Looking for my first Homing Pigeons

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by TracyChampion

OH MY GOSH! I feel like the worst bird owner EVER. I found out that the birds have picked up lice ( thanks to steve for the advice on how get rid of them ) and then I popped out to work for a few hours only to return and find out that I had a visit from a raccoon. It didn't get my birds ( my neighbor got the raccoon) but it managed to open the door to the pen. The white bird didn't offer to fly away but my lovely almond homer ( named scrappy) took the chance to stretch his wings. I tried to get him back with feed but he's flown out of the yard now and has not come back to roost for the night. He's still so young, has been here such a short time and it's rainy today to top off a horrible situation. Is there anything I can do?

Oh my......sorry to hear this. With it being dark, there's really not much you can do unless you know where Scrappy is roosting for the night and can get to him. They can be picked up in the dark, and I mean "DARK" easily. Other than that, just wait until in the morning and see what happens. If possible, leave the door to the pen open with the feed dish and water that Scrappy is used to eating and drinking out of and hope he ventures back inside when he gets hungry/thirsty. Of course, some one needs to be there to close the door behind him if he goes in.

[Lovebirds]

OH, and put a lock on the door.
The way that your aviary is just sitting on the ground could be trouble too. Something COULD dig under neath it and get inside. Do you have door on the loft section that you can close? I have some birds in an old chicken coop and their aviary is on the ground like yours. I have a guilotine (sp?) type door and I make sure to close it when it gets dark.

[spirit wings]

well shoot!..I thought you would have been ok with that privacy fence, but those critters can be determind. Im guessing this happend at night...you should lock them up in the hutch and check on them every morn. check to see if anything has tried to dig under it as well. you can put a clip on the door to keep it locked. pick up feed and water eveynight as well as that will attract mice in the aviary and they carry disease. I hope scrappy comes home!

[TracyChampion]

The fence goes beneath the ground so they would have to dig a good ways. The door that the raccoon opened has a sliding latch and is on the front side of the flight pen. It managed to slide the latch or shake it loose. I am going to put on a pad lock from now on. This happened at 4 pm today. I pick up all water and food each night and I rack the sand to make sure there is no seed out to attract any critters. He flow away so I have no idea where he is roosting. I feel like to worst kind of person at the moment. The top has a latch and is super heavy. I shut the door on it each night right after the sun sets. The middle of the day is virtually the only time they could be gotten to because the bottom of the coop is not open and when shut it is a solid box. Perhaps I should start plans to build a platform for the pen but wouldn't the raccoon have just climbed it?

[spirit wings]

sounds like you coverd your bases, 4pm is early for a coon...i just hope they can't turn doorknobs!....It may be a few days before you may see him(scrappy), don't loose hope. do like Renee said and keep watch...you are doing a good job, and I can see that you have their best interest at heart...these things happen, and every time we learn someting.

[TracyChampion]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

sounds like you covered your bases, 4pm is early for a coon...i just hope they can't turn doorknobs!....It may be a few days before you may see him(scrappy), don't loose hope. do like Renee said and keep watch...you are doing a good job, and I can see that you have their best interest at heart...these things happen, and every time we learn something.

Tell me about it. I didn't think about critter proofing the pen. I guess I'm just going to hope for the best.

[TracyChampion]

I was so frustrated after losing scrappy that I got together pieces from a fence we took down and all my scraps of wood and now I am building a new loft. It will not look like much but I think i should be a bit better for the birds. I still need to put the floor boards down, make a door for the landing board, put the front on and put the open area area back on the hutch. There is a trough like nesting box running down the side of the wall. They can still enter the hutch and will be feed in the open air area. The back of the loft has a door for cleaning and getting to the birds and nesting boxes. What do you think? Will this work better? it's just scrap wood but it will give more room.

[TracyChampion]

Here's the finished loft.

[Lovebirds]

WOW!! That's looks like "much" to me!! The bird/birds? (Scrappy never came back) have MUCH more room now.

[TracyChampion]

Heh. You would be amazed what a girl with a pile of scrap wood and a weekend can do.

No scrappy yet but I am still hoping he'll show back up one day.

[Lovebirds]

If I can, I'll make a suggestion. The loft is pretty closed in. If you could cut a hole up in the top of the front wall and cover it with wire, they'd get more air and more light inside. With just one bird it's not a BIG deal, but I'm sure you'll get another bird or two or three or.............LOL and then they'll need more air flow through there.

Actually, in the front or on the side where the old pen/loft is attached.

[TracyChampion]

Originally Posted by Lovebirds

If I can, I'll make a suggestion. The loft is pretty closed in. If you could cut a hole up in the top of the front wall and cover it with wire, they'd get more air and more light inside. With just one bird it's not a BIG deal, but I'm sure you'll get another bird or two or three or.............LOL and then they'll need more air flow through there.

Actually, in the front or on the side where the old pen/loft is attached.

I'm planning to put one on the side with the hutch. I was just scared about it being to open and drafty. I'm also going to make some more perches out of 2x4 for in the loft and in the pen.

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by TracyChampion

I'm planning to put one on the side with the hutch. I was just scared about it being to open and drafty. I'm also going to make some more perches out of 2x4 for in the loft and in the pen.

I'd put the window on the side that's not facing the prevailing winds, which in the winter is out of the north.
Do you know which way the front of the loft faces?

[TracyChampion]

Well, the side with the hutch is protected by a tree and a garage so there is less wind there. the front with the pin is facing a canal so it's always windy because the air blows down the canal as the water flows to the James river. The side with the hutch is the safer bet but there is nearly always a breeze blowing here. I think I'll make a window and then make a door to cover it when it gets too windy or too cold.

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by TracyChampion

Well, the side with the hutch is protected by a tree and a garage so there is less wind there. the front with the pin is facing a canal so it's always windy because the air blows down the canal as the water flows to the James river. The side with the hutch is the safer bet but there is nearly always a breeze blowing here. I think I'll make a window and then make a door to cover it when it gets too windy or too cold.

yea, that's probably the safest thing. All of my windows either can be popped in and out and shut or open, or the screens have a plexiglass cover to go over them in the winter time.