Loft pigeons vs. pet pigeons

[indie backroll]

Hey Badragoon how many do you keep in your house?
I have too many to keep in my house.
Although I would love to live amongst a flock of pigeons, that would be fun.

~Brian -

[raynjudy]

Brian wrote, "Although I would love to live amongst a flock of pigeons, that would be fun."

Yeah--if you're the Alpha Male!

Whose da man?!

In our house that was settled long ago! Everybody clear on that?

Bernie thanks you all for your attention.

B/rb

[Badragoon]

The cool thing is I am the Alpha male. Who do they all follow,me. I now have 20 some.They use the litter box. The bad thing is that now my females aren't mating with the males (except one). They follow me around cooing and they think I'm a mate. Weird. I have 5 chickens that live with them and they think that they are pidgeons. I have cats though. They're afraid of the birds, but I don't trust them. I can't get rid of them (the cats).They now have to stay in my room. They're never messy, but they took over my cabinets. They all have nice clean beds and nests (I have to wash them once or twice a week). They do have parrot cages (really big cages). They not usualy in my way, but they love to come out and sleep in their beds (They have nests inside their cage). I treat them like friends. I still don't like the idea of the outside lofts.

[devorah]

Carl writes: Wanted.. looking for good woman with style, cooking abilities and has a loft of pigeons.
Please send picture (of loft).

Ha ha! That's too funny. Hey, Administrators: How 'bout a Pigeon Personals sections for all the unmated birds and humans on the Board? There are probably lots of us looking for someone to bring nesting materials ...

Brian, thanks for the kind words, and I wish you well in getting your wife more into pigeons. There are some delightful videos, such as Oldest Feathered Friend, that might soften even the hardest of hearts!

When I bought my current house, the main thing I was looking for was an indoor aviary (a room that could be converted into one, that is). My real estate agent pretended to think this was perfectly normal and she was soon trained to walk into a prospective house and attempt to spot the aviary. I found a house in which the master bedroom was combined with a study, making a very large room with its own bathroom and large closet for pigeon supplies -- the perfect aviary, right? I took out the door of the second closet and added more perches. There are more than enough shelves, roosts, and nesting spots for everyone. At sunrise I hear their sweet coos from my bedroom next door, and I love it! I share a small bedroom with two Eurasian collared doves, who make the most glorious sound in nature, in my opinion! When I step into my aviary, I enter another world, where I know all of my birds' names and spouses and habits and personalities. (I'm sure lots of you can identify with the feeling of getting lost in the other world of your aviary, right?) That takes care of the bedrooms, and the six cats own the rest of the house.

How's that for weird?
--devorah
http://www.ccsi.com/~devorah

[ZigZagMarquis]

Originally Posted by bigbird

Wanted.. looking for good woman with style, cooking abilities and has a loft of pigeons.
Please send picture (of loft).
Carl

LOL


*bump*

[re lee]

People that have or do raise pigeons. For the sport hooby. Most will have a loft. The loft size would depend on how many birds are kept, and what breed they are. Sure some may be over crowded. And that is a single person problem. Good loft management keeps the birds healthy and in good feather. People who have a house pigeon. They may have started with a injured bird or a bird they thought they just hadto have. Sure they can be as pets. But a loft is to me better. There are many nice lofts. I have a friend that bought thew house next door to him. Just to make into a loft. 3 bedrooms . And then he has 2 more flying lofts also. Mine is not that big. 8 foot by 24 feet . Birds for the most part stay healthy. If I need more space some day I will just make a bigger loft. A house pigeon or 2 is fine for some. But breeding and showing or flying a loft is perhaps the best method of pigeon keeping.

[KIPPY]

My dogs would not go for four pigeons living inside the house.
They already think the pigeons get too much attention.
I built a big bird cage that is on the patio so they are close by.

[Motherlodelofts]

Interesting thread Gretchen, I never knew people kept pigeons in the house until I came here. As for me,my first loft was a originaly a fort that me and by brother built around an old Cottonwood tree, and then I just kept adding to it like the old Wincester house, I would sit in there on a straw covered floor for Hrs watching the birds. My loft now, sink,skylights,glass windows,vents,grain storage,and everthing painted a white enamal. Yea a far cry from that old fort but the truth of the matter is all they need is a clean, dry,draft free envirement with access to sun and enough room to stretch thier wings and then you couple that with fresh water and clean feed and you have happy pigeons. No I would not keep them in the house as there is no need. As for if they are pets to me, I was mulling this over as I was scraping the stock loft and that answer is "no" they are not pets, but I do of coarse have some favorites. I look at them more in terms of teams of athlete's that I manage. As for name's, no I do not name them, I know them by band numbers. I look at the loft as a whole when it come's to everything weather it is performance or health, and the good of the loft (and the breed) allways supercedes individual birds.