Gransnet forums

Ask a gran

Help! How to get rid of pidgeons on the roof

(59 Posts)
grannysue05 Thu 07-Jun-18 13:22:10

Every single morning I have to clean two areas of our path from pidgeon poop.
The pidgeons come early and perch on the gable ends of the roof (about six or seven of them).
They then deposit masses of white gooey poop before flying off.
The resulting mess is unsightly and right where people walk .
I clean up with hot soapy water and a yard brush, but I am getting fed up with the daily chore.
Does any GNetter have advice on how to discourage the birds from sitting on the roof?
I will be eternally grateful!

Nelliemoser Sat 09-Jun-18 23:10:13

Just out of interest are these pigeons mainly the feral sort that live in towns and cities?
We have mainly wood pigeons. Great fat things. and they seem to always be mating.

Guineagirl Mon 11-Jun-18 16:31:51

Ours are the feral type you see in towns and at the seaside. I love wood pigeons, we had two wandering around the garden last night, they do no harm. They only visit though on an evening when the feral ones have gone. They make me laugh all kissing and cooing just to get his wicked way then they wander off separately. ?

Willow500 Mon 11-Jun-18 19:26:32

We have a lot of pigeons round us. The guy over the road puts food out for them and not only do the pigeons come we also get seagulls. The mess is a nuisance - it's on the windows, on the cars and the birds thunder around on our conservatory roof especially at the moment when they seem to be mating. On top of that the neighbour put up a huge pigeon loft last year which was full of them - admittedly he didn't let them out as they were racing birds but they did make a lot of noise. He's deconstructed 2/3rds of it now but there are still a few. The other birds make a mess too especially when they've been eating berries - then we get a couple of ducks ..............

BibiSarah Sat 16-Jun-18 18:45:46

Im watching this thread with interest as its just today Ive ordered the spikes mentioned on this thread. Im glad others have suggested them. There's also a gel you can buy that looks like flames to the pigeon and seemingly deters them from setting down. Im waiting until Monday before I call the company for more information.

Jalima1108 Sat 16-Jun-18 18:55:14

Here's my favourite Tom Lehrer song:
"Poisoning Pigeons in the Park"

www.bing.com/videos/search?q=poisoning+pigeons+in+the+park+youtube&qpvt=poisoning+pigeons+in+the+park+youtube&view=detail&mid=48AB48C2B695BE1FCA1D48AB48C2B695BE1FCA1D&&FORM=VRDGAR

mrsmopp Sat 16-Jun-18 20:04:17

I put bird food out for sparrows, robins and blue tits and I don't know how to stop pigeons scoffing it all. Should I put a sign up, saying No Pigeons!

NfkDumpling Sat 16-Jun-18 21:11:30

House martins used to be a problem with a lot of houses where we used to live and many people put up netting. The trouble is that they poo just before entering the nest - which is frequently just above the bedroom windows - so poo hardened daily on the windows. They managed to miss our windows so we enjoyed their company. Then one year they all just stopped coming.

starbird Wed 11-Jul-18 11:48:05

Thanks mrswoo now I know why neighbours (who throw bread onto their garage roof which is attached to my garage roof) have several windmills in their garden. I will try using them near the plants the pigeons seem to like squashing.