Proper care for adopted pigeons?

[bhawk-23]

Hubs watched the video and thought he could possibly make one. And he also suggested making another automatic door to cover the trap like the chicken run has.

The whole net thing is still concerning me. I have to rethink the process through again. Rescued pigeons will need their own permanent aviary, which is not possible at this time. We could get young ones and train them we are home and allow them to come and go, which would be really neat! I have a lot more research to do on that though. And it’s totally not my original intention of rescuing. Hubs seems pretty open to the idea though so maybe we can do some brainstorming next week when he is home.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Ok, I had already reserved myself to not getting pigeons but decided to keep researching trap doors out of intrigue for “predator proofed” ones and found this. It needs to be manually opened and closed/locked at night but would it work for the late evenings I wonder? We sometimes don’t get home until 10 pm. But the location would be difficult for any mammal to climb up and try to enter.

Thoughts?

Free flying has many of the same dangers as free ranging, so be prepared to lose pigeons if you decide to go this route. Also, pigeons outfly predators rather than trying to hide from them, so they need a larger flock than free ranging chickens do to have the same level of safety.

 

[bhawk-23]

Free flying has many of the same dangers as free ranging, so be prepared to lose pigeons if you decide to go this route. Also, pigeons outfly predators rather than trying to hide from them, so they need a larger flock than free ranging chickens do to have the same level of safety.

Yeah, I absolutely must do a LOT more research on owning pigeons and doves. Considering my original idea could have gotten them lost and only want a few pigeons I can see I am truly not educated enough at this point.

I already ordered some native grasses to plant in a few places, bought a seed mix for mourning doves and bought a hanging basket to try and place more food near the nesting box we built. I hoping the basket may grab their attention more than the wood box. Worth a shot!

A dove just came to our feeder as I write this post!

I will definitely keep researching pigeons and doves though. Hopefully we can figure out a proper set up for their safety.

 

[bhawk-23]

I have a trap door that I can open to let my pigeons out into the net-covered duck pen sometimes. It was pretty simple to add. It folds upward and just has a simple eye hook on top to keep it closed.

I love the set up! I think I’d like to just sit in there with all the lovely birds
I see the net covers the top, I’m wondering if it drapes down the sides and I just cannot see it at the camera angle?

 

[WVduckchick]

I love the set up! I think I’d like to just sit in there with all the lovely birds
I see the net covers the top, I’m wondering if it drapes down the sides and I just cannot see it at the camera angle?

There is a picket fence around the perimeter with chicken wire stapled to it, then netting above the fence, up to the top, and over the top.
Can’t find good pics at the moment, I can get a video tomorrow
But this is from my camera inside the pen.
The pigeons are on the far right side, and 2 more chicken pens. The trap door is just out of view of the right side of the camera.
I also have 2 strands of electric wire around the outside.

Last fall we added more 2x4 grid because the leaves would get too heavy, so now it’s easier to use a blower and blow them (and snow) off the netting and it not collapse.

 

[NatJ]

Yeah, I absolutely must do a LOT more research on owning pigeons and doves. Considering my original idea could have gotten them lost and only want a few pigeons I can see I am truly not educated enough at this point.

It is so nice to see someone recognize when they need to do more research.

I see too many threads that work out to "I didn't do my research, and now I have a problem. Help solve it fast!"

 

[Qwerty3159]

Free flying pigeons is a lot of fun. It does come with a lot of setbacks and can be demoralizing starting out. The golden rule is “never fly a pigeon you cannot afford to lose”.

That being said, if you start out with a good flying breed like homers you will almost undoubtedly lose a few but with a bit of natural selection from your local birds of prey your survivors will go on to produce lines of more hawk-savvy pigeons. Some free flighted pigeons end up getting eaten by hawks early on, but the ones that make it past a few months hone their skills and go on to live fruitful lives. At least that has been my experience.

 

[avjudge]

Free flying pigeons is a lot of fun. It does come with a lot of setbacks and can be demoralizing starting out.

When I open my aviary my pigeons do little more than perch on my roof and occasionally circle my yard, but watching them fly is the reason I continue to keep pigeons. They seem to fly for the sheer joy of flying and it just makes me happy to watch.

I seem to be very lucky and have light predator pressure, but even so did lose a pigeon to a hawk last year – a rescue king pigeon, who generally didn’t leave the loft (so I didn’t worry about him) but obviously did that day and his type put him at a disadvantage.

 

[WVduckchick]

It is so nice to see someone recognize when they need to do more research.

I see too many threads that work out to "I didn't do my research, and now I have a problem. Help solve it fast!"

Totally agree with this!!!

 

[bhawk-23]

It is so nice to see someone recognize when they need to do more research.

I see too many threads that work out to "I didn't do my research, and now I have a problem. Help solve it fast!"

Yeah, that would normally be me, to a point.

After losing 2/3 of my flock to mareks I became all to aware of what happens when I am uneducated. I never want to experience that, let alone put my son through something so tragic, again. We are clearly not ready for pigeons.

But what I have learned here has made me more excited to think about the possibilities and future flock of pigeons we can have!

Last night I watch two doves in my yard. After searching how they pair up I think a male may have been trying to court a female. I heard a lot more cooing, and louder than usual, when I was out doing yard work. I put more seed on the ground, hung a basket, and will rake up another small area in my yard. I think that uncovered some seeds. But they better eat all the seeds from the weeds!

There was a third dove perched. I’ve seen the 3 in my yard but only two were interacting on the ground while the third just watched. Then the same two perched on the platform feeder for a bit. I really hope we are on their food stop for the summer