Blasting Barn Birds?

[tvrobert]

We've been "on the farm" a year. The place came with an old dairy barn. The roof was in horrid condition but structurally sound, so we had it tinned last fall.


(Note the donkey in the door. We have three. Those guys are bomb-proof.)

The freaking pigeons, of course, didn't move out like they should have. A few died flying into the hayloft windows (where there were just empty frames before). But the rest wised-up and just started flying out the hay-holes or the stairwell opening, and then through the main door. The problem is, I can't shoot the bastards in the hayloft for fear of damaging the tin.

Or can I? Is there a type of load I can get for my 12ga. 870? Like salt? I asked the guy at Gander and he looked at me like I was nuts. I am nuts, but not stupid. I'm worried even a pellet gun will dent the stuff; and a lot of the tin is exposed inside due to the poor condition of the old wood shingles... Where there were shingles, anyway.



So is it “flush-n-blast” outside only? Any ideas?

Thanks

[Rembrandt]

Great looking barn! Every barn owner I know has (hungry) cats to rid the bird population.

You could try using the old Crosman air powered shotguns, can be found on-line at some of the auctions and sometimes at gun shows.

12 gauge mini-rounds (by Aguila) might be too powerful....could try some pistol snake shot rounds.

[tvrobert]

Thanks. We love the barn (so do the donkeys). And we've got cats. But they can't get to the pigeons. They're great at rats and mice, though.

This weekend I stapled chicken-wire over all openings to the hayloft and opened the front hayloft door (just above the donkey's head in the pic). So they can only get in or out there. I'm not into killing without it being food, but these birds gotta die. I've taken to sitting on a lawn chair with the 870 and waiting. And waiting, etc...

There's a drift of guano in the hayloft and we can't use it for actual hay storage until they're all gone. Donkeys won't eat hay with bird crap on it. Picky picky picky

[Rampant_Colt]

Destructive "sky rats" pooping on expensive tractors and equipment gives me a great excuse to shoot my shotguns and make the farmers happy

The best approach to getting every rid of every one of the evil sky rats is to open one end of the barn where they may escape, and send a person in the opposite end to make a ruckus and flush 'em out. When they fly out the door, open up on 'em with all you got!

THEN

The birds will fly about overhead in a circular pattern making attempts to get back into the barn. Set shooters up at opposite ends OUTSIDE of the barn for when they fly past. Keep waiting - they will fly this circle pattern until usually the last few are dead squab. It may take a few hours, but they will continually attempt to make it back to the barn.



I recommend full-choke and #5 or #6 birdshot. 7-1/2 will work better in populated areas for obvious reasons..

[hogdogs]

As a kid we would get into the barn with .410's loaded with #9. We used great care to make sure to aim towards the peak. And we only shot from midways or further towards an end. never poked holes in the tin and killed gobs of pigeons and sparrows.
Brent

[tyrajam]

Unfortunately, the best option doesn't involve guns (I can't believe I'm saying that!) Buy a dozen rat traps and set them in the loft. Smear some peanut butter on the trigger and coat it with bird seed, then scatter seed around it. Not as fun as shooting them, but it will get the job done.

You might try some of the .22 shotshells at night. They'll only be good to 15 feet or so, but if they are roosting in there you might try it. I've never shot them, just a suggestion.

[Scorch]

You can buy pigeon traps and catch tem very easily. The traps are 3'X4' made out of heavy wire with one-way doors so the birds can get in but not leave again. Set up the trap and put some feed in it every day. The pigeons you catch will attract the others as long as you feed them. Leave the trap there until you catch them all.

Then if you still want to shoot them, you can take them outside and fire away.

[Tom2]

I would think a pellet gun that shoots lead pellets would do less damage than BBs made of steel. The soft lead pellets would just flatten out on a tin roof that is thicker than tinfoil. No noise and lots of fun that way. I am talking the lower velocity K Mart Crossmans or Daisys not the real high powered European pellet guns. That much power might leave dents or more dangerous richochets and birds don't need high power to bite the dust. And if you feel bad about it, you can eat them. Pretend they are doves. Same kind of meat I suppose.

[Rampant_Colt]

What's all this talk about using BB guns??
I need only the lamest excuse to break out the shotguns under the shallow but obvious guise of 'helping the farmer out' LoL

Pigeons cause major corrosion damage when they poop on farming equipment and need to be evicted!

I recommend a BB-gun, a BIG BB-gun - a 12 gauge!

[Swan Hunter]

I had a farmer friend with pigeons roosting in his machine storage building...They were crapping the paint off his combines and tractors! He asked me to come over on a cold night with pellet rifle. I started out with a 600fps rifle and it wouldn't kill them...Had to break out the 1000 fps rifle with scope and a bright spot light....We killed about 70 that night. Only one got away packin lead! I don't know what the pellets did to his roof but, he thought it was worth it to get rid of the birds.

[hogdogs]

As I read toms post I was thinkin' "Yeah Right my Gamo Shadow 1,000 would go right thru that tin..."
Yeah they are just big doves... I don't have to worry about the guilt thing as I have 5 hungry dogs and a boa to keep fed.
Brent

[Crosshair]

Try the Aguila .22LR Colibri ammo. Here are the specs.

Aguila .22 Colibri 20gr SP, 50/box, 375fps velocity, 6 ft/lb
Natchez Link

Aguila .22 SUPER Colibri 20gr SP, 50/box, 500fps velocity, 11 ft/lb
Natchez Link

The stuff is surprisingly accurate, but very vulnerable to wind drift. Very quiet as well. Inside the barn should not be a problem and the roof should be safe. (It will barely dig itself into a 2x4, but will take out a robbins.) The Colibri is designed for handguns and the Super Colibri is for rifles. HOWEVER many people have used the Colibri in their rifles without trouble, but there is a higher risk of getting the bullet stuck in the bore so be carefull.

This ammo will of course not cycle a semi auto, but feeds well in bolt actions. It will be more expensive than a BB gun, but it should be more accurate along with quicker follow up shots. Nobody wants to be shooting 50 pidgins and having to pump the BB gun after every shot.

I'd get some of each and see how well it works.

[flyboy14]

If you can't shoot them there are other ways to get rid of pigeons. dont take this the wrong way, I can't stand pigeons, and love to shoot them. Chicken wire will work if you are willing to cover the rafters with it, pigeons don't like chicken wire. If you check around online and are willing to spend a liitle there is a company that makes pigeon spikes, either stainless steel or plastic, or if you are serious there is a 24 volt pigeon electric "shocker", there is also a pigeon grease that burns their feet when they land on it. I have seen plastic owls that will repel them but it only works in certain places. A career in the sign business will teach you a few things about pigeons, they become your arch enemy when you have to work in their poo every day. By the way do not get the pigeon grease on your hands, face or any other sensitive area, not good. good luck!
flyboy14

[Deerhunter264]

if you have a .22 you can buy birdshot and that works great in barns it doesnt leave a mark and it takes the pigeons out

[tvrobert]

Because of the mess they've made, I really want to shoot them. I don't want to use ant traps or poison due to the other critters (pets) we have here. Most importantly, I don't want them to come back.

I have a Winchester 190. I'll see if I can do the birdshot. If that falls through, I'll flush and blast with the 12ga.

Thanks for the repsonses.

[W. C. Quantrill]

After spending the $$ to retin your barn roof, I wouldnt think that youde wanna shoot holes in it. Why not get a couple boxes of .22 birdshot and go up at night with a flashlight and simply wipe them out? At night you catch them sleeping. Put a light on them and blast them. If they begin flying, then shut off the light and they hit the wall and end up on the floor. Turn on the light and go again.

You can get CCI shot loads for a pistol also. I took them out of my sawmill with my 9mm and CCI birdshot loads. Now that is too much fun. Make dam sure that you get some goggles to keep that shot from bouncing back and hitting you in the eyes.

[ZeSpectre]

We had this issue on the farm growing up.
We used Pigeon Traps
like they say on that page, once you get one live bird inside feeding the rest get -really- interested and the next thing you know you have a full trap.

[Rampant_Colt]

Originally Posted by Deerhunter264

if you have a .22 you can buy birdshot and that works great in barns it doesnt leave a mark and it takes the pigeons out

Bad idea. You would never get close enough with that stuff - it's only number 12 shot, commonly known as 'dust'.

A shotgun loaded with birdshot is the best tool for the job here, not BB-guns or tricks and gimmicks

[tyrajam]

Hey Rampant Colt, I origionally posted the idea of 22 birdshot and shooting them at NIGHT. When they are roosting you can walk up under them, lift the gun, hit the flashlight and shoot. I used a cheap crossman pellet gun to do this when I was younger, but 22 dust should work fine at the 15 foot range. Of course, like I said, traps are the way to really clean them out.

[mikenbarb]

I use my daughters .410 with 2 1/2" #9 shot and never had a problem with the roof and I never shot straight at it. I would let them clear the metal and let em have it. I have a 16 gauge galvanized roof on mine. Also look into if anyone reloads shells by you. They could work up some light loads. Before i used a .410 I used a pump BB gun. With 4-6 pumps, Its enough to dispatch the birds but didnt harm the roof. I used the flat nosed pellets with it. They fly in circles and thats what makes it better for getting them all.

[Wild Bill Bucks]

The reason 22 caliber rat shot scatters so bad, is because of the riflings in the barrel. It limits the pattern to about 10 or 15 feet. Most of the time it won't pattern much past 5 or 10 feet.

I went to the local pawn shop and paid $20.00 for an old single shot 22 that had to be 50 years old, and I asked him to find one that had the riflings pretty much shot out of it. When I got it home I took a dowel rod and some emory cloth, on the end of a drill, and finished taking, what little riflings that were left, out of the rifle. Then I polished the barrel on the inside until it resembled a smooth bore shotgun. This is NOT an easy thing to do, and will take several evenings, but when you are done, you will have a Rat shot rifle that will pattern really good out to about 30 ft. This is great for inside of my warehouse, as the ceiling is about 25 ft, and is made out of roofing metal. There is no danger of shooting holes in the roof, and it takes the birds out BIG TIME. (And it is a boat load of fun)

[tplumeri]

back when i lived in New York, the little bastarxx did a lot of damage to buildings.
we used to get some pasty stuff from a mail order place that repels them. in NY we had to apply it every 6 mos because the popupaltion was so great.
out in the countr you probably only need to chase the current group out with one application.
having said that, i vote for trapping them alive and then letting em go one at a time, like skeet! lots of fun and challenging too!
just my 2 cents
tom

[Sidetracked]

Wild Bill - Obliterating the riflings of a pistol to create a smoothbore puts it in the 'Any Other Weapon' class of firearms according to the ATF/NFA. To be legal, you need a tax stamp.

[tvrobert]

..So far.

I got some .22 shot shells, tested them at ~15 feet on a left-over piece of barn tin. It scored it a bit but didn't puncture; and that's with no wood in the way. But the poster above was right: the semi-auto Win-190 only likes one at a time (which is kind of a bitch if you know this gun). Getting the spent shells out is tricky. And after several jams, when they had been loading with relative ease, I had to poke a spent shell out of the barrell with a cleaning rod. It had just stuck there.

I counted 5 birds, so it's a small brood. I'm heading out in moments to try again, with the other-half riding flashlight.

WhooHoo!

[Crosshair]

Sidetracked

Wild Bill - Obliterating the riflings of a pistol to create a smoothbore puts it in the 'Any Other Weapon' class of firearms according to the ATF/NFA. To be legal, you need a tax stamp.

He did it to a rifle, not a pistol. As long as the barrel is over 18" it is perfectly legal.