WW3 on wood pigeons

kindredspirit · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 5:55 am Post subject:

I got mine from http://birdcontrol.ie/ in Cappaquin.

baabamaal · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:18 am Post subject:

Graham Gibbs · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 5:25 pm Post subject:

Try the old Gamekeepers way of keeping vermin away.If you can kill just one then hang it on a stick in the plot it may work.I have tried this way with the Crows and Jackdaws and it works there.If not get an air gun and just pop em of.

tagwex · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 11:08 pm Post subject:

It has been my experience that crows/jackdaws/magpies are clever enough to get this suttle message. Pigeons however are just plain stupid and will easily settle down to forage beside their fallen comrade.

Was in a garden today where a man had a magpie trapped in a cage, there were two opes in the cage for other magpies to get trapped in too.
The way it works is that you have to bring in the first magpie from another area so as the indigenous ones will attack the trapped one and subsequently trap themselves. Then wring their necks. Apparently the magpies will not attack a magpie known to them. He has caught 130+ so far.

tagwex · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 11:10 pm Post subject:

tagwex · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:08 pm Post subject:

Had a friend over at the weekend with his double barrelled friend. Have a few less feathered rats to worry about now.

tagwex · Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2017 7:51 am Post subject:

I have heard of a solution that can be sprayed on brassicas to make the taste less palatable to these feathered rats. Anyone heard or had any experience of same? My cabbages are being destroyed.

Blowin · Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2017 5:42 pm Post subject:

This is interesting, Tagwex. We feed the birds generally and I've counted up to 23 pigeons, feral and wood, perched on the roof of the bungalow waiting for me to go out with the food - but they've NEVER touched the brassicas. Is there a moral there? Having said that, I've had a mini-disaster this year with my peas - only about 10% germination and all new stock (none saved from last year). Will hopefully buy more tomorrow if I can find them.

On a different topic, if you don't want to bother plucking them (or any other fowls), you can take a leaf out of the gipsy method. Just roll the whole thing up in a ball of clay. Place in the fire for an hour or so. The clay will then be hard and can be broken apart, taking all the feathers with it leaving just the cooked carcass. Works with hedgehogs as well, they say.

tagwex · Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2017 8:12 pm Post subject:

Ahhh Jaaaaaysus Blowin do you a) seriously think I am going to start feeding those feathered rats b) eat them and c) eat a bloody hedgehog??????

I heard somewhere that once a cabbage gets to a certain size then the pigeons wont go near them. So far they have decimated a good few on me.

Blowin · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 5:48 am Post subject:

Not at all. We put food out for any bird that comes along but inevitably pigeons will be amongst the callers. Pigeon pie used to be quite common in the UK years ago when farmers would go out shooting them. Gipsies ate hedgehogs and they cooked them that way. Merely trying to bring a little light to Wexford, Guv!

tagwex · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 7:23 am Post subject:

Hmmmm me wonders how our Blowin knows about the gypsie culture! !!!

Sue Deacon · Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 8:17 am Post subject:

tagwex · Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 4:29 pm Post subject:

You know what you can do with your cat.