How to Build a Pigeon Trap
Pigeons can be a nuisance to those living in or near urban areas. These birds often gather in large groups and roost on top of buildings and inside garages or sheds, and they feed on nearly anything edible that's fallen to the ground--seeds, grain, food litter and bits of trash. Pigeons are carriers of disease and concentrated numbers of them can propose both health and aesthetic problems. There are simple, homemade methods for trapping pigeons.
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Things You'll Need
- Cardboard box
- Wire coat hanger
- Stapler
- Computer/printing paper
- Tape
- Small stick
- Scissors/boxcutter
- Bait
Instructions
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1
Bend a wire coat hanger into a long U-shape.
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2
Wrap computer/printing paper around the curved U-part of the wire and tape it in place.
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3
Staple the paper-covered end to a small stick. The stick should be about ¼ inches thick and ¾ inches wide. Make sure the wire is loose enough in the stapled paper so that you can rotate the u-shaped wire back and forth, like a hinge. The long ends of the wire will be jutting away from the stick, with the stick itself acting as a top.
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4
Cut a 4 inch by 8 inch opening in one end of the cardboard box, but be certain to leave at least ½ inch of box along the bottom of the opening (something that the pigeon will have to step up and over in order to enter the box).
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5
Attach the wire and stick to the top inside of the opening by either stapling or gluing it. It should be attached so that the wire ends hang down in front of the opening inside of the box. The very ends of the wires should be touching the stop at the bottom of the opening.
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6
Cut out an opening in the top of the box that is large enough to allow light in but will not allow the pigeons to fly out--about 3 inches wide and 12 inches long.
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7
Put bait of seeds or grain inside of the box. When a pigeon enters the box through the opening, it will be forced to push through the wire, which shouldn't offer much resistance. However, because of the stop at the bottom of the entrance, the pigeon will not be able to push its way out.
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Tips & Warnings
You may want to bait the trap (without the wire) for a few days to allow the pigeons to become used to feeding inside the box. Place the trap where pigeons normally roost or look for food--sheds, garages, near sidewalks or rooftops.
Be sure to check the trap at least once every few hours during the daytime. If you can't check it very often, leave some water in a bowl inside for the pigeon.
