Birds in Chimney?

by John Gray
(Newton, MS )

Hey Matt,

Do you know anything about getting birds out of the chimney without hurting them before I cap it? My wife's worst fear is to put a cap on and trap the birds, then having to deal with their bar-b-que'd corpses afterward. Please advise. Thanks!

John Gray
Newton, MS


Answer

John,

There are a few routes you could take here. One would be to hire a chimney sweep to clean your chimney and have that person inspect for birds and other critters.

The second method would be to clean the chimney yourself. The process of brushing the chimney should flush the birds out. This is a rare case where I would recommend cleaning from the bottom of the chimney. Just make sure that you have someone on the roof to watch the birds exit and promptly block the chimney to prevent re-entry until the cap is installed.

My third thought would be to start a very small fire in your woodstove/fireplace to attempt to smoke the birds out. You won't have to worry about BBQ-ing the little critters and you'll still drive them out.


Good Luck!

Matt