Hi friends!
I was out of town for a bit and when I got back, I noticed a lot of black poop by the coop and in the coop. Thought that was weird until I noticed 2 pigeons IN THE HEN HOUSE!!!! Just chillin' there. When I went to shoo them out, they were adamant about staying. When they started peeping, I realized they are babies! Big babies, but still babies. I got them out and then noticed on the top of the hen house a HUGE nest with a mama pigeon presumably sitting on eggs. I lowered the hen house door (I have it open for ventilation in the warm months) and a massive amount of pigeon poop came falling down. UGH! Tomorrow is pigeon eviction day. Any advice on how to remove a nest with a mama bird in it? I wish I could close the coop door, but it is a bit broken and the chickens need to be able to get in there to eat and lay eggs. Then, once the pigeons are out, should I just take a hose with a pressure nozzle on it and spray everything down?
I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic!
Kelly
Replies
Oh my, I'm glad I saw this thread and your response to it Lisa. I too have a problem with pigeons hanging around my chickens feeding area which is inside of their coop. I leave the door ajar so my girls can access the nesting boxes but pigeons find their way in each day. I was going to buy a treadle for this very purpose, but if they can open it by standing on it, then it's pointless. I'm sure the treadle works fine to keep out the sparrows and other small birds but these pigeons eat so much feed! We also have a dog in the yard to patrol the flock and has caught and killed pigeons, but it's still a major problem. I will try the shiny hanging thing suggestion. If anyone else has any ideas or any luck deterring this bird from their coop I would appreciate hearing about.
I do find it funny that Kelly had this happen after 'being away' for a time. I noticed same thing. It's like they know when I'm around. I must find a way to out-smart them :)
Kelly, this has been a problem for me for months. My girls range all day and need access to the coop for their boxes and to go to bed, so I don't want to keep the coop closed. My dog is on pigeon patrol as she is good with the chickens but is a true bird dog. However, I even got a treadle feeder to try to thwart the pigeons from eating the feed...and they have learned how to use it by having two on there to weigh the bar down!
Someone just told me about hanging cds on strings as the shiny, moving things will deter the pigeons. Once you move the nest, I will be interested to hear if you can keep them away.