Grit-wise...

[biophiliac]

Thank you! I homemade the boxes and perches from scrap wood. I actually got the loft itself off Craigslist as a brand new rabbit hutch. It was so heavy, I couldn't move it and in order to get it into the correct place, I had to roll it on logs Egyptian-style.

...and the birds?

 

[CCUK]

Thank you everyone for the tips! This is super helpful!
I just got the pigeons, and they are adorable! They make the sweetest noise when they fly. My chickens and goats aren't sure what to think of these new cuties. View attachment 1573433 View attachment 1573435

Wow! You have some great looking pidgies! They will bring you some real enjoyment! When mine fly over the chickens they scatter! They are getting used to them now though!

 

[ReseisCL16]

I got the birds from a breeder in Texas and I found him on Poultry Show Central. He had a large variety of breeding pairs of all different colors, so it was fun to choose my favourites. I plan to breed them myself at some point, probably in the spring.

 

[biophiliac]

I got the birds from a breeder in Texas and I found him on Poultry Show Central. He had a large variety of breeding pairs of all different colors, so it was fun to choose my favourites. I plan to breed them myself at some point, probably in the spring.

If you keep them together they may have other ideas about when to breed.

 

[ReseisCL16]

Yeah, they laid eggs in the box on the way over here and then again the next day (the naughty birdies). They abandoned that nest though, so I'm hoping they don't try any more funny business until it's getting warmer, not colder. Fingers crossed! But if they do lay eggs, I'll probably take those and give them fake eggs. I don't want frozen squabs!

 

[biophiliac]

Yeah, they laid eggs in the box on the way over here and then again the next day (the naughty birdies). They abandoned that nest though, so I'm hoping they don't try any more funny business until it's getting warmer, not colder. Fingers crossed! But if they do lay eggs, I'll probably take those and give them fake eggs. I don't want frozen squabs!

Well good luck with that! I replaced a couple dozen eggs with plastic over the last few months. Somehow I missed a nest and 2 'oops' babies hatched last week.

@LamarshFish has one named Frosty who was hatched and reared in below zero temps.

 

[LamarshFish]

I plan to breed them myself at some point, probably in the spring.

Unless you separate the sexes, I think you will notice you will get breeding sooner than the spring, and on their own terms, not yours! They have quite the tendency to multiply.

 

[LamarshFish]

Yeah, they laid eggs in the box on the way over here and then again the next day (the naughty birdies). They abandoned that nest though, so I'm hoping they don't try any more funny business until it's getting warmer, not colder. Fingers crossed! But if they do lay eggs, I'll probably take those and give them fake eggs. I don't want frozen squabs!

Pigeons are notoriously excellent parents. They can certainly brood, hatch and maybe even raise squabs in very cold temps.... but it is very hard on them, and the babies sometimes don't make it. Like Biophiliac said above, I had one brooded, hatched and raised in temps below zero, daytime temps never exceeded 10F. One died though, but the other survived, and he's still with me, one of my best birds (he's pictured in my avatar right now). But I think in general the odds are stacked against when it's super cold. I would say much below freezing is hard on them, but above that is fine. Even if the birds can do it successfully, I think it's tough on them.

You live in Texas? I don't think it would be too cold there to let your birds reproduce.

 

[backyard pigeons]

What breed are the birds? They are beutiful.

 

[ReseisCL16]

Thank you! They are Portuguese Tumblers, show stock, a kite pair and a black and white pair. They are supposed to "tumble" in flight, but I haven't let them out yet. I certainly don't want to loose them!
I live in Northern Colorado (much, much colder than Texas!) We definitely get below 0 degrees throughout the winter, so that's what makes me worried about the squabs. I really hope they hold out until it gets a little bit warmer, at least in March. We have already had quite a bit of snow for autumn, so I'm thinking it might be a cold and wet winter. That's the thing with Colorado weather though: it's very unpredictable! I only have so much room for the adults, so, sadly, I will have to be picky about which ones I keep.