Ideal protection: drive away pigeons with home remedies

Do you cheeky wood pigeons eat young plants from the balcony tubs? Or do the cooing pests like to hang out on your terrace? Then you can use these gentle measures and non-toxic home remedies to drive the pigeons away.

Injury or kill prohibited

Why are only gentle measures and home remedies for driving pigeons away that do not hurt pigeons listed here, some readers may ask. Quite simply: pigeons are also protected by the Animal Welfare Act and must therefore neither be injured nor killed. Deliberately injuring and killing vertebrates is strictly prohibited and can be punished with heavy fines for violations. Hence, you should like by means

• current
• vinegar
• Adhesive creams
• Anti-pigeon paste
• spikes

Etc. Distance yourself. Caution should also be exercised when using bird nets and tension wires. These should be so close-meshed that the birds cannot get caught in them.

Successfully driving away pigeons

Fortunately, there are a few other promising methods of driving away pigeons. To do this, however, you should understand some basics of pigeon biology. This includes, for example, the fact that birds are real creatures of habit. Once they feel good, they are difficult to chase away again. Therefore, it is usually not enough to apply just one measure:

• use different methods
• continuously startle and disturb
• For example, repeated shocks with a water spray gun
• dogs and cats roaming free

Note: Only for the sake of the neighbors and other wild animals, you should avoid loud music and other sources of noise.

Eliminate sources of food and water

Pigeons are real feed opportunists and eat almost everythingwhat comes before their beak. They are almost exclusively vegetarians, even when they are rearing young animals. However, they have no objection to human food in the form of breadcrumbs and the like, juicy young plants in pots (and on the bed) or chicken feed. That is why the birds can be attracted by sources of food lying around in the open, for example on the balcony or terrace. Incidentally, this also includes planted tubs and beds! Hence you should

• do not leave anything that could possibly be eaten lying around openly
• Sweep up crumbs and the like immediately
• Cover planted pots and beds (e.g. B. with a bird protection net)
• Do not feed pigeons under any circumstances
• Limit bird feeding to winter

You should also either remove water sources - such as a table fountain, a water feature or a bird bath - or make them inaccessible to the large birds. Pigeons generally stay where they can easily get enough food and have access to water.

Noteice cream: By the way, pigeons particularly like the leaves and seedlings of young cabbage plants, such as kohlrabi. These are eagerly eaten and should therefore be protected.

Set up dummies of birds of prey

Pigeons are preferred prey by large birds of prey, too Ravens and crows occasionally prey on them. Therefore, a dummy bird of prey made of plastic or metal can drive away pigeons, but only under these conditions:

• Moving the dummy at different intervals (temporally)
• The dummy itself is movable (e.g. B. Greyhound)
• as lifelike as possible

Various studies and our own experience have shown that plastic dummies are "seen through" by the pigeons after a while and do not scare them anymore. Pigeons are not stupid and quickly notice when the supposed bird of prey is not moving. Then it is classified as harmless. Therefore, movable wind chimes are in the form of flying ones Owls or hawks to a standing raven dummy.

Tip: Hang the flying dummies of birds of prey so that they are clearly visible and in an elevated position and ensure that they move continuously.

Place dog and cat hair

In contrast to many other birds, pigeons have a keen sense of smell, after all, the animals owe their phenomenal sense of direction to their excellent nose. Therefore, pigeons can be driven away very well by smells, for example by combed out dog and cat hair on the balcony or in the Vegetable patch to distribute. On the other hand, you should avoid butyric acid or similar agents, this smell will drive you away yourself and you will not be able to remove it again anytime soon.

Make landing difficult

Pigeons like to be comfortable, which is why they can be scared away by difficult landing opportunities. For example, you can cover popular seats (without spikes!) With smooth, slightly inclined metal surfaces. These so-called "pigeon slides" ensure that the animals cannot find a hold when they land, slip and thus have to fly away again. Pay close attention to where the birds like to land and sit. Such pigeon slides can often be attached there. Galvanized sheet steel is very suitable as a material, as it is largely protected against the effects of the weather.

Eliminate nesting opportunities

In addition to landing, you should also eliminate nesting areas, for example by covering and closing them. By nature, pigeons are rock or Cave breeders, which is why they will look for sheltered niches. You can also find these on buildings or on balconies.

Remove pigeon nests

As soon as the pigeons start building their nests, you should nest respectively. keep removing the nesting materials. If, on the other hand, the pigeon nest is already finished and there are eggs in it, it is best to proceed as follows:

• Sheer eggs, d. H. x-ray with a flashlight
• Replace light-colored eggs that have only been incubated for a few days with plastic eggs
• do not just take them out, otherwise pigeons will lay new eggs again and again
• leave dark, longer incubated eggs in the nest
• Remove nest immediately after the young have fledged

Note: You should then close the nesting site in such a way that it is not possible to build a new nest. Nests should definitely be removed, as pigeons use them again and again.

Install pigeon net

One of the simple but effective measures to drive away pigeons is the installation of a so-called pigeon net. With one you can protect your balcony from uninvited cooing visitors. Make sure, however, that the network is as clearly visible as possible (i.e. H. dark or colored) material and is closely meshed. Pigeons often get caught in wide-meshed nets and could injure themselves. perish in agony. Instead of a net, a grid (e.g. B. Attach wire mesh).

Tinker with the pigeon fright

Do you have old CDs or aluminum foil at home? A simple but effective home remedy for repelling pigeons can be made from this:

• fasten several CDs in a row on a tape
• Hang up the CD chain so that it can move freely, e.g. B. in a tree or on the balcony
• Cut the aluminum foil into wide strips
• Glue aluminum strips on long straps
• attach them to the balcony, terrace or in the garden
• Aluminum strips should flutter in the wind

Glitzy, moving things like these tend to frighten pigeons, which is why they avoid places equipped with them.

Set up wind turbines

Also effective, but usually nicer to look at, are colorful wind turbines that turn in the wind and are available in many colors, shapes and sizes. They can either be placed directly in the planter or on their wooden stick. Put it in the bed or hang it up on a device provided for this purpose, for example on a tree. In order to drive away pigeons, you should place several of these wind turbines or wind chimes if possible.

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