I went and looked at a pigeon job today and i need some good advice from anyone thats familiar with pigeon work.
PROBLEM
Its a commercial job at a plant. Its basically a large building with 2 walls and 2 large openings for doors. The opening is like 30 ft high and 50 yds long supported by large beams every 30 ft or so. Basically plenty of space for pigeons to fly in and reside. They are roosting inside the building and making a mess.

The only solution i can come up with is setting up a trapping plan. And then after trapping the family of pigeons living inside which is about 50 birds or so, then hanging some type of netting about 1/4 of the way down from the top of the openings to deter birds in the future.

*spikes and exclusion devices on their roosts, really arent an option since the places they could roost are everywhere.

Does this seem to be a good way to approach this situation>?
Since I rarely do pigeon work, I don't have any traps. What kind should I buy? How do i charge for setup, return trips, any advice or tips would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks In advance.

-Matt

Rws34 4x12x50 scope.Go in at night( 12:00-4:00 AM ) and remove every bird you can find.
You'll spend several nights doing this,the next day will be done on remote or not at all?
price it double what you normally get (you'll loose a lot of sleep/work )to cover work loose the next day.
bob evans cwcp

Matt, A lot of different traps for pigeons & I am sure you will get many replys. I my self like New Haven's but they do need some adjustments to them. Think about contracting for a set number of birds. The numbers are always changing in places like that. If you go in for your inspection & count 50,do 50. Trie your best to go in with a controled shooting program. This works the best. Pebaiting with some grain & water some time helps. I try to go in on off hours or week end when there are less or no people & use this as a tool to be more cost effective for them. How do you charge? Well bird work is never fast so it is easy to under bid. When you arrive at your price double it & you may be close.

If it is a commercial structure, they will most likely not be satisfied with the results of a trapping program. There will be no end to the pigeon invasion if the site offers a favorable roost and nesting site for them. Some companies may settle for a continual trapping program, but that is not solving the problem.... only treating the symptom.

Netting is the ultimate solution in such situations. It provides a permanent physical barrier that will keep out ALL birds if installed correctly. Mounting the net below all the beams, conduit, and other perches is important. Never assume that the plant managers will recoil at cost estimates for large netting jobs. They are very familiar with costs associated with operating a large facility, and if they are presented with a SOLUTION to a problem, they will make it happen.

I'll include a few pics of a truck loading dock that I netted for a Georgia-Pacific plant. There were about 8 to 10 thousand starlings roosting inside every night on the I-beams and roof supports. This is a common occurence in truck docks and "open" structures from late October through March. They were spending $1500 every 2 weeks having the entire dock floor pressure washed and deodorized. There was also a safety concern, as the droppings pose a health threat and also slip-and-fall liability.

This dock was 200 feet by 75 feet, and took about a week to net. Installing the support cable system is the tough part, as it is the key to a proper netting job. It required a driveable scissors lift, as well as much coordination with the loading dock foreman regarding truck schedules. Don't forget all the OSHA safety regs you need to abide by (harnesses, lanyards, etc). They also require a 2 mil liability policy, and typically do not pay until the job is completed.... then a 30 to 60 day wait for payment. Welcome to dealing with commercial accounts.

They are extremely satisfied with the results (NO BIRDS!) and now want me to get them a price for netting their entire rail dock. It is about 550 feet long and 40 feet wide. That's a lot of netting! Here's some pics of the dock:









If they don't want a netting job, have them contact Mike Walker at the following company:

http://www.simplebluebox.com/

as far as the controlled shooting program, since i go after dark, what kind of light is recommended: spot light, flashlight?

does anyone think that the nets only about 1/4 of the way down is gonna be a good deterrent for future birds>?

the supervisor wanted to know if i knew anything about using heavy fishing line horizontally every 6 inches or so across the openings, pretty much using it like the nets...

Ron,
Where did you get the netting and cables for this job?
What was the cost of supplies?

-Matt

Here's a few links to companies which I purchase bird netting supplies from:

http://www.birdbgone.com/

http://www.flybye.com/

http://web.birdbarrier.com/


Materials cost for this job was around $3500... cables, netting, turnbuckles, eye-bolts, and a bunch of specialized fasteners for various mounting applications.

So whats the first step in this process? DO i need to take measurements or contact one of these companies?

It's best to get some measurements and digital pics. Then call one of the companies and explain to them what type of structure it is. They often like to see pics (by e-mail) so they can help with a materials list, etc.

After you do a couple, you will become familiar with what items you will need, and can make your own materials list and calculate pricing for the materials. Generally the first big net job is a nightmare, but as in all other types of work it gets easier with practice.

Ron, Nice work on the netting. Did you use girder clips to secure the cable on the vertical netting? It's hard to tell by the pics.
Also, I've been curious about the success of the Simple Blue Box. So many junk/gimmick items (owls, screamers, Eagle Eye) on the market that the vendors swear by. I just swear AT them. I have one location that would benefit from the SBB, but I hate to drop a couple grand on a SBB only to find out it too is crap.

Alot of the companies that sell net will give you training or tell you where you can get it.

I like net as Ron does it is a professonal and long term solution. But MUST be installed correctly to work. there are training vids out there that show alot.

Also we use alot of one way door systems to get pigeons out. here in jersey we can't shoot as much as you other boys, We can't kill a pigeon. yeah that's right LOL and trapping is labor intense. the one way systems work well on the adult birds then you can go get the young and dumb birds.

If the pigeons are shot and trapped, its pretty much just a matter of time before more decide to move in, right?

Ron Nice job.netting is a final solution on bird jobs yet many companies want the "magic wand" fix.If you can sell it netting IS the best way.
Matt your ? about shooting lights,I use a hand light by Brinkman it's their LED Halogen model.I bought two (long nights) from wally world at$19.00 each.
Also have a predator light and mount for gun.
bob evans
Side note; Had a co. ask for estimate on removing (actual count)8 birds shot 21 the first night? return each year and remove birds.Long term job don't make any mistake?

well i went back to the commercial property to get measurements and take pics,
well i took pics but didnt get any exact measurements but its approximately 200 ft by 150 ft with half of the building being open.

I dont thing the nets are gonna work in this situation, there are large pieces of machinery reaching all the way up to the wall poles everywhere coming out of the walls, its just a HUGE mess.
So i contacted mike at SBB and sent him pics and he's getting info for me.

So SBB is an option, trapping is an option, and I DONT THING shooting is an option because the area is lit around the building at night and also there are several lights that run all night inside the building, so therefore pigeons are gonna be able to see and fly out once they see me shooting at their buddies.

So im hoping SBB is gonna be just what i need, even though I don't think there is much money for me in something like this.

And if SBB doesnt work, im going to buy a couple of pigeon traps and come up with a trapping plan. And im not sure how yet. And ideas on how to charge on something like this? The only thing i can think of is, two weeks of pre-baiting, 3 trips a week, charge per trip. And then two weeks of trapping, with check trap and maintenance daily, again charge per trip. Is this a good idea or bad idea??? Feedback please.

Lighting won't cause problems for the birds but if you look most factory lights are BELOW were the birds roost?
This is hard on YOUR eyes but still do able.
You need to be a marksmen? The birds won't flair,they just sit there and watch as their comrads fall.
this sounds like a long term service?
bob evans