Best Pigeon Loft?

[SweetJoy7]

Hello! We might be getting pigeons, but we have to build their loft first! What is the best design? Do pigeons multiply quickly? How big should we make it? We will let them free-range daily. Thank you!!!!!

 

[Lozuufy]

Hello! We might be getting pigeons, but we have to build their loft first! What is the best design? Do pigeons multiply quickly? How big should we make it? We will let them free-range daily. Thank you!!!!!

Some people use rabbit hutches for housing pigeons, I have a walk-in coop/cage and had 16 pigeons (plus 43 quail and 4 doves) living in it and they didn't seem crowded, my coop/cage is about 8'x17'

Here is an article that I wrote that shows a bit of my setup https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/basic-pigeon-care-feeding-and-housing I hope it helps.

Pigeons will sometimes try to breed year round (usually just February through October) if you don't take away their eggs and replace them with fake plastic or wooden eggs which you can order online or just hard-boil the eggs you don't want them to hatch. If you just remove the eggs the female will lay more right away and her body can get depleted of calcium quickly. Pigeons are usually very good parents and most of the time mate for life.

If you let them free-fly you don't need to have a super big cage, just be cautious of hawks cause they love eating pigeon.

If you are getting adults then don't let them free-fly for a while until they are completely used to their new home cause they may get lost or if they are homing pigeons they may try to return to their previous home. I've heard you have to let homing pigeons raise 3 batches of babies before releasing them, and even then they may return to the place where they were raised.

Hope I answered most of the questions, feel free to ask lots more! Pigeons are so fun to keep too, I love mine.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Hello! We might be getting pigeons, but we have to build their loft first! What is the best design? Do pigeons multiply quickly? How big should we make it? We will let them free-range daily. Thank you!!!!!

I once had over 40 white homing pigeons (or nearly all white).
Due to a devastating weasle attack I lost all my birds and in a rebuilding process.
My nest boxes are designed to accommodate a nylon mesh feed bag makes cleaning easier fold up the soiled and pop in the new
Easy Peasy







The blue bar is a feral that trapped in with my flock.
He could not keep up to the training regiment and failed to return.








My pigeon trap with inner bobs to hold birds inside loft.




Nest Bowl available at the Dollar Store in Canada.


My baby barn converted into pigeon loft

I

I used this converted Styrofoam cooler as a nest box over winter months with excellent results.
Click on the link in my signature you may get some ideas..

 

[cavemanrich]

Quote: I see a wood stove. Do you keep your loft heated to some degree?. I do heat my garage where my loft is, mostly for my chickens over winter, but my pigeons ( now that I don't have them

)
did not need it. Of course I am in less cold than you are. All the feral pigeons under the bridges seem to do fine.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I see a wood stove. Do you keep your loft heated to some degree?. No I feed extra corn that is all to my birds. That stove is their temporarily while me and my buddy build a small hunting camp. I do heat my garage where my loft is, mostly for my chickens over winter, but my pigeons ( now that I don't have them

)
did not need it. Of course I am in less cold than you are. All the feral pigeons under the bridges seem to do fine.

 

[laughingdog]

Pigeons adapt great and do better without heat. My pigeons in far north, on nothing but wild bird seed mixes, n tarp n board over wire cage, and where much healthier than now pampered pigeons here deeper south. Start with Birmingham rollers or racing homers, as easiest to keep (rollers need half feed n space, and provide color etc and hours of acrobatic enjoyment with easy taming and affection, while racers are beautifully patterned as well and sculpted perfected specimens exceptionally hardy as well.