# Pigeons for dog training



## James30 (Apr 13, 2004)

My daughters horse is being boarded at a friends barn and they have a pigeon problem. He wants me to take them all out since they poop all over his equipment and hay but a group of us from our trap club can use them alive and healthy to train our pups. Anyone have experience live trapping pigeons that can throw me some knowledge or advice. I am looking online for types of traps but these things are 40ft up on a bar that runs the center length of the barn. There's at least a dozen birds and once we clear them out he is going to board up their access.


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## longhaulpointer (Mar 12, 2009)

If you can wait till dark, shine a bright light in there face and swoop them up w a net. If you cant bc of the height, then go w a trap w one way bobs. It'll be best to leave the bobs up (open) for a week or so so they get used to going in the cage. Then just leave them down one day and catch them all. If you put them in a coupe and leave them locked up for a month most will home back. mine have all hatched out young birds now, wild ones should be laying too, if you catch them and give them adequate space they'll breed and the young birds will home to your coupes and you can shoot the adults once the young are flyers.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Great advice by longhaul! The only suggestion I'd add is about the bobs on the pigeon traps. It can help if the individual bobs are separated by a small plastic sleeve or washer. The bird has to see the bait inside the trap in order to want to go to it. Once they're inside, the birds know how they got there and will want to get back out.

Without spacers a bird can peck at the bobs and crowd them to one side or the other, opening a space large enough to squeeze out. Once one bird does it, the rest will follow!

And, once they're accustomed to their new digs, they will home. Most of the adult, trapped birds, and nearly all of the birds hatched in the coop. That's their home! This allows you to plant and shoot older birds for retrieval practice, and keep the younger ones for scenting and pointing.

As far as the beam goes, just build a support up there that will hold the trap. Pigeons don't know any better.


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