Inexpensive Shelter

[Rhonda]

My friend and I are renting a house and the father of the man we're renting from used to raise homing pigeons. When the father died his son sold the pigeons. Well, one of them turned up a couple of weeks ago and now she's brought 2 friends. We got the tags on one but got nowhere w/the club. We're okay w/them hanging around for a while (my friend's daughters love them) but we're concerned about them during the winter. Is there any way we can buy/build a simple and relatively inexpensive birdhouse/shelter for them so they'll be okay during the winter? On behalf of Pigie, Buddy, and Speckles (yes we gave them names) thanks!

[Lovebirds]

Where are the birds staying now? Where do they spend the night? Are you feeding them?
We don't know where you are so don't know what kind of winter you have. There's a big difference in a Florida winter and a NY winter.
Also, do you want to build something to keep them confined or something for them to roost in at night?
Are these racing pigeons or what type of breed? If you don't know, the band might give us a clue.

[Rhonda]

Sorry about that. I'm new to all this. I live in Baltimore and the birds are from this area as well. It doesn't get outrageously cold but we definitely have a winter. To be honest I don't know where they sleep. I've been feeding them in the afternoons when I get home from school. Usually when I come home, they're on the neighbor's shed roof and then fly over to our porch. Today when I went out to the porch to look for them they were already sitting on the porch railing waiting to be fed. Oh and we just got a fourth one too that showed up about 3 days ago. I talked to someone from a local club yesterday and said something along the lines of a rabbit hutch would work. Does anyone else have any advice? Thanks!!!

[Rhonda]

Again, sorry but I realized I didn't answer all the questions the first time. As for what I'd like the shelter for-at this point, it's more for roosting then confinement. I'm definitely not ready to "adopt" them for good. At some point possibly but like I said before we rent the house, and I don't have a lot of extra money these days-then again who does. I'd just like to enjoy having them around and give them a safe place to stay when they're not out and about. Thanks again!

[Lovebirds]

Well, to build something and expect them to just move in..........maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't.
I'll warn you.......if you do build something for them and they decide to stay, they'll be making nests and having babies and you'll have your own little (or big) flock in no time flat.
If you're interested in trying to catch them and find a permenant home, maybe someone here could help with taking them in.
Really, the only way to get them to stay is to build some kind of shelter and keep them in it for a few weeks and then hope they decide to call it home after that.
With banded birds that sound like they've been on their own for a while.......it's a tough call. If they seem to be doing ok, then maybe it's best to just leave them be, however, being a pigeon fancier, there's no way that I personally could just leave a banded bird to fend for its self, knowing winter is coming.
Do you actually know where the birds came from? Did they live there at one time and now have apparently been turned loose and just came back?
Are they homers or what? I hope they aren't some type of fancy pigeon.

[KIPPY]

they'll be making nests and having babies and you'll have your own little (or big) flock in no time flat.

Wooden eggs......no flock.

I wonder how many more pijes are going to find their way back. How sad.

[philodice]

Yes, if four have already shown up, I would build a little loft to keep them in for now and have somebody adopt them. Or, make a shelter with nest boxes for them to be safe in at night and lock them in it for a few days so they know it is home, and open it up for them to fly free. It would be better than nothing.