Pigeon Talk

[memphis]

Does Nugget just sit in your hand preening? He's going to be your little buddy!!

 

[KiwiandPeachthePigeons]

Yep! I plan to train him to come when called once he’s big enough

 

[Bdg1104]

If you have a wood floor on the loft I would just keep it bare and get yourself a nice floor scraper to clean it. If I had a wood floor I would also throw a bit of sweet PDZ down just to keep it cleaner or dry up any messy poop. I think BP might use shavings or straw on the floor of his but he'll have to confirm this.
I only have two at the moment and will probably be giving the babies away to a local flier in all honesty so I have more of a hutch style loft that's just big enough for a few birds to sleep in or get out of the wind. In that I have a wire floor. In the aviary I have sand and dirt mixed in with some gravel of various sizes. In the aviary the sand and gravel dry quickly but I wouldn't use sand in a loft if it was going to get damp, personally. There's a lot of reasons not to use it even outside because little bits of feces always get mixed in no matter how much you clean it but a solution is just to dump more sand on top to replace what gets scraped out and soiled.

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Your climate makes a difference which is a good reason to put your state or general location in your profile. I think you said before, but I forget! Haha

I agree wood shavings make a terrible mess blowing out of the loft to the surroundings. I have a treated plywood floor inside my enclosed loft although rain sometimes blows in a little. I use nothing on the floor so I scrape the poop up frequently - the goal is daily.

So remind us - Do you have a wood floor? Dirt? Wire?

I'm in southern michigan so weather can get really cold and pretty hot. I'll have to update My profile! Haven't really looked at it all that much. I had been using the wood shavings because they made good insulation for the winter. During the winter I cover the screened in portions of the loft with tarps so I didn't have to worry about the shavings blowing around back then. Now that the tarps aren't there they blow around a lot so that's why I'm looking to change.

The floor is wood so scraping is definitely an option, though I'd prefer to avoid to have to do it too much because the loft is small and I have to climb up in it haha. I was looking at sand because I've heard it generally keeps the loft cool in the shade and it would work similar to cat litter. I'm generally just curious as to how clean the sand is and how easy to clean it is compared to scraping the floor. I'd rather take a litter scoop and sift out the poop (may not work the best if the sand is wet though) then have to get up in there and scrape it off, if that makes sense? Though I can totally see how small poop particles can be an issue, as well as bacteria growing in the damp parts of the sand.

I honestly may just cover the screened parts of the loft with some wood paneling later on. It would definitely give them more shelter and they have the aviary now to get some sun. If I do that the sand getting damp wouldn't be as much of a problem I'm guessing.

For the aviary floor it is wire with mulch covering it and grass growing through. So far it has worked pretty well because the poop falls into the grass and eventually gets absorbed into the ground. I do spray the grass with the hose so that the poop dissolves and goes down into the soil quicker though. Something solid like some concrete pavers would probably be more hygienic since I could just spray them off with a hose and get rid of the poop but I think the pigeons prefer the natural look and being able to forage in the grass.

Here is some pictures so you can see the floor and see the screened portions of the loft. It's made out of one of those chicken coop kits you can get at farm stores, so that's why it's a little unconventional haha. I did have to reinforce it a bit though. When we first built it we just needed a quick shelter for them so that was my quick solution.

Thanks for all your advice!! This group is a lifesaver haha.

 

[WVduckchick]

I’m probably in the minority here, but I have bare ground. Some of it is loose soil where they scratch, other spots have hardened from being wet over the years. I occasionally add leaves and grass clippings, etc. Mine do spend time walking around on the ground, but I think the majority of time is spent on the many roosts, branches, logs, etc that I have throughout the place. They fly a lot! It was a chicken pen before the pigeons moved in, so I do occasionally scrape out the “coop” boxes, but i never clean the ground.

 

[backyard pigeons]

On a side note, what do you guys use as flooring for your lofts?

in all of my lofts, I use straw. They are all dryed in though, so in a aviary, I'm not sure how it would work. It wouldn't last long. One of my lofts is a dirt bottom, but I keep 6+ inches of straw on it. I never like to keep My wooden floors visible. Even daily scraping causes them to still walk in their droppings.

My ideal bedding is corn cob. It is expensive though. so I only get it in Rural King country... there it is $5 a 30 pound bag.

Do you think sand will be okay if it still gets wet? Or should I use something else?

sand can harbor diseases, even when it is dry. I believe it holds coccidiosis and paratyphoid. I personally wouldn't use it in my lofts.

I would get some river rock. this is what @biophiliac uses. It works great in an aviary. Let's the droppings fall right thru. And the rain washes it away.

 

[cavemanrich]

sand can harbor diseases, even when it is dry.

Have to agree with you here... never know what is out there.

Spoiler: Sand

 

[backyard pigeons]

Have to agree with you here... never know what is out there.

Spoiler: Sand

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Hah! Gotta be careful!

 

[biophiliac]

Have to agree with you here... never know what is out there.

Spoiler: Sand

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Perfect example!

 

[Qwerty3159]

Perfect example!

All too fitting for these particular times, too

 

[memphis]

Qwerty....they are cuties!

So what is everyone going to do with their babies? Keep 'em, sell some, turn them into house pigeons like Olive? Seems there are a bunch of babies right now. Tis the season, I guess. That's what concerns me..falling in love with the babies and ending up with 500 birds!!