How messy are doves and pigeons?

[Quails1]

How messy are they compared to chickens and ducks? We know that ducks are messier than chickens, but what about doves/pigeons? Are they messier or cleaner than ducks and chickens? And what's the mess like? I've never had pigeons or doves before, and I'm curious.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Hokum Coco]

I, on the contrary, see this trait as a drawback.

Your mind may change once you have grand kids.
Homing pigeons help form an unique bond with my grand daughters.
I some times attach notes to initiate scavenger hunts and the like on their arrival at the loft when the homers return from a toss.
Check out his video Back Yard Buddy ( if you have not already).

My grand daughter's hand-raised, orphaned-homer failed to return on a 20 mile toss. It was one of the few times she did not accompany me on a release. She suffered tears and heartache when I told her of the loss.

Amazingly when I went to close up the loft at dusk what should come flying in but (her pigeon) Piper!

I checked him over and he was tore open from his neck to his tail feathers.

My first instinct was to put him out of his misery. I however brought him into the house for a better look. My wife flushed out the wound with a saline solution and I glued him back together with crazy glue. He was good to go in about 5 days

This is him incubating eggs after his ordeal. .

My grand daughter was On The MOON when I told her of Pipers return. Grand daughter has experienced love, loss, heartache. first aid, joy, responsibility, and kinship with yours truly. She has also developed special bonds with some of our doves who prefer her company over mine when she comes into the loft with me.

It has given her a good subject for presentation at school as well.

We also are starting up a small enterprise with white dove releases (Pipers parents were both solid snow white just for the record).




Pipers Parents

Grand daughter did her first dove release at a wedding last fall also another release for an anti bulling campaign at her grade school.

With the aid of the Internet she has also become somewhat of an authority on homing pigeons. She definitely knows more than the average 14 year old on the subject and can talk your ear off.

This was relayed to me by her teacher after she was forced to cut off a presentation she made when the question period looked like it was not going to end.

She would rather hang out with Hokum (her name for me since she was one) then any of her friends or parents for that matter.




Picture of Back Yard

However she has entered high school and her teens make-up and boys are starting to push me aside.

I know however that these birds have made her a better person regardless what comes in the future.

Plus I have another grand daughter who is only turned 5 and calls me Coco (since she was one).

 

[GoldenFlight]

Pigeons are much cleaner than ducks and chickens. They aren't really messy except if they are on full feed, then they can make a little mess.

 

[Quails1]

Personally I find this trait makes pigeons that more endearing (which only last less than 30 days).

I, on the contrary, see this trait as a drawback since their altricial development means they're helpless after birth. They're immobile and will need to be fed regularly every day with a highly specialized formula due to their inability to eat on their own, which I've never done before! Precocial birds are much easier for me because they're mobile and can already feed on their own without having to be fed after hatching.

 

[GoldenFlight]

I, on the contrary, see this trait as a drawback since their altricial development means they're helpless after birth. They're immobile and will need to be fed regularly every day with a highly specialized formula due to their inability to eat on their own, which I've never done before! Precocial birds are much easier for me because they're mobile and can already feed on their own without having to be fed after hatching.

You do realize that there parents feed them, not you?

 

[twisted-acres-farm]

Quote:
or for dinner

 

[GoldenFlight]

I have had all 3 and pigeons are the easiest and cleanest of the ducks and chickens. You just feed them and let them out for a while so you don't have to do much for them. The parents usually raise the young on their own but they do have a tendency to only feed the stronger chick so you might have to step in at some times. You can get different types for example if you don't want them to leave the house you can get show pigeons but if you do want them to leave and come back at night then go for homers. Me for example I have classic frills and they never leave, the farthest they have ever gone is the roof of my house. But of all three pigeons are the cleanest and easiest to maintain.

I have also had all three and I agree 100%!

 

[jak2002003]

Me too... I have had all 3.

Ducks are the most messy because

1. Huge quantities of sloppy poop
2. Throw their food and water about everywhere and like making a slush from their dry food, mixing it with water and throwing it all up the walls!!!
3. Like to make everything soaking wet with their water... and then dip up all the soggy ground to make more mud to throw around.
4. They love poop in their swimming water.
5. They smell!!!!

If you keep a few ducks in a natural setting like a pond of lake, then they are great and much of this can be avoided.... and they are very cute... and their eggs are delicious.

Chickens are next in line... but only half as bad as ducks.

1. Their poop seems to smell very strongly... so you have to keep cleaning to stop the smell.
2. They dusk bath in the garden and scratch up lawn and eat garden plants.
3. They can be noisy... hens egg song, and roosters crowing.
4. They seem to be more prone to many poultry diseases more than other birds.
5. Some people find they have problem with them fighting and injuring each other.

Pigeons are the least messy and least smelly.

1. They are smaller and produce less poop.. which is usually in small firm blobs that quickly dry and are odorless.
2. They are not at all destructing to their home or your garden.
3. They are also the most quite.
4. They don't tend to fight seriously hurting each other.
5. BUT they do make a lot of dust in the coop and air from their feathers... so coop must be well ventilated for your safety of your lungs.

PS The pigeons will usually be very tame... as they associate you with their food. You don't have to bother trying to hand tame them.. they get tame naturally in a short time after leaving the nest as they know you.

I also have never found that my pigeons neglect one of the squabs in the nest. This may be happening to some people if they are not supplying their pigeons with enough food for the parents to supply both squabs. In fact I have never had this happen in many years keeping pigeons.

 

[Quails1]

Me too... I have had all 3.

Ducks are the most messy because

1. Huge quantities of sloppy poop
2. Throw their food and water about everywhere and like making a slush from their dry food, mixing it with water and throwing it all up the walls!!!
3. Like to make everything soaking wet with their water... and then dip up all the soggy ground to make more mud to throw around.
4. They love poop in their swimming water.
5. They smell!!!!

If you keep a few ducks in a natural setting like a pond of lake, then they are great and much of this can be avoided.... and they are very cute... and their eggs are delicious.

Chickens are next in line... but only half as bad as ducks.

1. Their poop seems to smell very strongly... so you have to keep cleaning to stop the smell.
2. They dusk bath in the garden and scratch up lawn and eat garden plants.
3. They can be noisy... hens egg song, and roosters crowing.
4. They seem to be more prone to many poultry diseases more than other birds.
5. Some people find they have problem with them fighting and injuring each other.

Pigeons are the least messy and least smelly.

1. They are smaller and produce less poop.. which is usually in small firm blobs that quickly dry and are odorless.
2. They are not at all destructing to their home or your garden.
3. They are also the most quite.
4. They don't tend to fight seriously hurting each other.
5. BUT they do make a lot of dust in the coop and air from their feathers... so coop must be well ventilated for your safety of your lungs.

PS The pigeons will usually be very tame... as they associate you with their food. You don't have to bother trying to hand tame them.. they get tame naturally in a short time after leaving the nest as they know you.

I also have never found that my pigeons neglect one of the squabs in the nest. This may be happening to some people if they are not supplying their pigeons with enough food for the parents to supply both squabs. In fact I have never had this happen in many years keeping pigeons.

Nice info! The problem is, I've never had pigeons/doves before... but I did use to have chickens and 1 duck. We don't carry those birds anymore. We now have quails instead and I'm thinking of keeping doves or pigeons as well.

 

[Hokum Coco]

The problem is, I've never had pigeons/doves before.. You are already and expert on birds and probably forgot more on the subject than average person knows. One suggestion "DO NOT" try and house pigeons with other types of birds especially chickens and I know you will do just fine