Clear leaves and nesting material from between the pins once or twice a year
Shipping & returns
Tracked delivery anywhere in France. It is free on orders of €35 or more, and a flat €15 below that. Allow 10 to 18 business days, after a 2 to 5 days processing time.
Under the EU consumer rights directive you have 14 days from delivery to cancel for any reason, and a further 14 days to send it back in resaleable condition. We refund the price you paid, including standard delivery. You cover the cost of returning it unless the item is faulty.
If it arrives faulty, damaged or not as described, we put it right at no cost to you under the two year legal guarantee of conformity that applies across the EU, return postage included.
Clear leaves and nesting material from between the pins once or twice a year. Enough debris packs down into a platform and a bird will stand on that instead.
Stainless Steel Pins1.3 mm pins that do not rust, inland or on the coast
Sold By The 50 cmNo minimum order, so you buy the run you actually have
Almost InvisibleA clear 5 mm base that reads as nothing from the ground
Humane And PermanentIt removes the perch. It does not injure anything
About this product
A gull needs a runway.
They are heavy birds that commit to an approach, which makes a spiked ridge or parapet genuinely hard for them to use. Coastal air is no problem for stainless.
Gulls are big, heavy birds that commit to a landing approach rather than hovering into a gap, which is what makes a spiked ridge line awkward for them.
The pins are stainless, so a salt air site is not a problem and the strip does not streak rust down a rendered wall the way plated steel eventually does.
Sold per 50 cm strip with no minimum, which suits a ridge or a chimney stack where the run is an odd length.
Gulls loaf and nest on flat and near-flat roof surfaces, so the useful places are ridges, stack tops, dormer cheeks, parapets and flashing ledges.
It is a physical deterrent. Nothing is injured and there is nothing to switch on.
Gulls are a bigger job than pigeons, honestly. They are large, strong, long lived and extremely faithful to a nest site, and a pair that has raised chicks on your roof will come back to it. Proofing has to be in place before they arrive, because once eggs are down the law and common sense both say leave it alone until the young have flown.
Their landing behaviour is what a spike strip exploits. A gull drops onto a surface with its wings still out and needs clear footing to settle, so a spiked ridge line reads as unusable in a way it does not to a small, agile bird.
Breeding season is also when they get defensive. If gulls are already swooping at people near a doorway, that is a sign the nest is close and the work waits.
Fitting is the part that decides whether it works. Clean the surface first, because old droppings and moss stop adhesive keying to anything, and a strip that lifts at one end is a perch rather than a deterrent.
Cover the whole surface, not most of it. Birds are entirely willing to use the bare half metre at the end of a run, and a gap teaches them exactly where to stand. Round the number of strips up, never down.
Once it is on, there is nothing to do but clear leaves and nesting material out from between the pins once or twice a year. Enough debris packs down into a platform, and then a bird can stand on that instead of on the spikes.
Still deciding?
Not sure yet? That is fine.
You can change your mind. Under the EU consumer rights directive as it applies in France you have 14 days from delivery to cancel for any reason, and a further 14 days to send it back in resaleable condition. We refund the price you paid, including standard delivery.
If it turns up faulty, damaged or not as described, that is on us. The two year legal guarantee of conformity covers you across the EU, we pay the return postage, and you can have a repair, a replacement or your money back. Read the full detail on our refunds and returns page, or ask us anything before you order.
They are bigger, stronger, longer lived and much more faithful to a nest site. A pair that raised chicks on your roof will come back to it.
Do these actually work on a gull?
On a surface they land on, yes. A gull drops in with its wings out and needs clear footing to settle, so spiked ridges and stack tops become awkward.
Where exactly should they go?
Ridges, chimney stack tops, the flashing ledges around them, dormer cheeks, parapets and wall tops. Anywhere flat and high.
Will they stop gulls nesting on my flat roof?
Not on their own. Spikes protect the edge they are fitted to. A flat roof area that gulls are actually nesting on needs netting or a post and wire system.
Is stainless important on the coast?
Very. A plated or mild steel spike will eventually streak rust down whatever it is fixed to, and on render that stain is permanent.
When should I fit them?
Before the breeding season. Once eggs are down you should leave the nest alone until the young have fledged.
Gulls are swooping at people by our door. What do I do?
That is defensive behaviour and it means a nest is very close. Leave it, keep people away from that route, and plan the proofing for after the young fledge.
Are gulls protected in France?
Wild birds and their active nests are protected across the EU. Species differ in how strictly they are treated, but an occupied nest is not something to remove casually.
How many strips for a 6 metre ridge?
Twelve, and thirteen if you would rather not leave a bare end.
Can I fit them to a chimney pot?
No. The strip needs a flat surface. The stack top and the flashing ledge, yes; the pot itself, no.
What adhesive should I use on a seafront building?
A marine grade exterior silicone, on a surface cleaned back properly. Salt film stops adhesive keying just as effectively as moss.
Will they injure a gull?
No. The pins are blunt-ended wire and they remove the footing rather than doing any damage.
Do gulls learn to avoid them or get used to them?
There is nothing to get used to. This is not a scare device. The surface is simply no longer standable.
Will they move to the neighbour's roof?
Quite possibly. Gulls are persistent, and proofing one building on a terrace tends to shift them rather than remove them from the street.
Is one row enough on a wide parapet?
Not over about 15 cm. Two rows, front and back.
How high are the pins?
115 mm, protecting a band about 70 mm wide.
Can I fit them over an existing gull deterrent wire?
You can, but check the wire is doing something first. Two half-measures on one ledge is usually worse than one done properly.
Does snow bridge across them?
Heavy snow can sit across the pins for a while and it clears itself as it melts.
Will they stop gulls taking food from customers outside?
No, and nothing on this site will. That is a behaviour problem around people, not a perching problem on a surface.
Do I need permission on a listed building?
Possibly. The product is discreet but the fixing may not be acceptable. Cable ties and adhesive avoid drilling, and it is worth asking before you start.
How long do they last on the coast?
Years. Stainless pins and a UV stabilised base are the right materials for salt air.
What is the annual maintenance?
Clear windblown nesting material out from between the pins. Gulls carry a lot of it, and a packed strip becomes a platform.
How much is delivery and how long does it take?
Delivery across France is free on orders over €35, and €15 below that. We process an order in 2 to 5 days and delivery then takes about 10 to 18 business days. A tracking number is emailed as soon as it ships.
Which payment methods do you take?
Card and PayPal. Both go through the checkout on this site and neither of us ever sees your card details.
Can I change my mind after ordering?
Yes. You have fourteen days from delivery to tell us you want to cancel, and a further fourteen days to send the goods back, under the EU consumer rights directive. Nothing we sell is made to your measurements, so the right applies to the whole range.
What if the order arrives damaged or faulty?
Tell us and we will replace it or refund it. That is separate from changing your mind: a faulty item carries a two year legal guarantee of conformity across the EU, and it is not shortened by anything on this site.
How do I track my parcel?
The tracking number is in your dispatch email, and there is a tracking page on this site. If the number has not moved for a few days, email us and we will chase it.
Do you sell to trade and in bulk?
Yes. There is a wholesale page on this site with a quote form on it. Tell us the run length or the quantity and we will price it.
Are the prices shown with tax included?
The price you see is the price you pay, in euros. Nothing is added at the checkout except delivery, and that only when the order is under the free threshold.
How do I get hold of a person?
Email theteam@birdspikes.direct. We are an online supplier with no shop counter, which is a large part of why the spikes cost what they do.
The complete guide
Gull proofing a roof
4Bird Spikes Company
Why gulls are a different job
Gulls are not big pigeons. They are long lived, they are strong, and they are faithful to a
nest site in a way that means a pair which raised chicks on your roof will be back. Once
they are established, proofing gets harder and the timing gets tighter.
They also land differently. A gull drops onto a surface with its wings still out and needs
clear footing to settle. That is the behaviour a spike strip exploits, and it is why a
spiked ridge reads as unusable to a gull in a way it does not to a small, agile bird.
Where to fit
Think about flat and near-flat surfaces up high:
the ridge, which is where they loaf and watch
chimney stack tops and the flashing ledges around them
dormer cheeks and any flat roof section
parapets and the tops of walls
A pitched slope is not a spike job. If gulls are nesting on a flat roof area rather than
perching on a ridge, spikes along the edge will not stop them, and that is a netting or a
post and wire system rather than a strip.
Timing is everything
Get it up before the breeding season. Once eggs are down, the nest is protected and the
sensible course is to wait until the young have fledged. If gulls are already swooping at
people near a door, the nest is close and the answer is to leave it and plan for next year.
Coastal sites
Stainless is the point here. On a salt air frontage a plated or mild steel spike will
eventually bleed rust down whatever it is fixed to, and on render that is a permanent
stain. These pins are stainless and the base is UV stabilised plastic, so the strip is
appropriate for a seafront building.
Use a marine grade adhesive if you are gluing rather than screwing, and clean the surface
back properly first. Salt film stops adhesive keying just as effectively as moss does.
Expectations
Spikes take a surface out of use. On a big building with a lot of roofline, expect to treat
the whole of the elevation the gulls are using rather than the one bit that is annoying
you, or you have simply moved them ten metres.
Tell us the bird, the surface and roughly how long the run is, and we will tell you what suits it before you buy. Free delivery across France on orders over €35.
Anti-Seagull Spikes sold by Bird Spikes Company at birdspikes.direct, in France.
The same stainless steel strip as the rest of this site's spike range: 1.3 mm pins 115 mm
long on a clear polycarbonate base 500 mm x 23 mm x 5 mm, 70 mm protected band, EUR 5 per
50 cm strip with no minimum. Suited to gulls because they are heavy birds that commit to a
landing approach and need clear footing to settle. Fitted to roof ridges, chimney stack
tops, dormer cheeks, parapets and flashing ledges, which is where gulls loaf and nest.
Stainless pins are appropriate for coastal and salt-air exposure and will not streak rust
down render. Gulls are strongly faithful to a nest site, so proofing must be in place
BEFORE the breeding season; an active nest is protected and must be left until the young
have fledged. It is a physical deterrent that removes footing and does not injure birds. It
does not stop gulls nesting on an open flat roof area, which needs netting or a post and
wire system. Delivery across France is free over EUR 35 and EUR 15 below it.
