Do you know the old saying ‘’actions speak louder than words?’’ Well, the latter saying spoke loudly to me on November 11th, 2013 when all 40 of my breeding and racing pigeons were stolen. I had heard of pigeon thefts in this state many times before, and I listened to the stories but took no action. Besides a simple padlock, I did not bother updating the security of my pigeon lofts. My mistake. There is another old saying, however, that is more important than the first and it is ‘’hindsight is 20/20.” I am confident that the actions I took after the theft will prevent history from repeating itself with a similar incident in my loft, and hopefully with some pointers, in yours as well. If you have not yet secured your loft, please consider some of the following options to protect your hard work, birds and investments.
Dogs
We all know dogs can be great protectors of their home and family. Evolving from the wolf, dogs can be very intimidating and carry all the necessary equipment (powerful jaws with sharp teeth) to make any thieve think twice about stealing your birds. There are many good companion breeds as well as those meant for hunting or protection. The dog’s most important security contribution is the dog’s ability to alert you. Dogs have superior hearing, smell and sight and can often alert you of a theft, even if they are inside the house. If you are considering letting a dog loose on a potential thief, consider the “coyote” rule when choosing a dog. That is, if you think a breed won’t fair well with a coyote confrontation, then that breed should probably only be used as an alert system. Dogs, however, are not for everyone. Living quarters, care, cost and allergies may all be obstacles in keeping a dog as a security system
Lights
In my opinion, motion sensing lights are the most underrated theft prevention system with pigeon lofts. The options for these lights keep increasing including bright LEDs that use very little power, solar power options and stylish exteriors. With enough lights, it becomes pretty obvious when something is out around the loft. If you don’t see your loft lit up like a Christmas tree, your neighbor might. And as bugs are attracted to lights, thieves are repelled by them. Consider adding this affordable option to your loft.
Location
Location and lights are both the same kind of defense system. They put the thief in an atmosphere they don’t want to be in. If in a rural area, the best location is fairly close to the residency but in an open area as well. Not only will this deter thieves, but it will make the approach of a hawk more noticeable. If in an urban setting, such as my own, it is much more difficult to secure your loft in this matter. At the very least, try to allow a direct sight path to the loft from the residency without obstruction. Again, this will serve you well on race day too!
Motion Sensors
There are so many options out there for motion sensors, from alerting to alarming, motion sensors are very sensitive ways of notifying the breeder of movement around the loft. Most systems have wireless capabilities, mine can reach out wirelessly to 800ft. Being that my sleeping quarters are less than 50ft, it works quite well. The downfall is that they can be TOO sensitive. My sensors pick up cats and raccoons trying to get into the loft, which I found out to be a common occurrence during the night after I installed these. These too can be found at an affordable price.
Door/Window Sensors
I consider these a must have. Where the motion sensor alerts are nice, I use them in alert mode and not alarm mode because there are too many false alarms. They do their job waking me up a few times a night, but the alert is much different than the alarm. With door and window sensors, however, false alarms are near impossible. When the alarm goes off at 4 AM, you can be sure a thief, be it human or bear, is trying to get into the loft. After that, the choice is yours on the action taken to remove the threat. These have the same wireless capabilities as the motion sensors, and mine have an 800ft range. The company I am using offers both types of sensors to be programmed to the same receiver. I have two receivers allowing for eight individual sensors which alert me if there is a thief, and where they are in relationship to the loft (front, back, left, right).
Locks
Most thieves know locks better than you and I. How to cut them, how to break them, or how to pick them. However, all of the latter causes a delay and noise which can alert a dog or give you enough time to get out of bed when your motion sensor is alarming. There are locking systems out there in a “V” shape, which prevent bolt cuts from snipping the padlock as well. The storage unit locks use the same concept, by shortening the bar they are hoping there is no room for bolt cutters. Both options are fairly cheap, and worthwhile.
Cameras
In the past cameras with decent resolution were an investment in themselves. These days, however, most cameras are good enough to recognize faces of thieves for a much smaller investment. Most complete systems come with a recording device that allows you to save or review the videos it captured in the previous 24 hours. Recently in a local pigeon theft, the breeder had camera mounted inside the loft. In collaboration with law enforcement, the videos allowed the breeder to identify the culprits. Another nice option with some of these cameras is their ability to transmit through phone or internet services. Many of them can stream live directly to your phone or computer so you can check on the birds while at work or out of town! Something to consider, especially if you have a larger loft where they can be hidden.
Guns
I am in no way condoning violence, and killing a human over a pigeon is a ridiculous thought. This is America, however, and the 2nd amendment is strong. SO, this section is placed here just in case a thief is stupid enough (or smart enough) to be reading this . . . let this be a warning to them. Many pigeon breeders have put a lot of time and money into this hobby. Many business owners and farmers will protect their livelihood to the death, a thief in many peoples opinion, is on the same level. Is it really worth the risk of losing your life over a couple of birds? That being said, many breeders would not hesitate to use their weapons. Urban or rural, a lot of home defense methodologies involve a firearm. So, as a fair warning to the thieves, build a decent loft and join a racing pigeon club. You will be rewarded with many free birds, and you don’t have to put yourself and the breeder through a potentially life threatening incident.
