The Proper Care for Pigeon Coops
Pigeon coops are not the first thing people think of putting on their open spaces and yards. Pigeons are not even on people’s radars as a kind of pet. If you’ve always had a thing for messenger and homing pigeons, however, then the first thing to do is to set up your pigeon coop.
Is it Legal to Have Pigeons in your Area?
Before you even set out on the adventure of keeping pigeons, you should contact your local government to make sure there are not any local ordinances banning the keeping of pigeons. Such laws differ from town to town and county to county, so there is no easy way to summarize which regions allow and don’t allow pigeons.
Better to Buy or to Make Pigeon Coops?
Pigeon coops are not that difficult to construct. If you are good with your hands and have a basic set of tools, you will probably find it easier and less expensive to make your pigeons’ home than to special order a pigeon coop from a specialty pet store.
All things being equal, it is usually better to construct a pigeon coop yourself so that you can fit it to idiosyncrasies of the space you have for your pigeons. You may find that the requirements of pigeon coops placed in the backyard may differ considerably from the requirements for a pigeon coops placed atop high-rises in metropolitan areas like New York. Differences in climate and in dangers from predators will determine many of the specifications for your pigeon coop.
How Big? How Wide? How Intricate?
The next decision will have to make has to do with how big a population of pigeons you would like to keep, whether you want to breed pigeons, and what kind of pigeons you would like to keep. If you are only intending to keep a handful of pigeons, you can keep your pigeon coop relatively small. Many pigeon keepers simply convert doghouses into makeshift coops. You don’t want to make the coop so small however, that you can’t get inside to clean it properly.
If you are going to keep more than a handful of pigeons, however, you should look to make your pigeon coop more along the size of a storage shed. Climate is a major consideration. Simply attaching a mesh wire ceiling will not do. At a minimum, pigeon coops need to protect pigeons from rain and snow. You should make sure that your pigeon coop has a roof that will keep your pigeons dry and allow them to roost together for warmth.
If you have a large enough space and are planning to breed your pigeons, you want to build in nesting rooms that your pigeons can crawl into for protection and comfort. The nesting spaces should have entrances just big enough for them to enter and drawer-like covers that you can open for when you need to clean out the nests.
You should also give you pigeons plenty of perches for them roost upon. In the wild, pigeons sleep on tree branches; in coops, they will sleep most comfortably on perches.
Protection from Predators
One of the central concerns of pigeon coops near wooded areas (and even in many suburban areas) is protection. Several predators will see your pigeon coop, as a happy meal, nicely boxed up and ready to be eaten. Hawks are natural avian predators for pigeons and will swoop down and snatch pigeons right off of their perches, so it is not enough to clip their wings.
Even more dangerous are animals like ferrets, foxes, and wild dogs and cats. These animals will find any weaknesses in a backyard coop, squeeze their way into the coop and make short work of a dozen pigeons in just minutes. For this reason, you must make sure there are no holes or weak spots anywhere on your pigeon coop.
If you take care to construct your coop, however, you will find that keeping pigeons can be an enjoyable and rewarding pastime that allows you to spend time outdoors taking in the peaceful coos of your avian wards.