How to rid huge barn of birds?

[MossRoad]

I've been around them occasionally and personally, I find the random distress calls unsettling. But perhaps one gets used to it with time. I will say that the Bird Gards did keep the areas clear of birds.

All the best,

Peter

We had bird distress calls on the roof of my last employer.... they were covered in pigeon poop.

 

[MossRoad]

It's a long-long story and not our barn...yet.
Thanks so much for replies and it helps in my consideration of whether at our age we want taking on that project. I can post pictures and here's one showing part of inside. It is a "yuge" barn that's had lots of money put in it already. View attachment 3540001

Nice looking barn!

Not much you can legally do at this time of year if the nests have eggs or chicks, you can't touch them. Once the chicks are gone, you can spray the nests with high pressure water and they'll dissolve. Seal up the building and keep the doors closed is about all you can do after that. Maybe some owl dummies that you move around to keep them guessing. But if you don't seal it up, they'll return every year.

I run into this at my current job a few times a year.
- If you see a bird building a nest, you can take it down.
- If the nest has no eggs, you can take it down.
- If it has no eggs or chicks you can take it down.

Once there're eggs or chicks, (active nest) you can't legally touch it.

Too bad as barn swallows eats TONS of bugs and are very beneficial. It's always great to see them as long as they live somewhere else.

Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (16 U.S.C. 703-712) implements four international conservation treaties that the U.S.

www.fws.gov

 

[MossRoad]

Once they have built nests they're going to want to stay until the chick fledge. The time to exclude them is before they nest. Or you can remove nests as they build them.

BTW swallows are federally protected. It looks like it's ok to discourage them and even to remove nests but not if they have eggs or young. This page has a lot of good info in general and useful tips on removing/discouraging them: Nuisance swallows | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Like he said.

 

[MossRoad]

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Stromboli?

 

[tacticalturnip]

.View attachment 3544031

I didn't realize I had so much in common with ol' Jack.

 

[masseyrider]

We had bird distress calls on the roof of my last employer.... they were covered in pigeon poop.

When I farmed I had dessert grapes the birds loved to destroy/eat.
I found the distress calls did little after a a couple days. Even if you moved them around like recommended.
The propane cannons had them heading for the hills the first day.
By the second day their panic level dropped somewhat.
By the start of the second week they were sitting on top of the cannon. When it went off they flew up a few feet and settled back down on their roost.
Birds are not birdbrains like we call them. They catch on quick.
Unlike many people.

 

[masseyrider]

I didn't realize I had so much in common with ol' Jack.

Yeah, I like a good sub/sandwich also.

 

[Tinhack]

Seal up the building and keep the doors closed is about all you can do after that.

Did you see the doors? Those "gates" are an open invitations for birds. A good start to closing it up is to put real doors on it. Looks like a horse barn. I'm guessing the stalls have openings to the outside as well.

 

[MossRoad]

If you want to keep birds out, you have to seal the building. No way around it.

I worked at the local airport for 6 years. Birds in the hangars were no good. So we kept the doors shut. If we could keep birds out of multiple huge hangars, it should be doable for a barn that has no animals in it.... seal it up or live with the birds.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Stromboli?

No...Nicholson