, too massive to net or install spikes or other deterrents, a pigeon shoot every few months is a way to keep the bird population down and under control.

Poisons of many different kinds are available almost anywhere. They range in price from 12-50 dollars (US). This is not a good idea. Poison does not work instantaneously, and pigeons are fast. You now have a poisoned bird flying away to die and leave a poisoned carcass in an unknown location. There is always the possibility that the wrong target like an unsuspecting squirrel, a family pet, or a person could accidentally ingest the poison. From an ecological standpoint poisons can leech into the ground or water supply and affect hundreds of people and animals.

Some people do the unthinkable and try to poison them with DIY concoctions like antifreeze in their water, uncooked rice, and Alka-Seltzer tablets. This is a cruel, useless, and wasteful way to go about it, and does not work. If you must lace their food, feed them a substance like OVOCONTROL, which eliminates your problem by causing the female to lay sterilized eggs. This will eliminate the population through natural reduction. As another alternative to poisoning them, alleviate any source of food. This will aid in making your area undesirable to the birds. Keep garbage contained and remove any outside pet food left unattended. Clear out weeds that grow seeds or berries, and monitor your plants often.

Traps that kill a number of creatures may also seem like an option. You can find a variety of types and sizes priced 30.00(US) and up. There are snap traps that range from a thick metal spring that pins the bird to a backboard, to “jaws “, sometimes serrated , that snap shut around the creatures body. These are gory, and don’t always kill the bird immediately. There are sticky traps which are basically large pieces of paper with an industrial adhesive that traps the bird when it lands. The bird is then left to die from exposure or starvation. The use of any kind of kill trap means that you need to check it often. You don’t want a half dead bird flopping around in a trap. You don’t want a dead bird sitting out like bait to attract other undesirable things like bugs and more critters... Be sure to wear gloves and other protective gear when handling their dead bodies. Even dead pigeons can be a host to pests and disease.

There are traps available that electrocute the bird. There are number of problems with this. This trap works on a pressure plate system so it will shock anything that touches the plate. Sometimes your target is stunned or wounded, not killed. Because of the mess, the plate must be cleaned off after every few kills. And…Someone has to pick up all those carcasses – don’t forget your protective gear! Instead of lethal traps, why don’t you try live traps? The come in a huge range of sizes, are cost efficient, and trap 15+ (depending on the trap size) birds at once. There are lots of companies who will come out and retrieve your birds to depose of them humanely after you have trapped them.

Hunting or Shooting: If you live in a rural area, use them for target practice. A high enough powered pellet gun, rifle or shotgun should handle your problem if you are a decent shot. For more of a challenge, take up bow hunting. There are even folks who nail them with sling shots. The disadvantages to this are pretty clear. If you are NOT a good shot, windows, neighbors, your pets, and a long list of other things could be in danger. Once you start firing off a gun, the neighbors might call the police. You need to check with the local authorities to confirm that you can indeed hunt them in your area. You will need a lot of free time and ammunition to track and kill all those pigeons.

Once you have shot the birds, you must decide how to handle the carcasses. If you are way out in the woods, you might choose to just leave them. Just remember that to a scavenger, all those dead bodies will be quite a score. Instead of outright annihilation, try more prevention. It’s a simple task to wrap mesh around you eaves where the like to nest. Place anti- roosting spikes (the plastic ones!) along your roof ridge and edges to discourage landing. Clean up their poop and attempts at nesting often. Let your pets and kids play outside a lot. Make it difficult for them for them to feel comfortable and establish a roost, and they will go somewhere else!

The truth about Lethal control measures for getting rid of pigeons: Pigeons can be a beautiful and entertaining bird to watch and raise, and in many countries they are a delicacy. They have a keen homing ability that has made them a useful means of communication, and favorite for hobbyists for 1000s of years. Feral pigeons are another story. Feral pigeons can be an outright nightmare. There are over 400 million of them in the world, eating out of the garbage, ravishing gardens, pooping everywhere, and breeding like rats. A lot of people plagued with pigeons want to be rid of them once and for all. Their obnoxious and costly behavior makes you want them dead. There are a numbers of ways to do that, none very nice, but here are some of your options.