First loft, pigeons, and training! Advice?

[Tedster0219]

Hey guys so I am very new to the pigeon game and I need some help with deciding what type of pigeon I should get. I would only like two pigeons that I can keep in a small loft at night. I would give them a couple of hours of outdoor time a day if not a full day of free ranging. I do have a small walk in plastic greenhouse that I was thinking of setting up as a temporary Aviary while my pigeons learned their new home. Overall I just want to know a few things. How big should I make their enclosure if I just want them to spend nights in it? Is a 56" W 29" D and 77" H greenhouse adequate for the birds to stretch their wings out and fly in during the day? Finally, what type of pigeons should I get: Homing, Tipplers, etc? I want them to be good fliers (To avoid hawks) but I keep hearing that the homing pigeons will want to fly back to where I bought them from for almost their entire lives.

 

[Tedster0219]

~Side Note~
I do have a wooden working table that I am thinking of converting into the loft. It has a total volume of 10 cubic feet (for the two birds). The floor space in 5 square feet of space. This would be okay for the birds to sleep in right?

 

[backyard pigeons]

I'm so glad you are interested in pigeons! They are amazing animals!

Flying only two birds for that long is risky. Although they love flying, and I fly my birds, flying two isn't safe. Never fly a bird you can't afford to lose.

The greenhouse doesn't sound predators proof, and it won't have good ventilation and it will get to hot. So to keep two birds in, and fly them for an hour a day supervised, a 3 ft by 3 ft by 3 ft cube would be minumum. Will you allow them to breed?

I like homers the best! There fast, muscular, sorta hawk proof, etc. But other breeds are cool to. Homing pigeons will come back to you, if you buy them when they are young, and do the proper training, which I can tell you more about later if needed.I

I hope this helps!

 

[Tedster0219]

I'm so glad you are interested in pigeons! They are amazing animals!

Flying only two birds for that long is risky. Although they love flying, and I fly my birds, flying two isn't safe. Never fly a bird you can't afford to lose.

The greenhouse doesn't sound predators proof, and it won't have good ventilation and it will get to hot. So to keep two birds in, and fly them for an hour a day supervised, a 3 ft by 3 ft by 3 ft cube would be minumum. Will you allow them to breed?

I like homers the best! There fast, muscular, sorta hawk proof, etc. But other breeds are cool to. Homing pigeons will come back to you, if you buy them when they are young, and do the proper training, which I can tell you more about later if needed.I

I hope this helps!

Thank you so much for the reply! I think I'd like to keep my numbers to two birds. It would be great if you could teach me how to get them trained and ready. I would feel bad to keep them as prisoners.

 

[Old_Strain_Lover]

Flying just 2 birds is not a great idea. You could very quickly end up with just 1 bird... or no birds. Pigeons are flock birds, and use the flock for their safety. The more eyes looking out for predators, the more chance they have to evade a potential attack from a hawk. It's not only the protection... they also prefer to fly in larger groups. And if you end up with 2 males or 2 females, they might even go off in search of a mate. In the end, it's your choice... just putting these things out there for you.

 

[Tedster0219]

Flying just 2 birds is not a great idea. You could very quickly end up with just 1 bird... or no birds. Pigeons are flock birds, and use the flock for their safety. The more eyes looking out for predators, the more chance they have to evade a potential attack from a hawk. It's not only the protection... they also prefer to fly in larger groups. And if you end up with 2 males or 2 females, they might even go off in search of a mate. In the end, it's your choice... just putting these things out there for you.

Thank you for the info. I have been thinking about maybe show pigeons. I am very conflicted but that's why I am doing the research and taking my time putting my set up together. All perspectives are appreciated! Have a wonderful day.

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

Thank you for the info. I have been thinking about maybe show pigeons. I am very conflicted but that's why I am doing the research and taking my time putting my set up together. All perspectives are appreciated! Have a wonderful day.

when i had pigeons, i kept them in a big coop and didn’t free fly. they would free range with my ducks while i supervised and then come inside the coop when they saw their food.

 

[Tedster0219]

when i had pigeons, i kept them in a big coop and didn’t free fly. they would free range with my ducks while i supervised and then come inside the coop when they saw their food.

That’s a good option. I am going to be doing online school and would have lots of time to supervise them. What do you think is a good size aviary for them to fly around in (For two birds)?

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

That’s a good option. I am going to be doing online school and would have lots of time to supervise them. What do you think is a good size aviary for them to fly around in (For two birds)?

depends on how long they’ll get out during the day, but atleast enough room to do short flights to stretch their wings. and to have space from each other if they want

 

[Tedster0219]

depends on how long they’ll get out during the day, but atleast enough room to do short flights to stretch their wings. and to have space from each other if they want

Okay, thank you so much for the reply! I’ll make sure to give them ample room.