# Strange Animal is Killing my Pigeons!!!!



## luisrolon (Jan 21, 2005)

Hello my friends!!! First of all please excuse my bad english..... 

I'm very very worried because daily one or two pigeons appear dead in my loft. How can I indentify what is killing my pigeons? from 25 pairs I only have 10 pairs.......Please help me with with this problem!!!!!

Att.

Luis Ro
Puerto Rico


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## LondonPigeon (May 10, 2005)

do the dead birds have any bite or blood marks on them? 

or maybe not, then it could be disease


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## luisrolon (Jan 21, 2005)

a lot of blood......and only legs and head are the only things that do not disappear!!!!


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Hola Luis,

How secure is your loft from animals that might come in?


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## luisrolon (Jan 21, 2005)

Well Victor......


big animals like cats or dogs can't come to the loft.....Also I have my pigeons in cages by pairs........

The last 3 pigeons were killed in the floor of the loft.


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

There has got to be a way some predator , maybe even smaller than a cat is getting inside your loft Luis.What kind os screen or cover is on your loft?


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hi Luis - your english is just fine. It sounds like a predator is getting in your coop. Here in the states we have to worry about raccoons, snakes, hawks, fox, etc. getting to the birds so we try very hard to close any opening that they could enter.

We don't fly our pigeons so we don't have to worry about trap door entries. We use a 1/4" wire (called hardware cloth here in the states) which makes it virtually impossible for anything to get through. We staple this wire all around the sides and top of the aviaries. Around the base of the aviaries, we dig a trench all around the bottom, then lay down another strip of wire (maybe 2' wide) all around the aviaries. We staple the wire to the aviaries (at the base) and the other end is laid in the trench and then covered with dirt and pack that down. You can even add concrete block or railroad ties on top of the wire you covered with dirt to make sure it stays down and add a further safety feature.

If it were me, I would take all the pigeons inside until you can predator proof the coop. Others who use traps can comment on them because I don't know anything about making the trap doors safe.

I am so sorry you have lost so many. I know from your previous posts that you love your pigeons.

Maggie


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Luis, Maggie is right. I am wondering here if you are having a problem with some predators, like snakes, rats or mice? If your loft has chicken wire, these creatures can very easily sneak in.Cats and racoons can even tear the wire to get inside. 

Hardware cloth the kind with 4 squares to the inch is safe. It will keep them out.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi Luis,

In addition to the good advice and concerns raised here, I'd like to mention flooring. If you have a dirt floor, then it is possible that a predator could burrough up into the coop from the other side of walls. As Maggie mentioned,
it would be good to find another place for the pigeons until you are able to address the safety concerns with their housing. 

Here's a link to the type of hardware cloth that Maggie mentioned provided to us by Lin Hansen, one of our moderators:

http://www.twpinc.com/twp/jsp/product.jsp?type=4

Sorry to hear of your problems and hope that you are able to sort things out quickly.

Best,

fp


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I'm so sorry to hear about the deaths in your coop.

You have already gotten some excellent advice.

Do you have *rats or mice* in your area? They can leave remnents like you are seeing. 

While you secure your coop from any more predator attacks, please bring your birds inside your house, or garage TODAY, before the next evening when most predators prowel about, until predator prooding has been accomplished.


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## SweetSpirit (Nov 22, 2005)

I agree with Maggie. I would take all of my pigeons inside and I would set up a trap by placing some chicken meat in the trap to attract the predator. A raccoon will eat the heads first and would have killed all of them in one night. The snake would have swallowed them, I have no idea what is killing them. Do you have foxes around? You'll have to secure the flight after all even if you catch the predator. If one predator found your birds, even if you catch it there'll be others..


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Luis, Feralpigeon brought up a very good point that the creatures might be digging a hole and coming in thru the dirt somehow. 

What kind of door or hatch does your loft have Luis?

Please forgive the many questions, but we are trying to help you Amigo!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

SweetSpirit said:


> The snake would have swallowed them.


*That depends on the type snake they have there. The snakes I have seen here will usually constrict older birds (strangling them around the neck) and leave them lying dead, they can only swallow the babies. I have seen this in a friends cage.*


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## SweetSpirit (Nov 22, 2005)

Victor said:


> Luis, Feralpigeon brought up a very good point that the creatures might be digging a hole and coming in thru the dirt somehow.
> 
> What kind of door or hatch does your loft have Luis?
> 
> Please forgive the many questions, but we are trying to help you Amigo!


Do you have Armadillos around? They can survive without oxygen about 6 minutes while they're digging but you should notice the tunnels. They also move very slow, I don't know if one could kill so many pigeons in one night.


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## SweetSpirit (Nov 22, 2005)

Trees Gray said:


> *That depends on the type snake they have there. The snakes I have seen here will usually constrict older birds (strangling them around the neck) and leave them lying dead, they can only swallow the babies. I have seen this in a friends cage.*


I read an article and I've also seen a picture of a Python swallowing a 6 foot alligator. The snake's belly split after-all. This happened in Everglades a few months ago.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

SweetSpirit said:


> I read an article and I've also seen a picture of a Python swallowing a 6 foot alligator. The snake's belly split after-all. This happened in Everglades a few months ago.


WOW! A Python would leave some mighty big and noticeable openings in the Coop!


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Luis,


I am not familiar with the fauna of Puerto Rico, but you should be able to look carefullt at the interior and exterior of your coop, and see where places may be that would allow an Animal of some kind to enter.

It is not a Snake, since Snakes do not dismember their prey but instead swallow them whole.

It may be some kinf of Marmot, Weasel or Ferret, who are talented at getting through small openings.

Check the Door also for any slack where it might be lightly sprung for a clever Creature to get in at it's bottom...

So...have a good look with these thoughts in mind, and see what possible avenues of entrance might be there for an Animal who can make his body fit through a gap of say an inch and a half or so.

Otherwise, unless you see really conspicuous tunnellings and holes from upwardly burrowing Animals, it is likely something comeing in otherwise.


Good luck..!

Phil
Las Vegas


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## SweetSpirit (Nov 22, 2005)

> WOW! A Python would leave some mighty big and noticeable openings in the Coop!



Yeah, right? The bottom line is, from Luis description he doesn't deal with any type of snake. I hope he'll be able to catch it, whatever it is.


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## luisrolon (Jan 21, 2005)

Thanks all for your advices,


As I know in Puerto Rico we do not have problems with raccons, hawks or snakes...but we have a lot of ugly rats that maybe they are killing my lovely pigeons. I placed a few minutes ago some "live traps" to see if I can catch the animal that is killing my birds......I was checking my loft and in the roof their is a space like 6" and maybe the animal is getting access from there.....

Believe me guys I feel very bad with this situation....I hope that I'll catch the [email protected]#$% animal that is killing my birds......and then I'll show U pictures of it......I hope is not the "goat sucker" or in spanish "El Chupa cabras" hehehehe.......


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Muy bien Luis! We hope you catch your "chupa cabras" Hope we were able to help you, let us know what happens. Have to go do my chores.

Hasta luego


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Louis, 


You will be much better off correcting the way your coop is built and enclosed, than by trying to catch a likely endless supply of Rats or other small preditors who may enter in through what you are calling "six inch spaces".

Fix you Coop...! 


Good luck..!

Phil
Las Vegas


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## Happy (Dec 19, 2004)

I agree with Phil & would bet $$ that you have one or more of the Weasel or Ferret family killing your Pigeons. I am presuming that these are full grown birds. If they are very young nestlings it could also be Rats, but would think of the Weasel family.... Fix your Loft so ya don't lose any more...... Hap


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## Mistifire (May 27, 2004)

"I hope is not the "goat sucker" or in spanish "El Chupa cabras" "


If it is make sure you get pictures to the newspapers and TV reporters hehe


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## Ralph (Jan 25, 2004)

I had a similar problem when I was a teen raising homers. One time it was a small cat that was getting one every day. Then it was a weasel. The weasel was very slick and difficult to catch. Weasels are like ferrets.

I used a hav-a-hart trap opened on both ends to catch it. I used a dead bird as bait. 

Good luck!

Ralph


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## Anarrowescape (Jan 6, 2004)

i would use a live bird as bait but make sure its a 2 way trap so your bird is safe and wont get killed but the predator will get caught but by the sounds of it it is a lizard it is eating all the fleshy parts and leaving the meatless parts (head and feet) lizard just eat the parts with most flesh a pigeon has literally no meat on legs and head all meat is on there body and wings 

but that is my opinion but i have seen this stuff before just saying from experience


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## Poulette (Feb 5, 2002)

Not the "El Chupa cabras" like in the X-Files episode? I will call Mulder!  

Suz.


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## luisrolon (Jan 21, 2005)

Guys,

Yesterday night at 1am I killed to rats trying to eat my pigeons.....Sorry for the rats but my first reaction was hit the rats with a shovel......I thought that the rats only eats seeds, junk food or small worms.. I installed some traps outside the loft just in case.

I lost a lot of pigeons in this months due to a pair of ugly [email protected]#$% rats...... .


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

You will have to rodent proof your coop. And if you have a dirt floor. You can put wire down and then cover the floor agin with the dirt. So rats and such can not tunnel uner the floor. Cooped birds have to have a little more protection as they have now way to escape when something gets in there coop.


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## luisrolon (Jan 21, 2005)

I'll do that......

Do you know something different than traps to minimize or control rats?


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## LondonPigeon (May 10, 2005)

i had a strong gut feeling it was rats

i didnt know they eat pigeons though


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Louis,


Fix your Loft...cover it well with 1/4 inch wire-mesh, or screen-wire.

Ammend it's defects.

The Rats or other small preditors will remain outside then.

Trapping or killing them will never end otherwise.

Once they know they can NOT get in, they will move on to find opportunities of better prospect.

For everyone you may trap of kill, there are twenty more on their way.

Fix...your...Loft...and your problem is "solved".


Best wishes...! 

Phil
Las Vegas


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## Anarrowescape (Jan 6, 2004)

if I remember correctly there is a device that sends out sonic waves that keeps mice rats and other rodents away from the area that it covers i use to have a book that had it in it but cant find the book atm i will look on the web for a link to it


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## Anarrowescape (Jan 6, 2004)

k found wot i meant here is the link hope it works http://www.unbeatablesale.com/st125...PESTCHASER+SINGLE+DIRECT+PLUG-IN+PEST+CONTROL


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