# Contraception?



## Florencevegan (Jul 9, 2007)

I read an article posted on "Pijn People" (the New York website) called "HOLLYWOOD PIGEONS TO BE PUT ON THE PILL". 
What do people think about this idea as a compromise with those who want to control the population of wild pigeons in our cities? After all, humans use it, and we use it (by neutering) for our cats and dogs. 
Does it work? Is it harmful?
Florencevegan.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I myself think it is a BETTER solution to the so-called over population issue of ferals when the alternative choice was death by poisoning. Egg replacement would be much better.

Only time will tell if it works.


Here is the thread on "Pigeons on the pill"


http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=21991


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Florence,

I am all in favour of any humane means that will reduce the hatred of ferals and it is their numbers that seem to fan this hatred in Joe Public. Anyone who had to try to nurse a poisoned or shot pigeon back to health, or who has had to try to save pigeons from being trapped and killed for perching on the wrong roof , or who has jumped in front of a car to stop the driver from deliberately running over a pigeon must feel the same.

Like you, I believe that it is responsible to have my dogs and cats neutered rather than let them breed and then try to find "loving" homes. For the same reason I replace the eggs that my rescue pigeons lay with plastic ones.

I think this was the first thread on the subject:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=21937&referrerid=560

Cynthia


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## ZigZagMarquis (Aug 31, 2004)

Florencevegan said:


> I read an article posted on "Pijn People" (the New York website) called "HOLLYWOOD PIGEONS TO BE PUT ON THE PILL".
> What do people think about this idea as a compromise with those who want to control the population of wild pigeons in our cities? After all, humans use it, and we use it (by neutering) for our cats and dogs.
> Does it work? Is it harmful?
> Florencevegan.



I hear that the Pope & the Catholic Church have come out strongly against the "pigeon pill".


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

ZigZagMarquis said:


> I hear that the Pope & the Catholic Church have come out strongly against the "pigeon pill".


I am tuely LOL. So funny.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

Have any of you given thought to the fact that there other birds that eat grain and they may be on the endangerd list. Now many of these that are endangered are on the brink of extinction and if they eat this grain it will cause them not to be able to reproduce.Also think about this grain that has been treated falling into the hands of the wrong people,like builder that can"t build because there is a endangered bird nesting on this land. Think about this!! back in the 1950's DDT was going to rid us of all insect life, as years passed we found that it caused weak egg shells and many speices of birds were affected. .GEORGE


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## warriec (Feb 2, 2007)

I read that the pill does not work very well with the pigeons and that egg replacements works better. 

This is how they did it. they built nest boxes and encourged the birds to feed there so that they will start to use the nest boxes. Then they swapped eggs with the dummy eggs and over the years they have had good succes


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

New York city 8 million people? 10 million pigeons!
The vatican is worse the pop's motorcade is always messy well I guess those pigeons are going to purgatory.


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## zoo keeper (Oct 3, 2004)

ZigZagMarquis said:


> I hear that the Pope & the Catholic Church have come out strongly against the "pigeon pill".


Pigeon Pill? I wonder if that will work on my kids. LOL


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Matt D. said:


> New York city 8 million people? 10 million pigeons!


Birth Controll via Seeds laced with hormones or medications will also contribute to these chemicals being in people-water supplies as the Seeds or resultant poops and urates get washed in raions and into general Water tables and public water supplies, which these kinds of hormones or chemicals already are in fact, anyway, from prople taking such suppliments or useing 'the pill' then excreteing them 'out'...

There is an explosive or pandemic now of men growing 'breasts' and of other hormone related troubles, from drinking water being contaminated...men electing to have 'breat reduction surgery' is sky-rocketing in the US and in the UK and other areas.

Seems to me it is time to rethink a lot of things...

Phil
l v


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## Florencevegan (Jul 9, 2007)

*Thanks, folks. I felt instinctively that the contraception by hormones in feed was not right, wasn't sure why. Anyway I could never afford it. I can't see where the pigeons can possibly nest in my street so I think their numbers will not increase. The COuncil often clear out the roof pipes and throw down clods and I suspect they gather up corpses or put poison up there. I wish I could get on that roof to look after my friends and especially to trace ones that have disappeared. But I suppose I have to settle for detachment of a sort and hoping they survive as best they can. The constant worry is torture. Florencevegan.
*


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## Flying_Pidgy (Apr 26, 2006)

> There is an explosive or pandemic now of men growing 'breasts' and of other hormone related troubles, from drinking water being contaminated...
> 
> 
> Phil



 o.0


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

I'm not sure how effective it would be and I can see a downside of other species eating the grain, as George mentioned, and other problems. What works best is when cities build lofts where feral pigeons can nest and volunteers replace their eggs with dummy eggs. That takes money, too. But I bet it would be less than $60,000 a year!

The other thing is, and I know it's not popular to say this, that people really shouldn't feed feral pigeons. It contributes to the rise of their population. More food available, more babies, more people complaining about pigeon droppings, etc. While I completely understand the desire to feed them, I think it does them more harm than good in the long run. Unless you're feeding them in a place like a large park where their presence isn't minded.


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

It's true about the hormones getting into the water supply. Downstream from probably every city and town outfalls from their waste water treatment plants, there are hormone spikes. Plenty of fish studies to back it up. People naturally excrete hormones and all those "natural" supplements that people take to enhance, decrease, boost (whatever operative term you choose to apply), their natural hormones are peed out and added to the waste stream. 
Many of those organic chemicals (and that is what hormones are, just organic chemicals that just happen do something in a body) are not bound or caught by the filters, ionic resins, settling tanks, chlorine, bromine, whatever the municipality uses to treat their wastes before returning it to the water shed. Even if the water evaporates into the atmosphere, the remaining particulates and sludge is still contaminated with whatever was present in the water. Each of us contributes to the load. 
Those "natural" supplements that people take react no differently in the environment than do the man-made or internally synthesized ones. So before one pops a pill or eats some natural enhancer or supplement, remember it's just a chemical and it eventually finds its way back into the waste stream. If it's supposed to work in your body, guaranteed, it will do the same to any animal or plant that contacts your purified wastes. Not so bad if it's just a few folks but when you add it up by the hundreds, thousands, millions -- that's when the impacts become far-reaching and those unintended consequences become noticed.


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Flit,
You are so right on about this. Better living through chemistry isn't the panacea we thought it would be fifty years ago.

Margarret


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