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.
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.
Why use bird traps?
Bird traps are a humane way of trapping birds. People who don’t want to hurt or kill the birds, use these traps. They spend money to get politely rid of them. Although they are too angry with the birds being kind-hearted they don’t want to hurt the pest birds like pigeons.
Pigeons are famous as flying rats. They poop on us ewwwww! Make a lot of noise. Eat food from the yard. DIsturbing us a lot. But they are also used in flying races, which is an earning source for many fellows. Some want to trap pigeons for racing and some just want to get rid of them.
Everyone has different experiences but the goal is one. That is humanely trapping irritating 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
It is one of the main key points that should be focused on. If the pigeon can’t find it how he will be captured? Where do you put pigeon traps? The trap must be visible to the pigeons. Remember to place it away from the public area. The predators and animals also don’t have access to it. The best place can be on the rooftops where pigeons mostly nest or poop .and areas where they feed.
In Summer, they mostly nest near the Air conditioning units, On the rooftops, or under the shade like solar panels.
In Winter they look for warmer places to live. Attics or roof ventilators can be their hotspots.
If they are living in buildings then place the traps at the entrance. Look for their route. If they are nesting on the roofs just place them there. A flat surface is preferable.
You can also choose the location by scattering a small amount of food in different areas to judge the best possible location. Place traps near the 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 love to eat.
The best pigeon bait is Whole corn and chicken feed. Pigeons love it. YOu can add other food too such as sunflower seeds, popcorn, crumbled bread pieces, peanuts wheat seeds chickpeas and grains, cat food, seeds kernel, wild bird seeds mix with black oil, and sunflower seeds. Kaytee fruit-flavored yogurt is also a good bait out there.
Our main purpose is to attract this bird. You can also focus on what they eat more in your area. If you don’t want to attract other small birds then place food with large kernels such as corn kernels. After traping one to two birds you can check which food he preferred and then place the bait accordingly.
How to make a bird enter?
Even after you choose the best location and perfect bait for the pigeon, chances are, he may not enter the cage. It is because he does not know how to do it. For this make the cage’s door open for a few days.
don’t forget to place food daily. It will take some days for the pigeon to cope with the fear. When they are comfortable entering the trap, you can release the door. As the bird enters he will not find a way to go out.
As one pigeon will be trapped others will also try to enter. Make sure to remove birds from the cage regularly. More birds can destroy our plan. As they will flatter too much, the others will scare them off. Leave one pigeon in the cage so he can attract other fellows in 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 traps are specially designed for them. They work effectively if used with proper strategies. If proper bait is placed in the trap and the trap is placed on the hotspot areas of pigeons, it will surely catch the pigeons without any hustle.
Some people claim that these traps are complete junk. Bird is fearing to enter. The main thing is to make them comfortable by opening the door of the cage for a few days, as I explained earlier. If These trapped are placed with proper strategies.
How do you trap a pigeon at night? Trapping pigeons via trap at night is almost impossible because at night time they are doing rest in their nests. So they don’t come out for food. Although you can catch them by hand if you know their nest location. While they are sleeping just go there without noise and light. Grab the pigeon. Your work is done.
What is the easiest way to catch a pigeon? The easiest way to catch the pigeon is by placing humane traps like tomahawk or Bird b gone traps on the roofs. Place food in the traps for many days. When they are comfortable with that, Act upon the strategies I told earlier.
Can I trap pigeons on my property? You can trap feral pigeons on your property. They are not under native bird law. But killing them is illegal in many states as it is considered animal brutality. Many states considered them pests where killing and trapping pigeons are legal.
For further details, you can talk with your local wildlife authorities.
Do you have any better idea to trap the pigeon? How’s your experience with trapping? Share your experience below.
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