OK my set up for pigeons is 6 ft long and deep and 8 ft high. The main structor is made of 2x4s covered in chicken wire with two solid walls and a shingled roof. the floor is covered in sand for easiy cleaning. For pearches I simply used old towl hangers and some left over 2x4 screwed into the wall. For nesting boxes I made a few selves one obove the other. Ther is also a trap door to let the pigeons in after having a fly around the neighboor hood. This is a realy basic desin and will work for a flock of around 20 birds. Similar sturctors will easily work for other types of birds too.
My soul is sick of chicken soup, it wants some chocolate!
Everything sounds pretty much ok. The only thing that I would caution you about is the sand flooring. This system will be ok unless it gets wet. Pigeons have a huge problem with moisture. Do you think that it would be at all possible to raise the floor about a foot off of the sand with a grating flooring so that the droppings go through the floor onto the sand for easy clean up? This would be optimal. My loft is set up in this fashion and the grating flooring is removable, it can set up on hinges so that I can clean underneath the loft. Also pigeons are like faclons, they nest on cliffs and things without much of a nest, you have to watch and make sure that for your nest boxes that when babies arrive that they don't fall of to the ground thus injuring them. You could maybe put a 2x4 on the edge of the shelf to minimize the chance of a fall.
What type of pigeons are you planning on keeping. I assume that you are keeping just racing homers right? If so you need to use a prevention method just like in falconry. Most racers use a few products that you can put in there water like twice a week that helps prevent things like Coccidioses. I have an obundence of knowledge conserning prevention for pigeons. Also if you have any questions pertaining to medicine, training, or racing let me know. If I can't tell you the answer my mentor certainly can. Good luck with your pigeons, I hope that you really enjoy them, they are truely magnificent birds.
"You're a smart kid Johny, you really are, but as long as I'm around you'll only be second best." The Godfather
You can...It just takes a little effort. I made one. If you get some really thick wire, that you can hardly bend with your hands. You cut about 1'x1' hole in the side wall of your loft. The you get some plyers and bend the tip of the wire on both ends so that its a 0 shape on both ends. Then you screw these horizontaly on the top of the hole. Then you put wires going virtically. You put these on by shaping the eend of these wires but only on one end which connects to the horizontal bar. you then screw a 2"by4" on the bottom that stops the "bobs" form moving forward out of the trap. thus you have a one way moving gate that the birds can't go out through. I make a drawing and have FB put it in the photo gallery.
"You're a smart kid Johny, you really are, but as long as I'm around you'll only be second best." The Godfather
Post by SheHawka! on Sept 17, 2004 23:31:02 GMT -5
Thats mainly how I made my trap door, ive heard abvout making them with wooden dowls and such. mainly just somthing thats easy for the pigeons to push in to get in the loft but they cant push it to out get back out.
Right now I have a mixture maily of homming pigeons and tumberers which are not allowed to interbreed.
I never heard of them not liking wet stuff but i'll be shure to put in a grating for the winter. As far as the wettness goes here in Utah it never gets very wet durring the summer exept for the occasional thunder shower storm, which the pigeons seem to like as they will sit close to the wire walls of the loft to get some of the rain, especially when it has been roasting all day. they also like to take baths in their water. Durring the winter is when the ground can stay cold and wet but the rof and north facing wall wich helps to keep out most of the cold wind and snow out.
oh and i forgot to mention that the nesting selfs do have a ledge on them. I learend that the hard way when I first started keeping pigeons.
Thanks for the tips Pogo. Im still new to pigeons even though I have been keeping around three for years. I just recently began getting a biger set-up and birds for flaconry and racing purposes.
-Melissa
My soul is sick of chicken soup, it wants some chocolate!
By wet I mean that they don't deal with moisture very well. Espetially on wood. Yeah they do like to get wet though. Mine take bathes two to three times a day, its really good for them but make sure that they aren't wet at night or that the wood in the loft is wet. These things can cause huge problems in their respitory. Any way sounds great.
"You're a smart kid Johny, you really are, but as long as I'm around you'll only be second best." The Godfather
Just an update on the new stock. Got 32 homers on their way. Really good breeding stock so let me know if you guys would like some birds. They should be puttin out babies in the next two to three weeks. Also for all of you pigeon fanciers there is a new web site www.pigeons.com its great place to talk about bird problems, racing, fancy pigeons and buy birds. Check it out its alot like this site.
"You're a smart kid Johny, you really are, but as long as I'm around you'll only be second best." The Godfather
This might sound stupid since I'm new but I have three buildings of various heights in a downtown metro area ALL with an incredibly abundant source of pigeons, would creating a nest and acquiring a hawk be suitable set up. I figure the pigeon supply will be around even when the hawk fills up. Any ideas?
Im assuming when yous say creating a nest your reffering to createing a pidgeon loft?
Its a possibility as a food supply, but that type of food supply is for longwingers. You will need to be consistantly be feeding fur game verses feathered.
Im a noob too but from what Ive learnt so far is Hawk are generelly fur game eaters mice, rat, Squrrials and rabbits etc not saying that a hawk wouldnt eat pigion if given to it but it would be defnitly missing out on some core nutirents if only fed featherd food. If living in the suburbs and dont have access to fields of rabbit and other fur game you might consider owning a falcon (not sure of the licensing implications where you are) or a kbird. which are more accustomed to avian prey which would be more accesible to you.
any corrections ? Are you proud of me guys am I learning?
Last Edit: Dec 1, 2004 21:51:04 GMT -5 by Falcon (I)
I'm new to this forum. I don't have a permit, bird, and haven't even taken the exam yet.
But I do have pigeons so I will offer advice when I can. You shouldn't have to medicate the pigeons 2 a week. if you do, there is something wrong, and I wouldn't feed them to a hawk. As long as the pigeons have a clean dry loft with no draft blowing directly on them, but plenty of ventilation; Clean water everyday; Not overcrowding (1-2 sq feet per bird is good enough); and free of rats, mice, and wild birds (sparrows) they should stay healthy and strong. The medication is used usually before breeding and right after breeding because the stresses of breeding weaken the imune system and some diseases can take over. The sand on the floor wold work fine if you could wall the outside so water and mositure can't get on it. I use cat litter in my loft and it works great. As far as traps, I bought "bobs" from Foy's and made my own. If you have a smaller breed like rollers, many roller guys use a 45 degree 4" PVC elbow mounted through the wall. The birds go through the elbow and drop into the loft, but can't fly back through it. Here's Foy's if you want to buy the "bobs" and assemble your own traps. Or they sell complete traps, but are pretty expensive considering how easy they are to make. www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/ and here straight to the bobs and traps www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/traps/
As far as fur, I have just found this site about 2 minutes before I found this forum. It sells fresh frozen (if you can say that together) mice, rats, rabbits, quail, and chicks. I have no affilaition with it at all. After reading this messege, I though it might be useful to mention. Please delete if this violates the rules. rodentpro.com/ Online ordering might be useful for those of you that can't raise your own food, or can't get the field often enough.
Later, Rob
Last Edit: Jan 15, 2005 20:19:19 GMT -5 by RobSmith
my uncle has a bird dog for when he goes quail hunting and such, and he has pigeons to help with the training of his dog. he made a structure thats about 2 feet high, 6 feet long, and 3 feet deep, its raised off the ground, all the sides are covered but the front, which is 2 doors covered in chicken wire, and then the bottem is chicken wire.
K, just because hawks eat fur doesnt mean they miss out on nutrients from feather. The main difference is the quality and quantity. If you were to feed a RT 55g of rabbit and she was at weight the next day, the same can not be said for pigeon, 55g or pigeon would keep her way above her hunting weight. Its just the quality of the meat. Its the same as the difference between cottontail and jackrabbit.
Hey, I'm a second year apprentice and looking into getting some pigeons. What are your suggestions and housing dementoins? I am 15 and have a female kestrel now, but I'm looking into the future. Next year I want a rt and when I'm a general I want a Coopers Hawk. If you get the picture, I want to get the pigeons used to the area and in shape before I use them as food and baggies. Maybe even raise a few. What is a GOOD price for pigeons? $10? Are there any regulations to the building size? owning them? raising them? any suggestions or web sites would be much appreciated!!!