Will rice or Alka-Seltzer kill a pigeon??

If pigeons have invaded your home or balcony, you are probably looking for any effective way to get rid of them. You have likely read about it and found out about different ways and suggestions how to kill a pigeon. It is important to know that killing a pigeon isn't the only effective solution to get rid of these annoying birds. Although pigeons come back repeatedly when they make a nest in or somewhere near your home and are capable to withstand lots of annoyance in order to keep their roosting spot, there are different means to get rid of them, or better said, to prevent them from coming back to your home – so you can keep your garden, balcony, ledge or farm safe from them.

Now, one of the interesting ideas you have probably stumbled upon while looking for different ways to get rid of pigeons is an idea that you might kill a pigeon if you give them uncooked rice or Alka-Seltzer to eat. The idea behind this is that these nutrients will block a pigeon's digestive system and their stomach will explode due to a certain amount of undigested Alka-Seltzer (or gases that develop under the influence of Alka-Seltzer) or uncooked rice. Well, we must disappoint you – pigeons are capable of digesting many nutrients that seem non-digestive to us. In the case when they can't digest a certain food, or a certain amount of a certain food, they will simply throw up – problem solved.

The idea with uncooked rice is that the rice will expand significantly when it comes in contact with water or digestive juices in a bird's stomach. The theory says that in this case the rice will expand so much that a pigeon's stomach will literally explode. Again, this will not happen. For one, the stomach is a muscle and it can expand significantly. Two, in a case when a pigeon can't digest food, he will simple regurgitate and throw up excessive food.

So, if you are determined (and of course, if it is legal) to kill pigeons around your home, the most effective solution is to shoot them. Get an air rifle and shoot them. After you kill a certain number of the bird family, the remaining number of them will decide that your home is no longer safe and will go away on their own. Shooting them is definitely a much more humane way to kill pigeons than poisoning them.

On the other side, another effective method—which is even more effective in a long term sense—is getting different deterrent means that will prevent them from staying at your home in the first place. Placing metal wires and nets will disable pigeons from roosting on your balcony or in your yard and you will not have to worry about how to get rid of them.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Pigeons page or email us if you have any other questions about Will rice or Alka-Seltzer kill a pigeon?