I want pigeons. Info please?

Lozuufy said:

Pigeons mate for life, they lay 2 eggs about once a month but it can vary and they don't usually lay in the winter. The eggs take 18 days to hatch and they hatch blind with only a little bit of wispy down and can't walk, the parents feed them "crop milk" which is actually not milk but a slurry of partially digested seeds that they regurgitate and feed to the young, it is full of good bacteria and digestive enzymes and the babies need it for the first few days of life or they will not grow right and die. Yes, mine use my homemade nesting boxes but they also try to nest on the floor and on any other ledge that is wide enough. Supplied with food and water most parents are great at raising babies and I hardly ever have to intervene. Both parents sit on the eggs and raise the babies.

The size of the coop depends on how many pigeons and how much space you have. I have 15 pigeons, 4 doves and 20 quail in my cage that is about 6'x8' with an attached flying part that is 12'x7'. I use woodchips for bedding and the quails scratch it up and all the poop gets mixed in and doesn't smell which is great. They do great with the quail but not sure about other poultry, they also love to be in a flock although they can be happy if you just have a pair. New pigeons purchased as adults should not be free flown until they have raised a batch of babies, homing pigeons take much longer though. The babies can be free flown though and they should come back to the coop unless there is another flock of pigeons nearby that they might try to join. Also if you have hawks around they will try to eat the pigeons, don't free fly any that you are not okay with losing.

Hope this helps, pigeons are fun to keep!

Click to expand...

Lozuufy said:

Pigeons mate for life, they lay 2 eggs about once a month but it can vary and they don't usually lay in the winter. The eggs take 18 days to hatch and they hatch blind with only a little bit of wispy down and can't walk, the parents feed them "crop milk" which is actually not milk but a slurry of partially digested seeds that they regurgitate and feed to the young, it is full of good bacteria and digestive enzymes and the babies need it for the first few days of life or they will not grow right and die. Yes, mine use my homemade nesting boxes but they also try to nest on the floor and on any other ledge that is wide enough. Supplied with food and water most parents are great at raising babies and I hardly ever have to intervene. Both parents sit on the eggs and raise the babies.

The size of the coop depends on how many pigeons and how much space you have. I have 15 pigeons, 4 doves and 20 quail in my cage that is about 6'x8' with an attached flying part that is 12'x7'. I use woodchips for bedding and the quails scratch it up and all the poop gets mixed in and doesn't smell which is great. They do great with the quail but not sure about other poultry, they also love to be in a flock although they can be happy if you just have a pair. New pigeons purchased as adults should not be free flown until they have raised a batch of babies, homing pigeons take much longer though. The babies can be free flown though and they should come back to the coop unless there is another flock of pigeons nearby that they might try to join. Also if you have hawks around they will try to eat the pigeons, don't free fly any that you are not okay with losing.

Hope this helps, pigeons are fun to keep!

Click to expand...

PerfectPlumage said:

I would like to get some pigeons, but I don't know much about them. I need info. Coop designs, common breeds of pigeons, common must-know things, etc. Oh, and here's some questions of mine:

-How often do they lay eggs? Will they raise chicks in a home made nesting box?
-Are wire floors okay for there feet?
-What bedding should I use?
-Can they free range and fly around every day but will return home if raised from egg/chick?
-Will they get along with other poultry?
-How many should I get for them to be happy?
-How big should the coop be?
-How do I care for pigeon chicks?

I am full of questions, any answers will be greatly appreciated. 

Click to expand...

ducky 13 said:

If you do build a loft, the best way of cleaning is putting 2 inches of sand on the floor, so when the birds defecate it will land in the sand, and you can rake it up easy. At least once a month you should sift the sand through some wire so any left over turds, lol. Get taken out.

Click to expand...

PerfectPlumage said:

That did help a lot. I would probably start out with 6. We have plenty of land... PLENTY. We will have to build a pretty big place for them to fly around in because we have a golden eagle hanging around our house. When it leaves and when I know they would return then I will let them fly around.. Our other birds are chickens and a really old turkey hen. I will be probably making nesting boxes out of old sport's balls. I think we will do the frame of the flying open part/run out of PVC pipes, is that okay? We are working on our coop being a old stall in the barn that has a small window which we are gonna bust out and use as a entrance into the run. All our birds will live together. The inside of the coop isn't super big but we will make the run as big as possible.

Click to expand...

PerfectPlumage said:

Oh, and I forgot one question.. What's the difference between a normal pigeon and a homing pigeon?

Click to expand...