chickens & Pigions

[Ricks Chicks]

I have 13 chickens,RI reds, americana and others . can I raise pigions in the same coop?

 

[Yazzo]

Certainly. I've had pigeons and chickens together for years in the same coop. They have to usually be on separate levels though: otherwise the chickens will sometimes disrupt the pigeons if they can get into the same nests. They will break the pigeons fragile eggs and sometimes kill babies. That said, I had pigeons and chickens together on the same level for about 4 years with no problems at all. The trick was to have nest boxes for the pigeons that were quite small, and bigger nest boxes for the chickens. The chickens didn't like sitting in the small boxes at all, and didn't even bother after the pigeons took over them. They usually will leave babies alone, but may peck them if they fall on the floor.

Right now, they live in a totally different coop, and the pigeons are in the 'attic' of the chicken house, although they're joined. I've found that it is so much easier to get to the pigeons and keep them tame if they are on the same or at a slightly higher level than the chickens, but you'll just have to see what works for you.

 

[sourland]

If they can gain access to the pigeons' nests, the chickens will eat the eggs (fragile shells) and young squabs (protein source.) Also many chickens will drive the pigeons away from the feeders and waterers. Although raising them together is not an impossibility, the pigeons will do much better in their own environment.

 

[Yazzo]

Quote:
Actually, as I said, I have had them together for years, and mostly avoided that problem. The chickens COULD get into the pigeon nest boxes if they really wanted, but almost never did, because they were either too small, or already occupied. After all those years, I have had almost no 'casualties' at all. They only eat eggs that are on the ground, and then only if they are broken, and usually don't eat squabs. The only time they would ever eat a squab is if it was on the ground, and usually not even then. As for feeders and waterers: as long as you provide enough food and water for both, they are totally fine eating and drinking from the same places, although the pigeons may sometimes have to wait a little while to eat if you just put grain out. Hanging feeders can be used too, if you want to feed them all at the same time, or feed the pigeons a different food.

One thing I should mention is that all my pigeons are free to roam (they always come back to the coop). I don't think it would work too well if you had them all penned up together, but if they have enough space, they do perfectly fine together.

 

[chics in the sun]

I just ended up with a pair of pigeons, and only agreed to keep them if I didn't need to build new housing. If it were light out I would go take a picture of what we did, as it seems to be working well. We built a small nesting box and drilled it into the side of the coop, just below the ceiling, where the chickens cannot possibly get to it. I also put in a little roost bar for the pigeons, extending out from the box. Again, too high/ out of the way for the chickens to reach. The pigeons often also sit on the top of the nest box, as well as inside the chicken's roosting area.
I only had to 'rescue' one of the pigeons once, about three days after we got them. For the first few nights my two young, docile EE's didn't quite know what to make of the weird grey birds sitting on their roost spot. The third night one decided she had had enough, and pecked at the female pigeon a few times. I had to put a rake handle in and move the pigeon off the roost, into another area, and all has been fine since. Everyone knows their place, all is well.
The pigeon food (and a little thing of water) is also hooked onto the front of the nest box, again, chickens can't reach. The pigeons sometimes go down to the chicken feeders, too.

 

[sourland]

Misinformation is worse than no information. Yazzo's experiences are no where near what I have realized. Chickens will not hesitate to kill small rodents, lizards, snakes, etc. COMMON SENSE dictates that they will take advantage of other protein sources. If you want to raise young birds keep them seperated from chickens. edited to add: Free lofting of pigeons generally results in the flock being decimated by raptors. Once Cooper's hawks locate your flock they will stay until the last bird has been caught. Most pigeon fliers only fly their birds under supervised conditions and have the birds trained to trap in at command. Even while using these techniques I would lose 60-80% of my young birds to Cooper's hawks. I fly Birmingham rollers which are somewhat less hawk evasive than some other flying breeds, but even the homer fliers have serious loss problems to hawks. The only way most fliers are able to enjoy flying their birds is to fly during the "hawk free" periods. This amounts to may - Sept. for me here in New Jersey.

 

[chickensrfood]

The pigeons will get sick as well from the chickens. They need a really dry living space and IMO should never be allowed near chickens or their droppings. Not saying it can't be done I just wouldn't recommend it. They are best kept on wire or a nice dry wood floor that is cleaned often and kept in a draft free environment.

 

[Yazzo]

I don't think I've given any misinformation. However, it can certainly vary from situation to situation. I have almost never had chickens eating pigeons, even when they are in close quarters. I think it just depends on how you have the coop set up and what your chickens are like. Hawks have NEVER been a problem for me here, but that can depend on where you live of course.

The pigeons will get sick as well from the chickens. They need a really dry living space and IMO should never be allowed near chickens or their droppings. Not saying it can't be done I just wouldn't recommend it. They are best kept on wire or a nice dry wood floor that is cleaned often and kept in a draft free environment.

My pigeons are very healthy. Of course, keeping the coop clean has a lot to do with that. I've never had pigeons get sick from chickens, even when the coop isn't it's cleanest.

I think you just need to look at your own unique circumstances and try to see what works for you. It's worked perfectly for me and other people I know, but that may not be the case for everyone.​

 

[dandar]

ok I sort of adopted a female pigeon that it's hatch-mates had been picking on and before the owner caught it it had no feathers and very little SKIN left on most of the back of her head through meticulous isolations and wound care. it is finally healing and i am seeing a few pin feathers in the area....a few days after they GAVE this pigeon to us they came with a male, and said he was hurt also however he was not injured..ok since she is beginning to heal very nicely and starting to fly a bit i am wondering what to do with them>>>right now i have them in an outdoor enclosure with a single male DUCK awaiting on finding some females for him...they are separated by chicken wire and it is a ground enclosure because i was planning on using it as isolation of new members to the flock.. my enclosure isn't very tall..i stoop to care for them..but there would be room for them to fly about..i am wondering if i put a perch up toward the top would this work...her injury is pretty much closed up and i am sure they need more room than they have..would they return to their enclosure to feed and at night?? if it is on the ground? I have been reading the posts and this aroused another question...apparently i have been feeding them wrong grain the people who gave them to me told me to feed same as chickens so they have been getting scratch and egg-layer crumbles...is this ok should i do some thing different since she has this wound...will they get along with the single duck..he is very mellow and calm..but i don't want to pass diseases or such with them..
thanks in advance
dandar