Pigeon Control Methods II: Cage Trapping and Stupefying Bait

Since pigeons are not protected animals, lethal methods of control are usually preferred by those who do not want to go through the hassles involved in the other control methods. Two of the most commonly used lethal control methods are:

Killing Caged Pigeons (includes Cage trapping)

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In a quick summary, this method is all about using baits to lure pigeons into a cage trap where they are extracted and killed. For a fast kill, a pair of pliers is used to break their necks.

Cage traps are normally placed in places where pigeon activity is high. This can be identified by mere observation of the actual presence of pigeons in the area and the mass of droppings that they leave there. However, these traps should not be placed in locations where they can be easily seen by the public. Caged birds usually cause public distress. Apart from ethical reasons, concealing these cage traps from the general public view is also aesthetic reasons.

Pigeons should be free to enter and leave the trap for 7 days, during which they are baited with corn. This is done in order to make the birds feel secure around the trap. As the days pass by, more and more pigeons will be entice to perch inside the trap. On the 7th day, the cage is again set-up in the same place with the same bait but with the exit door closed. Birds will just continue coming into the trap without any hesitation. The trap should be left for an entire day before all the birds caught are removed and killed. If breaking their necks is far too laborious to do, the birds are simply placed in a sacked and then gassed to death.

Sensitive Issues

However, there are some people who are not really comfortable with the idea that these birds are killed right after they are caught. For this reason, many of the pest control companies or contractors that offer cage trapping service also give their clients the option to have the birds released elsewhere instead of being killed. This option is more expensive though because the contractor will have to secure all the necessary permits needed for the release of these birds in certain places. They also need transport the birds to the release site. The extra work that has to be done is to be paid the client who requests the more humane option.

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Clients should be aware though that pigeons are extremely efficient in locating their nesting places. Thus, even though these birds are released somewhere far, there is still a very fat possibility that they will be able to locate your house or your lawn using their homing instincts. Thus, in the end, you will still have the same problems and you will again pay for a pigeon control contractor's services. Indeed, catch and release option benefits the pest control contractor more that it benefits you.

Downside of Cage Trapping

Nevertheless, cage trapping is still the least effective lethal pigeon control method, not to mention that it is also the most expensive. The trap may be effective for a couple of days (at most 2-weeks) but after this period, pigeons will realize that the traps are dangerous and they will avoid it despite of the presence of a bait food. Pigeons are intelligent enough to figure out that the cage can kill them as much as it has killed the others. This method is expensive because it requires a lot of manual labour. The traps have to be inspected by the pest control contractor every 24 hours, the baits have to be replaced in time and the birds have to be killed after they are caught. Sadly, many bird control contractors still recommend this method to their clients. They even ask their clients to sign contracts that last for years, not just weeks or months. In this way, they get to earn money from you even though their cage traps no longer catch pigeons. Clearly, such a method is not a good way to wise way to spend your money.

Use of Stupefying Bait

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Stupefying baits cannot be used as a lethal way to control pigeons if DEFRA has not approved of it. Pest control contractors have to secure a license duly issued by this agency in order to legally use stupefying baits. This method of pigeon control was extensively used between 1960s and 1970s. However, after stricter rules where imposed for its usage, many pest control companies have also stopped using this method. The two main basis of DEFRA for license issuance are: 1. the number of licenses issued in the preceding year and 2. the assurance that the birds will not harshly suffer from the use of the baits.

The scientific term for stupefying bait is Alphachloralose. It is a chemical that is dispensed in grains which the target species would normally eat. Birds that ingest treated grains will experience drowsiness which typically results to being stupefied. The pest control contractor will have to literally pick up the birds without resistance. The picked birds will then be dispatched humanely, under the rules and standards of DEFRA. In order to stupefy the most number of birds, untreated grains have to be spread to the site for 7 straight days. Pigeons will feast over the bait and more and more pigeons will come every day. On the 8th day, the pigeons are then fed with treated grains which they will eat without suspicion.

Nevertheless, this control option is only very effective in theory. The reality is that pigeons and other birds do not stay long in one place after they get their fill. Birds are easily scared off by loud noises and movements. Thus, there is a very high chance that these birds will not stay long enough in the feeding site to experience the effect of the stupefying baits in the same place where they ate. What normally happens is that the pigeons will experience the effects of the baits while they're flying or while they are silently perched elsewhere. Some pigeons even fall out while flying and crash on cars and buildings.