First off let me say as a newly registered member as of yesterday, this site is a life saver for those of us who are new to being pigeon parents. I have recently become the proud owner of 13 pigeons and have a few questions for all you pros out there. First question is Is there a problem with having a coop that has a dirt floor instead of cement or wire, health wise for the birds I mean? The coop I have was converted from an old 10' x 14' dog pen that originally had wood flooring that finally just rotted out, so I just decided to leave it open to the ground on the bottom, plus I figured this would help the birds as far as grinding material for their crop. Second question is Do the pigeons actually prefer to make nests on the ground rather than in nesting boxes b/c mine sure seem too? I have an old filing cabinet that I removed the drawers from and laid on its side, the boxes it made are about as big as a standard computer monitor and it had 8 in it, I filled these with pine straw and some dried grass but all my birds that have started laying have removed the straw and grass and started building their nests on the ground in the corners of the coop. Any suggestions on what I should do? Sorry for the long post.
Question on nesting boxes and coops.
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426 Posts
Welcome to the world of pigeons.
-I had a loft at one point very similar to what you are describing...downsides are predator animals such as racoons, dogs can easily dig under and get at your birds, I think the dog pen is great idea for a flight aviary, but I would suggest they have a saf place to be locked up for the night . Health wise I don't believe it would be a problem for them if kept clean(raked out)
-I have a pair of pigeons that insist on nesting on the floor, but most prefer the nest crates when they are available...I've seen people use , 5 gal buckets, milk crates and all sorts of other things, I have used milk crates(2 strapped together), small dog kennels and nest boxes...the nest boxes are the best for me so far. If you look in my pic section you can see my old loft with the small dog kennel.
Now my turn to ask questions
what kind of pigeons did you get?
what ages are they?
-I had a loft at one point very similar to what you are describing...downsides are predator animals such as racoons, dogs can easily dig under and get at your birds, I think the dog pen is great idea for a flight aviary, but I would suggest they have a saf place to be locked up for the night . Health wise I don't believe it would be a problem for them if kept clean(raked out)
-I have a pair of pigeons that insist on nesting on the floor, but most prefer the nest crates when they are available...I've seen people use , 5 gal buckets, milk crates and all sorts of other things, I have used milk crates(2 strapped together), small dog kennels and nest boxes...the nest boxes are the best for me so far. If you look in my pic section you can see my old loft with the small dog kennel.
Now my turn to ask questions
what kind of pigeons did you get?
what ages are they?
Joined
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20,301 Posts
if you put the nest boxes on the wall at least 4 ft up or higher.. they will want to use those for nesting.. a dirt floor is not a good idea for pigeons.. it can be damp, and harbor bacteria.. it is best to have them off the ground and as dry as you can.. adding a plywood floor off the ground would be best..and don't forget the perches!.. more perching than you have birds... if you want to post a pic of your setup we may beable to help you more... and welcome to PT!
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967 Posts
spirit wings,
I always enjoy reading your post. you are always so informative no matter what question is asked.
Keep up the good work, I'm learning a lot from you
I always enjoy reading your post. you are always so informative no matter what question is asked.
Keep up the good work, I'm learning a lot from you
Joined
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20,301 Posts
well thank you.. that is nice.. but there are alot on here who know as much or more Than I.. and every situation has their limits on what folks can do, so it is good to find what is right for them as well as the pigeons..
To answer your question Atvracinjason I believe all the birds I have are homers and or your regular wild pigeon. I got them from a guy that used to breed them to use and train his hunting dogs. I have found that two of them have bands on their legs so I want to think they were someones racing/homers. One with a band is a plain white male that the guy told me he originally got from a friend of his as a pet for his daughter, but the other one he is not sure how he came about it. I do rake the pen out about every 3 days at the latest. I am not worried about animals getting into the pen though b/c I have part of the wire buried about a foot in the ground with a sheet of tin around the bottom 2 feet so the pigeons arent startled by anything that comes near the pen. I will try and get a few pictures posted as soon as possible so you guys can see. Also some sad news, when I got home today one of the nest on the ground was scattered and both chicks were dead, they were the newest pair to hatch only about a week old, Im thinking another pair of pigeons wanted to nest in that spot though cause the new pair keeps running the old pair away from that spot now every time they go to check. I also have plenty of perches for the birds and two boxes that are about 4 feet off the ground up on the back of the pen but no one is using them either, the male pigeons alway strutt inside them and on top of them but no hens use them. Thanks again for the info guys.
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