How do I get pigeons to stay off my balcony? Their poop is all over it! Help!?

Question

I need some real answers..nothing like shooting them please...tx!

Answer 1

It depends on the rules in your apartment building. In our town netting isn't allowed because it is ugly. What some tenants do is string fine fishing line tightly an inch or two above the railing, and another above that one, if they can. It gives the pigeons nowhere to perch, and the line is all but invisible.

Answer 2

Pigeons have a very good sense of smell, sight, hearing, and are as intelligent as dolphins and other animals that we all consider smart. Just thought I'd make that clear.

Like the person some answers before me said, bleach or tabasco sause will probably not work even though they do have a good sense of smell. Of course they wouldn't particularly enjoy it, if they are determined to make your balcony their home, they won't care.

One of the most common things people try first is the fake owl or fake hawk/falcon. If you live in the city (which I'm guessing you do), falcons will most likely work better. Just place it on your balcony in a different place every two or three days. The best thing you could do is fix it to where the fake bird will spin in the wind. If it just sits still in the same spot every day, the pigeons will quickly get used to it and figure out there is no harm.
Another thing you'll always want to do is make sure any bird seed or leftovers are left near the balcony. Pigeons 'attack' people in the city because the balconies and ledges of the buildings are the closest thing to their natural habitat on the rocky cliffs in Europe. Since the city is full of food, this along with good nesting sites makes the city a haven for pigeons. And what happens when there's too many of an animal in one place? It's hard to find food. That's why a pigeon will flock a kid with a hotdog - they're hungry. If you have food around, the pigeons won't have any reason to leave because everything they need is provided at your house. This goes with water too. If you have pots or anything that collected water after rain or whatnot, the pigeons may come to get a drink and decide to stay. Dumping out un-needed water prevents mosquitos as well :]
The last suggestion is looking around on the internet. If you type in 'pigeon control' in your search bar, many online stores will pop up with things like 'pigeon spikes' and other inventions we've made to prevent the birds from roosting on areas you don't want them too.

Certain cities and housing developments have different rules on shooting. Some cities don't allow you to shoot within city limits unless it's hunting season, others don't allow it at all. Shooting should be one of your last resorts in controlling pigeons. The poor things never did anything to hurt anybody, they just wanted a home and a family, and yet we shoot them for doing what we do when we move out. When we go off on our own, we cut down animal habitat, like woods, just so we can build a nice big house to have our family in. The animals don't shoot us for it so why should we shoot them!
Poisoning is the very, very last thing you should ever think about. It's possibly the most inhumane thing you can do to a poor bird. I've seen what some poisons can do to pigeons. You'll be walking down the street one day and hear a faint grunt from the alley. You walk down it and see a pigeon jerking violently on it's back, obviously in a lot of pain and suffering. Poisons are not guarenteed to have quick results, and trust me when I say that seeing a pigeon dying from poison is not what you want to see. If you have any feelings for animals what-so-ever, it would break your heart D:
Not to mention there's no guarentee that other birds will get a hold of the poison instead, so you never know what exactly you're 'controlling' with poison. What if a pigeon ate a poison coated corn piece and then flew off only to be killed and eaten by a endangered falcon? And the pigeon had not digested the poison yet? Wouldn't that mean that you not only got rid of the pigeon but you also managed to poison a falcon as well?

You'll soon figure out that certain little tricks you think up will work while others may not. The best thing is to just take your time to see if it works before jumping to the next thing. Hopefully you'll get the results you want :]

Good luck!
- Becky

Answer 3

You have some good suggestions here - particularly the fake owl, which would act as a sort of "scarecrow", or "scarepigeon", as the case may be. However, what you might also want to try is what they do in the cities that seems to work, and that is to put spikes around your balcony - either on top of the wall itself, or, if it would not be too much of an expense for you, build a (at least four feet) high spike fence around the balcony. Just a thought, but if it works for the cities, it should work for you, too. Good luck!

Answer 4

Oh, I saw this on TV...take some thick fishing line, stretch it between the window jam, on the outside, and stick it in place, using any strong adhesive or perhaps a staple gun. Put it just about 2 inches from the ledge. In the middle, where they would normally sit. This makes it difficult for the pigeons to land. You can also line the ledge with aluminum foil and slick it up with some sort of safe lubricant..they will just slide right off.

Answer 5

I honestly dont have much knowledge about pigeons but I am sure placng a fake owl on your balcony will keep them away as they are afraid of them.

Answer 6

A plastic hunting bird. The pigeons are scared of them, so this would distract them. They do use real hawks around Trafalgar Square occasionally to keep numbers down.

Answer 7

Get some of those free cd/dvd disks...like they have at Target etc. for free AOL.

Hang them in a way they move, like by a string from up high. The reflection and movement will keep them away.

Also, a plastic owl might help.

Answer 8

Try a fake owl. You can buy statues of owls. Most birds are afraid of them because they are a predator to them. Second, you can buy this stuff that you place on your railing that hotels use in NY. It's like a bunch of metal pins sticking up. It doesnt hurt the bird, they just wont land on it and sit.

Answer 9

Pigeons have no sense of smell so sprays & anything with fragrance will NOT work, so don't waste your time. Pigeons do not like owls, so find a pair of plastic owls, secure them to your deck, & you shouldn't be troubled with pigeons again. They are so dirty & carry many diseases!

Answer 10

Put up some type of wire or netting, this will keep them from landing on your balcony.