To get rid of pigeons, one of the best ways is to use traps. Pigeons are considered flying rats in cities. In most areas, they are treated as pests. People are just tired of their poops and the noise they make. They want to get humanely rid of them.
So, kindhearted people look for such traps that don’t harm the bird in any way. They are aggressive about them but at the same time, they don’t want to hurt or kill these birds.
Contents
- 1 Best Pigeon traps
- 2 Why use bird traps?
- 3 How to get pigeons into the trap?
- 4 What to do with the trapped pigeons?
- 5 Tips
- 6 Related questions
Best Pigeon traps
There are many traps out there but I find these 4 the best ones. I have explained the Pros and Cons with specifications so you can choose accordingly. In short, these 4 best pigeon traps are:
- Tomahawk trap Model 502 (Our choice)
- Live snap trap (Best for 1 bird)
- Bird B gone – (2nd priority)
- Kness Kage
Details and their way of work are written below
1. Tomahawk trap Model 502 (Our best pigeon trap choice)
This is one of the best traps out there. If you have been Teased by several pigeons. They are pooping on your roofs. Making a lot of noise and disturbing you a lot. This model is easy and simple to trap a bulk quantity of pigeons. It can withhold 25-20 pigeons at once. And one of the main reasons I like the tomahawk trap is that it works. It catches the pigeons.
Characteristics
- It is 36 inches long which is enough to catch 15 pigeons at once. 16 inches wide and 8 inches in height. Pigeons will not strike. They can easily move.
- This trap has two doors on both ends. It allows more entry of birds at once.
- A swinging bob is attached at the top of the doors. It can allow the pigeon to enter but will prevent him from escaping.
- It can be easily carried and easily placed in a car. Because it can collapse to just half an inch thick.
- Everyone can easily lift it because of its very small weight. It weighs about 7.33 pounds
How does it work?
Pigeon loves food. Whenever a hungry pigeon enters from one of the doors of the trap. The door closes because of the swinging bob. He will completely fail to get out of the cage. The other pigeons will have the curiosity to enter the cage to eat food after seeing their one fellow already there.
How to make it work properly?
You must have to focus on the food. First, you have to see the pigeons, and what food they like to eat the most in your area. You have to buy that feed. If you don’t know then corn, chicken feed, and some mixture of seeds can be helpful.
Place the seeds in the trap. Put some around the trap. Make a path of food that leads from outside the door to inside the cage. Make sure that there should be more food in the trap than outside.
First pigeons will fear. They might not know how to enter and get the food. How to make them enter?
For a few days, try to open one door by binding it with the wire. By this birds will be trained to enter the cage. After when they feel no shame just close the door. They are now trained and know how to get access to food. Now when they will enter they can easily be in your custody. You don’t have to worry anymore because they can’t leave it.
How to put the trapped birds out?
There is a door at the top of the tomahawk trap. When enough birds are trapped. You can open the door and grab them out. Make sure to use gloves. Your one hand should be covering the passage so no bird can escape the jail. With a second hand grab the bird and place him in the cage.
Rules to follow
- Place where it is visible to you and birds.
- Monitor frequently.
- If the native bird is caught release it immediately, open the door, it will fly out.
- Use gloves.
- Do not trap them for too long.
- Keep feeding the birds so they don’t die of hunger
Pros
- Easy to carry
- Doesn’t hurt the bird
- High Capacity
Cons
- Predators can enter or may kill the trapped bird
2. Live snap pigeon trap (Best for 1 bird)
If you are planning to catch only one pigeon at a time then this product is helpful. This is not of good quality but can catch birds like quail and other small birds. The price is much lower than other traps. If you are going to use it temporarily and want to catch only one bird, you should buy this snap trap
Characteristics
- This snap trap is not made of steel but of a net that is safe for the birds
- It is 12 inches in diameter and weight only 0.75 pounds
- There is a bamboo stick and a trigger that collapses as any movement happens within the nest
How does this work?
Whenever a bird enters the trap, a bamboo stick, which stops the net from collapsing moves away and the net closes instantly. It provides no time to escape the pigeon.
This is easy to use. To make it work properly. You have to place it where the targeted bird comes often. Place some food like Kaytee fruit-flavored yogurt in the center. Our main purpose is to bring the pigeon there. As soon he will enter to eat, the net will come down and capture it
Pros
- Light in weight
- Lower in price
- Easy to use
- Easily to transport
- It works
Cons
- Can catch only one bird at a time
- Not useful in speed wind
- Rust can develop on the frame
- Not useful for a moist environment
- Low quality (but Ideal according to price)
3. Bird B gone – (2nd priority)
This trap is also one of the best traps for catching birds. It is a box with stainless steel wires. One of the biggest benefits it has is, it has three doors that are one-way. Once the bird enters the cage there is no way of going out. It also comes with a feeder pan and a water container. IDEAL FOR SUMMER.
Characteristics
- It has a shade over its roof which saves the bird from its brutal sun heat.
- A water container and feeder pan are already available in the trap. Very comfortable for the trapped pigeon
- Only 9 pounds in weight
- It is 36 inches in length that can trap up to 12 pigeons
- Also, have a roof door for the removal of birds.
How does it work?
The work is simple. When the pigeon enters the door for food. It is traped. YOu can remove the pigeon from the upper roof
Why buy this? If you want to provide more comfort to your trapped bird. This is ideal. It can allow more entry of pigeons at once because of the three doors
Pros
- Can trap 12 pigeons at once
- A special place for feed
- Have a roof with shade
Cons
- Little bit expensive
4- Kness Kage – Pigeon trap
Kness Kage is another convenient way of catching birds. It has one opening through which a bird enters and is trapped inside. This trap is 36 inches in length. The entry is fixed. The same spec as other traps I explained earlier.
Other posts to read:
- How to keep crows away from birdfeeder?
- Keep the birds away from balcony?
- How to keep seagulls off the dock?
- How to keep crows off the roof?
- How to keep crows away?
- Keep birds off porch light.
- Keep sparrows out of wren houses.
- Keep birds out of the carport.
- Keep birds out of the pool.
- Keep birds off the patio.
- Keep sparrows out of the bird houses.
- Keep sparrows away – detailed guide
- Keep ospreys away
- Keep pigeons away.
- Sparrows on roof? Here’s the solution.
- Keep sparrows away from the barn?
- Get rid of sparrows on porch.
- Keep crows out of tall trees.
- Get rid of birds nesting in awning.
- Get rid of starlings from birdfeeder.
- Keep starlings away from the roof.
- Get rid of birds from vents.
- How to get a bird out of building?
- Get rid of birds on roof.
- Get rid of sparrows from feeders.
- Do pinwheels scare away birds?
Why use bird traps?
Bird traps are a humane method of trapping birds. Those who don’t want to hurt or kill birds, use these traps. They politely spend money to get rid of them. Although they are very angry with birds for being soft-hearted, they do not want to hurt insect birds like pigeons.
Pigeons are popularly known as flying rats. They poop on us ewwwww! Make a lot of noise. Eat from the yard. It’s bothering us a lot. But they are also used in flying races, a source of income for many fellows. Some want to trap pigeons for racing and some want to get rid of them.
Everyone’s experiences are different but the goal is the same. It is humanely trapping pesky pigeons.
How to get pigeons into the trap?
People after buying traps failed to catch the pigeons. They complain that the bird is not entering the cage. Even the food is there. What are the reasons that he is ignoring the cage? There are possibly two reasons
- Location of the trap
- Wrong bait
- Bird is not comfortable enter
I have some tips regarding all these situations that will surely work.
Location of the trap
This is one of the important points that should be addressed. If pigeons are not found, how will they be caught? Where do you put pigeon traps? The snare pigeons should be visible. Remember to keep it away from public places. Predators and animals also have no access to it. The best place can be on roofs where pigeons mostly nest or roost .and places where they feed.
In summer, they mostly nest near air conditioning units, on roofs, or in the shade like solar panels.
In winter they look for warm places to live. Attic or ceiling ventilators can be their hotspots.
If they are living in buildings, place the traps at the entrance. Find their way. If they are nesting on roofs, keep them there. A smooth surface is best.
You can also choose a location by scattering small amounts of food in different areas to decide on the best possible location. Place traps near hotspots.
Best pigeon bait
After choosing the best possible location, it’s time to attract the birds. This can be done through food. To trap pigeons, we must focus on what they like to eat.
The best pigeon bait is whole corn and chicken feed. Pigeons love it. You can also add other foods such as sunflower seeds, popcorn, bread crumbs, peanuts, wheat seeds, bran and cereal, cat food, seed kernels, wild bird seed mixed with black oil, and sunflower seeds. The seeds of Fruit-flavored yogurt is also a good bait there.
Our main objective is to attract this bird. You can also focus on what they eat in your area. If you don’t want to attract other small birds, place food with large kernels such as corn kernels. After trapping one or two birds you can check which food it prefers and then feed accordingly.
How to make a bird enter?
Even after choosing the best place and the best bait for a pigeon, it is likely that it will not enter the cage. That’s because he doesn’t know how to do it. Keep the cage door open for a few days.
Don’t forget to keep food daily. It will take a few days to get over the fear of pigeons. When they are comfortable entering the trap, you can leave the door open. Once the bird enters, it will not find a way out.
As one pigeon gets stuck, others will try to enter. Be sure to remove the bird from the cage regularly. More birds can destroy our plan. Because they are too flattering, others will intimidate them. Leave a pigeon in the cage so that it can attract other mates into the trap.
What to do with the trapped pigeons?
Congratulations we have trapped the pigeon. But what next? Don’t leave this bird because it is so intelligent that it will return. He has the natural power to know the route. This is the reason, this bird is used to send messages in the past and used in pigeon racing in the present.
You can talk to the local wildlife authorities and hand over the birds to them. Chances are they will set them free and surely they will come back to you.
There are two things you can do
- Kill it humanly
- Set him free at a long distance (50 miles away)
- Sell them
I will not recommend you kill the pigeon. Even though they are toxic and irritating sometimes but this is against animal rights. Feed them food. Don’t let them die of hunger. If you are thinking of freeing them, then place them at a much longer distance as you can. 50 miles should be the minimum distance that is recommended.
The best way to get rid of them is by selling them. Many people keep them as pets some train pigeons for racing and some train their dogs. If you sell them, you will surely make handsome money.
Tips
- Feed them food to build their trust.
- When removing the pigeon from the cage, use gloves.
- Place a sheet under the cage to avoid any popping on the roof or floor.
- Check out the cage at least once a day, if not then 3 times a week is a must.
- Feed the trapped birds water and food so they don’t die of hunger.
- Release the native birds.
- Choose a bird trap according to your conditions
Related questions
Do pigeon traps work? Pigeon nets are specially made for them. They work effectively if used with proper strategy. If the trap is properly baited and the trap is placed on the hot spot areas of the pigeons, it will definitely catch the pigeons without any fuss.
Some people claim that these traps are completely useless. The bird is afraid to enter. The trick is to get them comfortable by opening the cage door for a few days, as I mentioned earlier. If these trapped people are kept with proper strategy.
How do you trap a pigeon at night? At night it is almost impossible to trap pigeons with nets as they are resting in their nests at night. So they don’t come out to eat. Although you can catch them by hand if you know their nest location. Go there without noise or light when they are sleeping. catch the pigeon Your work is done.
What is the easiest way to catch pigeons? The easiest way to catch pigeons is to set humane traps such as tomahawks or bird-gone traps on rooftops. Keep food in traps for several days. Once they are comfortable with it, follow the strategies I mentioned earlier.
Can I trap pigeons on my property? You can trap feral pigeons on your property. They are not covered by the Native Birds Act. But killing them is illegal in many states because it is considered animal cruelty. Many states consider them pests where killing and trapping pigeons is legal.
For more details, you can talk to your local wildlife authorities.
Do you have a better pigeon trapping idea? How is your experience with trapping? Share your experience below.