The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: billt on April 24, 2017, 07:28:35 AM
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I have a big Pigeon and stray cat problem at my place. The Pigeons are crapping all over my roof, and the cats all along the side of my house. So I decided to do something about it. First I went up on the roof with a broom and a hose. You wouldn't believe the amount of Pigeon $h!t that was up there! I broomed off several POUNDS of it. Because it is so dry out here, the stuff breaks apart easily, and sweeps off like pea gravel. Then I started in with the hose. After I was through, and had everything washed and cleaned off, there was at least a pile 10" high completely across my sidewalk! It was years worth.
I used a big dustpan to shovel most of it up into a garbage can lined with 2 trash bags, so they wouldn't leak. Then hosed everything that was left into the gravel. I also picked up all of the cat $h!t along the side of my house. I went to Lowe's and bought 2 of these:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Dalen-Great-Horned-Owl-Scarecrow-Bird-Repellent-Decoy/1000124947
I filled the base with about 10 pounds of lead shot so they wouldn't blow away, and epoxied the plug shut. And then set them on my block wall on each side of the house. They really look menacing. There hasn't been a cat around since. I also was looking on Amazon and saw these, so I bought 4 of them. (Link at the bottom). I hung 2 in front, and 2 in the backyard. They really work well. They reflect sunlight with a prism like effect, in a bunch of different colors. It supposedly screws up their ability to navigate. Which in turn frightens the hell out of them. They leave the area, and are afraid to return.
So far, so good. I see them on the neighbor's roof, and on the roofs across the street. But not on mine. I couldn't believe how much crap was up there. You don't really notice it until you get up there and start removing it. If they ever come back, I'll start in with the spikes and the pellet gun. I've got 2. A 5 MM Sheridan, and a 5 MM Chinese. Both are accurate enough to hit Pigeons without cracking any roof tiles.
https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Blinder-Reflective-Hanging-Owl/dp/B01LXTO87M/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1493035467&sr=8-10-spons&keywords=pidgeon+repellant&psc=1
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Lean a plank against the side of your house and let the cats solve the pigeon problem. Feathers are much easier to clean up.
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Good info. If God is willing I will be building a house this year on a wooded lot and this info will come in handy.
Thanks.
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I can't believe people actually buy Pigeons. If I had a few of those, "Have-A-Heart" traps, I'll bet I could catch 25 a day. They're everywhere.
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I know things are working now, but two suggestions for the owls as time goes on:
1. In your gentle Arizona climate, the owls will fade, and they will eventually become ineffective due to loss of all color;
2. On replacement or to supplement, make a motion owl - either hang the owl from a hook or branch, or drill out the base larger and set it on a stake.
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Keep the pigeons and cats around. When the liberals take over they may be your only food source .
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Forget about the cats and pigeons. Use the liberals as a food source. You'll never run out.
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Forget about the cats and pigeons. Use the liberals as a food source. You'll never run out.
Yeah but they make lousy stew. Maybe just raid there pantry to give them a life lesson? Let them feel what it is like to have thing stolen from them like they do to others.
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Yeah but they make lousy stew. Maybe just raid there pantry to give them a life lesson? Let them feel what it is like to have thing stolen from them like they do to others.
You can always take them out to the woods hunting bear. They make great bait, and bear is GOOD. Same could be done down south for gators as well.
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My trashy neighbors started throwing all kinds of scraps out for the birds and rats. Soon enough a flock of pigeons started landing on my roof. They got the message after I popped a few with my Air Arms S410 in .22 caliber. That thing is very quiet. Last one I shot was immediately swooped upon and carried off by a red-tailed hawk! Feed the hawk!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUXQm_BIjJ4
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You've missed your chance to hit it big, Bill...unless you can stop that trash pickup....
Clients drop $180 for bird poop facials at NYC spa
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/08/02/clients-drop-180-for-bird-poop-facials-at-nyc-spa.html
and even more bad news
‘Cat Poop’ Facial Promises to Transform Human Skin?[/b]
http://www.opinionatedpussycat.com/2013/08/cat-poop-facial-promises-to-transform-human-skin.html
And I thought the saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure" was tacky
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BillT, I hope the combination works out for you. My dad's place is about 20 miles south of you and has the same problem, except it's over his front entrance. He's got a fairly typical (for Arizona) gabled entry way with beams on both sides of the roofed area over the double door entrance.
Pigeons decided it would make a great place to nest and stay out of the sun. Dad's 94 so he's not getting up on a ladder to deal with them. BIL lives nearby, but he already took a header off his ladder trying to change the porch light at his place, so he can't deal with it. That left me.
So, I started by putting up a mess of bird spikes to make it impossible to land on the beams. But, what looks impossible to me just seemed a minor inconvenience to the damn pigeons. So, I put up some more spikes. Literally covered the entire beam surface with spikes. The place was covered with bird sh!t within 2 days.
So, I got a snake--plastic, but formidable looking--and stationed it on the beam.
Kept the damn pigeons away for about a week.
These dang things are not squab. They live in the dessert and eat garbage. They might be edible if someone was REALLY hungry, but I'd probably eat the neighbors before I tried eating those birds.
So, I put up an owl. Seemed to work.
I came back to Florida feeling like I had made a difference at my Dad's place. Few weeks went by and my smugness was destroyed by my sister's email. "I jut cleaned about 10 pounds of pigeon poop from Dad's front porch."
Dad's moving to an adult living facility in the next couple of months, then I go back to Mesa to help sis get the old homestead ready for market. Still have no idea what I'm going to do about the damn birds. Let me know if you have continuing luck at your place. I may have to come take a look at what you've done so I can adapt.
Crusader Rabbit
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Forget about the cats and pigeons. Use the liberals as a food source. You'll never run out.
Yeah, but they're so full of crap you'd have to prep 'em like chitlin's...... And by the time you got all the crap removed you wouldn't have enough left to eat to make it worth the effort. 8)
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You've missed your chance to hit it big, Bill...unless you can stop that trash pickup....
Clients drop $180 for bird poop facials at NYC spa
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/08/02/clients-drop-180-for-bird-poop-facials-at-nyc-spa.html
and even more bad news
‘Cat Poop’ Facial Promises to Transform Human Skin?[/b]
http://www.opinionatedpussycat.com/2013/08/cat-poop-facial-promises-to-transform-human-skin.html
And I thought the saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure" was tacky
Some women swear by semen facials for tightening up the skin but egg whites are easier to find in quantity and are supposed to work as well. If I was going to get a facial I can guarantee it wouldn't be any kind of poop. Maybe some kind of clay but not poop.
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....Dad's 94 so he's not getting up on a ladder to deal with them. BIL lives nearby, but he already took a header off his ladder trying to change the porch light at his place, so he can't deal with it......
That's the same problem I had. Ladder wise, not age wise. All I have is a 6' Aluminum step ladder. I really took a chance going up on the roof with it, because it wasn't tall enough. I had to stand on the top step, (which has stickers all over it warning you not to), then really stretch to pull myself up to the roof.
I had a hell of a time getting back down. My wife was holding the ladder steady, but it really was risky. And I pulled muscles in my back and neck doing it. Because I had to contort myself getting back down, sliding off backwards, ass first. Then trying to walk down the ladder facing forward and leaning backward the whole time. If I have to go up there again, I'll buy a better ladder. I'll be damned if I'm going to wind up in a wheelchair over Pigeons.
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Well, they're back under the eve of the roof, in the front of my house near the peak. It's where I cleaned out all of the crap last week. I hung one of those prism owl cutouts right were they were roosting, and they managed to bite the hell out of it. It's still hanging, but it looks like a couple of 4 year olds had at it with a pair of scissors.
There isn't much of an overhang there, but it's enough where two of them can get under it, and out of the weather. I think I'll go to Home Depot and see if they have a set of spikes that will block out the entire eve. I'll have to get a better ladder as well. What a PITA!
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Use a pellet gun and hang a dead pigeon where they hang out...
Not the most attractive and likely not really sanitary...but it might work
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(http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz50/billt460/Pigeons%20001_zpsmzxnikyl.jpg) (http://s812.photobucket.com/user/billt460/media/Pigeons%20001_zpsmzxnikyl.jpg.html)
(http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz50/billt460/Pigeons%20002_zps21ffynxl.jpg) (http://s812.photobucket.com/user/billt460/media/Pigeons%20002_zps21ffynxl.jpg.html)
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I feel for you, brother. Seems like you are having a similar experience to my own at my Dad's place. Damn flying vermin are a determined lot. I had a little luck with spreading mothballs around where they roost. That drove them out until the mothballs evaporated. Valley of the Sun is hard on mothballs. I think that if you can break the roosting pattern long enough, they may not return.
The other possible solution is some nylon netting, like what you would use for a fish net. Have to research where you might get it, but something like monofiliment nylon netting with 1" squares should prevent them from getting under that eve. And, it's lightweight enough to be almost invisible from the ground so your neighbors won't accuse you of decreasing property values.
I wish you luck.
Crusader Rabbit
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Try chicken wire.
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I have a battle plan. I bought some of that 1/4" thick PVC plastic lattice. (I think it's PVC, but it's some kind of plastic for sure.) I also got some of the matching grooved edging, that goes around it to give it some stiffness. That stuff is cheap, tough, and easy to work with and cut. Then I got some 1/4" mesh galvanized screen.
Tomorrow early I'll go up and take some measurements. Then I'll build the whole thing, edging, screen and all. I'll use PVC pipe cement and Stainless screws. That stuff will melt anything together. After I'm done, I'll paint it to match, drill some mounting holes. Then go up and install it.
It should look good when I'm done. And the bastards won't be able to get under that eve. I bought the screen because they can fit between the holes in the lattice. I found a nice 8' Aluminum step ladder at Lowe's for just $65.00, so I grabbed it. I don't want to attempt this with that $h!tty little ladder I've got.... The war continues.
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I'm now getting targeted ads for those reflective owls.
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I never get targeted ads for anything. If you use the right add-ons for your browser you don't. https://www.eff.org/privacybadger
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Billt, somehow the cat problem got lost in this discussion.
I think you can solve that by going to Cabela's and getting a bottle of coyote scent or cougar scent. A few drops around the cats' "depository," and your problem should be solved.
Crusader Rabbit
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Can't help with the bird problem but I'd suggest the next time you clean up the guano you wear some respiratory protection of more than a dust mask!
Pigeon crap is not healthy for the human respiratory system. It carries all sort of bad stuff.
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SAVE THE PIGEON SHIT !
That's phosphates, they've fought wars over that .
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Billt, somehow the cat problem got lost in this discussion.
I think you can solve that by going to Cabela's and getting a bottle of coyote scent or cougar scent. A few drops around the cats' "depository," and your problem should be solved.
Crusader Rabbit
The cat problem appears to be solved. Since I put up the 2 owl statues on the block wall, on either side of my house, I haven't seen a stray cat, or had a single cat turd in my yard. I didn't expect the cats to be so scared of the owls. I thought the Pigeons would be. My dog used to bark like hell, at least a couple of times a day when the cats would walk on top of the wall, from yard to yard. He hasn't barked at a cat anywhere since the owl statues went up.
On to the Pigeons. I got the lattice all fabricated, screened in, and ready for paint. It's pretty windy today, so I might have to wait until tomorrow to paint it. Then after it dries, I'll take it up and install it. I went up on the roof with the new ladder this morning to take measurements. And it was easy compared to the short one I had. Hopefully by Sunday this will all be over. I'm going to put a bunch of mothballs behind the lattice work. I know they won't last very long. But they'll help in repelling them until they give up and go somewhere else.
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You're a fool.
You're missing out on a chance to corner the munitions market.
If you want to leave all that money to R-P and Privi Partizan, I guess that's your loss.
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A sling shot and an ice cube works great for giving pest wild life thr message to gtfo. It won't kill or mame, just hurts like a sob. All of thr evidence melts. Works great on deer too.... or so I have heard. :-X. ;D
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I finished the painting yesterday, and this morning I went up and installed it. I also replaced the owl they had all chewed up. The white container you see behind the lattice is filled with mothballs. (Lower photo). There is just enough space to slip it in and out at the bottom. I could really smell them when I was up there. So far not a single Pigeon. I also washed out all of the twigs and Pigeon $h!t..... Again. When the mothballs evaporate in a few months, I can always go up and add more. I'm cautiously declaring victory.... For now.
BEFORE
(http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz50/billt460/Pigeons%20002_zps21ffynxl.jpg) (http://s812.photobucket.com/user/billt460/media/Pigeons%20002_zps21ffynxl.jpg.html)
AFTER
(http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz50/billt460/Lattice%20001_zpshnisfwak.jpg) (http://s812.photobucket.com/user/billt460/media/Lattice%20001_zpshnisfwak.jpg.html)
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If you fail , learn. If you succeed, relish your success . You can only know the sweet taste of victory after many bitter struggles. - Robert Kiyosaki.
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I was looking for some items at Northern Tool, and I came across their pest control items. They market some devices that use sound to keep pests away. I have seen some of these in use in the past, and they are effective. However, you need to be careful which ones you choose - Some use sound that humans can't hear, and some use really annoying sounds.
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Yeah. It would really suck to go all Green Peace on the pigeons and then end up in jal for shooting the pidgeon repellant.
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I can't believe I missed this thread. Bill, have you tried spray adhesive? The birds seem to hate having their feet sticking to whatever they are perched on.
Also...you could thin the flock. Get a couple of steel traps and use that same adhesive to put some corn or popcorn on the trigger. You may end up with more than a pigeon in it too. BassPro has steel traps...at least locally.
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So far, since I added the lattice and the mothballs, there hasn't been a single pigeon anywhere on the property. I see them all over the neighborhood, but none around my place. I can only hope it continues. The spray glue sounds good. I'll keep it in mind if I have any problems with them returning.
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I ended up taking down the owls. I don't think they really hurt or helped. They were getting all beat up from the wind banging them against the house. I kept one up in the backyard, on the corner of my patio. It sails free, and doesn't bang into anything.
I also added more mothball containers where the owls were. I think they are the most effective. I've got a total of 3 containers of them around the inside of the eves where they're protected from wind and rain. 2 of the 3 are low enough that I can get to them with a step stool to refill them. I've been Pigeon free now long enough to be somewhat convinced they won't be returning........ At least until the mothballs go away. And I've got 2 full boxes of them in reserve.
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Still pigeon free?
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Still pigeon free?
So far, so good. None have been seen on my roof, or anywhere else on the property. They're still in the neighborhood. As are the cats. Just none around me.
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I wonder if the spray adhesive would ward off the cats?