Why do you need to know how to keep pigeons away from bird feeders? There are many reasons why you do not want to have pigeons on your property, not the least of which is that they carry diseases. In addition, pigeons usually live in large groups. If one pigeon discovers your bird feeder, it will bring its dozens of pigeon friends.
Not only will pigeons empty your bird feeder in no time at all, but they will also be chasing away other birds from your bird feeder. Here, you will learn ways to keep these rats with wings out of your property while ensuring that the other birds will keep visiting your bird feeder.
Step-by-Step Guide
Method 01: Stow Away the Feeder for a While
Sometimes, the best way how to keep pigeons away from bird feeders is to take them away.
Detailed steps:
Step 1: Wait until the bird feeder is empty. It would be such a waste to dump out the contents of the bird feeder. Just wait for the birds to empty the feeder on their own, which will take no time at all if there is a significant number of pigeons eating from it.
Step 2: Remove the bird feeder. Once all the birdseed is gone, clean the bird feeder thoroughly before stowing it away in your house. You should also sweep up any birdseed that has fallen on the ground. Make sure that there are no food scraps or any other food sources that the pigeons can eat from in your yard.
Step 3: Wait for the pigeons to move on. Once the pigeons noticed that there is no food on your property anymore, the entire flock would hopefully move on to another location. Wait for 2 to 3 days, or even a week just to be on the safe side, before putting out your bird feeder again.
This is the simplest thing that you can do. You do not need to do anything special, and you do not have to buy any special tools. However, there is no guarantee that the pigeons will not come back sooner than you think.
Method 02: Use Pigeon-proof Bird Feeders
One way to discourage pigeons from frequenting your bird feeder is to make it difficult for them to eat from them. To do this, you will need to use pigeon-proof feeders.
What to prepare:
- New pigeon-proof feeders
- Fresh birdseed
Detailed steps:
Step 1: Choose the right bird feeder. You need to use the pigeons’ own physiology against them, which means that you should use bird feeders that are physically impossible for them to use. Here are a couple of options that you can choose from:
- Small tube feeders – If you are looking to attract mostly small birds like finches, then you need to buy a small tube feeder. It is preferable to choose one with perches that are just big enough for one small bird to occupy. As you know, pigeons are rather big, so they will not be able to perch, let alone eat from a tube feeder.
- Caged feeder – This type of feeder is essentially a tube feeder, but with an extra protective feature, which is a wire cage wrapped around the feeder. The sides of the cage are a couple of inches away from the feeder, which is placed at the center. The openings of the cage are barely big enough to let small birds inside, but a sizable one, like a pigeon, will not even get its head in between the bars.
Step 2: Position the feeder and fill it with birdseed. Once you bought your new pigeon-proof feeder, the only thing left for you to do is to position it and wait for it to do its magic. The pigeons will still flock to the new feeder because they can smell the food contained inside.
However, when they discover that they cannot access said food, they will eventually get discouraged and move on to another location.
Method 03: Distract the Pigeons Away
Sometimes, the best way how to keep doves away from feeders is to just lure them away. You can do this by giving the pigeons their own feeder, but with the condition that they will not come near the other bird feeders in your yard.
What to prepare:
Another bird feeder
Birdseed that pigeons prefer
Detailed steps:
Step 1: Position the new feeder a good distance away. Place the feeder somewhere that is still nearby, but not so much that the pigeons have a clear view of your other bird feeder.
Step 2: Fill the feeder with birdseed that they like. To sweeten the deal with the pigeons, provide them with birdseed that they actually like. Also, position the feeder on the ground to make it even easier for the pigeons to feed.
Why Isn’t My Pigeon-proof Feeder Not Working?
So, you’ve bought a new bird feeder, but you notice that the pigeons are still frequenting your yard. You might think that the bird feeder is not doing its job but it might not be the fault of the feeder itself.
Pigeons are ground feeders, meaning they eat food off the ground. They do not usually perch and eat from an elevated position unless they need to. This means that they must be eating the birdseed that fell on the ground.
Birds are not the cleanest eaters, and even the smaller species would spill a significant amount of birdseed while they are feeding, and the pigeons are thankful for the mess that small birds make.
So one way how to stop pigeons eating from bird feeders is to make it a habit to sweep up all the birdseed that fell around the base of the bird feeder. Without a source of food, pigeons are less likely to come back and bother the other birds that are using your bird feeder.
Conclusion
Pigeons are some of the most problematic birds that can possibly take over your property. Not only will they consume all the food in the bird feeder in no time at all but they also carry a lot of dangerous diseases that can be harmful to you and your family.
Now that you know how to keep pigeons away from bird feeders, you can fight back humanely. However, if the problem persists even after trying the methods above, then it is probably time to call the experts for help.