Basics of Homing Pigeons

For you to homing pigeons well, it should involve a rectangular cage. It is better to use this instead of a square one and its bar spacing should be small enough that the bird cannot get its head through. A wire bottom cage should be a great part of it then cover it with grassy sod or paper that would ensure that you would do great in homing pigeons, this is a great thing for you to do especially that your birds spend a lot of time on the ground. Your bird also likes to have a partially enclosed or even a box-type of a cage for a sense of security. You should not keep the cage in direct sun, however, put it in a draft-free area. It is recommended to give normal room temperatures with the humidity set at 50%-70%

Some people prefer to cover their bird cages at night, however this is unnecessary. It is only necessary if you plan to keep the lights on and off at night. The cover in the case is only necessary to keep your birds from getting scared or frightened.

Homing Pigeon: Aviary

A breeding or outdoor aviary is a great way when you want to homing pigeons. The aviary should have a protected shelter that could be cooled and heated when necessary. The orientation of the aviary should be at the southwest or south as it will help the birds get the needed daylight and would avoid dark areas. The shelter for your bird should be taller than its flight area. Most of these birds would like to find the highest place for them to roost at night. The good size for shelter should be around 2m square and 2.5m high. You should give them a flat shelf that is mounted as high as possible for nest building as well as roosting as well as natural branches or regular perches. The nest boxes that are you should provide and are well preferred by your pet is an enclosed nest. Homing pigeon should also need a platform with a rim and it should be mounted at around three inches above the ground. This is a good place to put water and food.

You should give a flight area in which has a shallow pool for bathing and would need perches, the aforementioned detailed is a good place. You should also give nesting boxes in their flight if you can find them places where the bushes and tress are close by. In this way, your bird could have a good sense of security. Give a great room for flying. For small birds, the flight areas would be 2m long, 1m wide, and 2m high. If you have medium sized birds, it should be 3m long, 2m wide, and 2m high. For large birds, it should be 5m long, 2m wide, and 2m high.

Dovecote

Free flight birds require a dovecote. For a lot of years, your pigeons and doves are allowed to have a free flight. ‘Pigeon lofts’ or dovecotes are usually a great part of homing pigeons. They were originally built for utility purposes, however, they became more ornamental in nature. Many of these examples are still existing today. The dovecote is the best way for you to keep your birds, especially if they have homing instincts and would return to their dovecote when the night falls.

You should make your free flyers familiar with their homes before you would allow them to fly. If they just settled into their new dovecote, you should put a mesh cover around it until it would become familiar in their house. Once they know how their home works, such as where is their food is during the night. We recommend that you give them food sparingly in the evening, you need to provide a big deal of their feed in the evening to encourage them to go back.

We should also note that many of these small doves really have a poor homing pigeon instincts. If you put small doves, such as the Ringneck Dove and White Dove, in free flight, it could mean the loss for your pet. These birds would be lost, dying of starvation, exposure or even predation.

Prevent and Treat Diseases and Injuries

The worst thing that could happen to your flock is contracting a poultry disease. It is the most infectious and deadly disease that could wipe your pet in less than a week. Some common bird diseases would include, but not limited to Newcastle, pox, and influenza. It could be easily prevented through the correct observance of hygiene in places where your bird lives. In this essence, you should keep the perches, lofts, flypen, food, and water troughs, as well as nest boxes clean. Another good way for the control of the disease is through the vaccination of your pets.

When any of this disease attack, you should treat and quarantine your affected foul. You need to get the help of your veterinarian if you do not fully understand what is happening.

n case of any disease attack, quarantine and treat the affected fowl. You may need to ask for help from your veterinarian if you do not understand what is happening. If you see dead birds, immediately bury or burn them in order to control the diseases. Aside from that, make sure to fully disinfect and clean all the places where your flock likes to live and hangout.

In the event that your pigeon gets hurt, put the affected bird in a separate coop and provide him with necessary food and water. Make sure to look for signs of injuries, such as scratches, cuts, piercing, broken wings or limbs, or bruises. If you can see major injuries, contact your veterinarian immediately. A great way to prevent injury of these birds would include giving safe lofts, secure the flight paths or keep the predator away.

Secure Baths for Your Pigeons

Your birds like to take a bath especially when the weather is warm. You need to provide them with bathing containers as well as water pots that would allow them to cool and wash their bodies. We recommend that you give a fresh water supply for their baths daily. This can prevent diseases and parasites.

Provide Flypens and Perches

Good news, your flypen is a great tool to prevent new birds from ever flying away. It would allow them to have a lot of exercise while they are being confined. The simplest flypen would include a wire mesh, it could be 16 foot long, 5 feet wide, and 6 feet long. It is highly recommended that you put perches in your flypens. This would help your birds rest after their exercise. Give them enough of these things in the constructed flypens.

Band Your Pigeons for Easy Management

You should practice striping or banding, as there a lot of management reasons into why you should do it. At first, you can do banding to distinguish your young birds. Aside from that, banding the birds that are participating in sports to avoid losing them. Last, you can also band some of these birds in order to see their growth process. The strips have different numbers for you to know each of them especially when you are homing pigeons.

When you do these practices, you will get the best things out of your homing pigeons. You can also keep these birds in a hassle-free way and the best thing to do is owning your pet that would make the both of your delighted and happy.