Grit for pigeons?

[banknote]

A buddy and I just built a pigeon coop and are in the process of trapping feral birds. We have 6 in there so far, room for about 18. Don't laugh too hard, at least we hardly used any "new" material!

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Since these birds will need some time to feel "at home" in the coop, we are not letting them out for what will probably be several weeks. In the mean time, I figure they need access to some grit in order to digest the cracked corn we're feeding them. I live on a river beach and could easily keep a cup of sand in the coop for them, but is this suitable? Anyone know?

[Rick]

I don't "know" but would certainly think so, since ducks and geese use it. Kind of makes me wonder why I buy fancy smashed bricks for mine.

[Flightstopper]

I still want to do that as well. Might have an excuse to use all the siding drops I have taking up space in my shed now.

[Rick]

Your dog will thank you.

[Flightstopper]

Really need them just to throw at his face daily. He needs the spaz worked outta him.

[Flightstopper]

What's the hole in the back, ventilation? Bottom slide out for cleaning? Any other specifics they need other than the 'entry sticks'?

[Rick]

That's one of the joys of a loft: can have tons of recycled fly-offs.

[Duckdog]

I would think sand would be fine. I actually don't pay a lot of attention to grit. Sometimes I'll put it in the loft, sometimes not.
It's not something that I do on any kind of routine. If I think about it, I'll toss some in.
But, at least once a week, I'll leave the loft door open for an extended amount of time, and they always end up gravitating to the little gravel pile next to the loft.
I also feed a mix of wild bird seed and layer crumbles. I don't THINK you need grit with the crumbles, so maybe that helps too.

What you might think about doing, since it appears that you have a plywood floor, is put just a thin layer of sand on the floor.
That way, they can get their grit if they want it, and it'll make clean up a hell of a lot easier.

I'd sure like to hear the outcome of whether they home after their incarceration. I've always kept homers, but I know it'll increase your odds if they raise a set of chicks before you turn them out.
With the homers, 2-3 weeks of settling in and they'll be back, but that's with birds that have never flown on their own.
keep us posted, I'd like to see the results if you don't mind.

[Rick]

I'd sure like to hear the outcome of whether they home after their incarceration. I've always kept homers, but I know it'll increase your odds if they raise a set of chicks before you turn them out.

When I tried feral birds, I was told to let them go while still caring for their second broods in the loft, and that worked like a charm with those I had. My problem with feral and common pigeons came with getting them to home reliably from distances beyond five or six miles. None of my pigeons that weren't "homers" returned from more than twenty miles, so I went back to racing stock.

[Duckdog]

What's the hole in the back, ventilation? Bottom slide out for cleaning? Any other specifics they need other than the 'entry sticks'?

Ventilation is a huge factor in a loft. I don't think you can have too much, as long as it doesn't let in rain.

I went a different route than the entry bobs for my loft. I built this little contraption called a "Sputnik trap" and incorporated it into a little aviary. I hinged that expanded metal "cover" as an anti-predator door, so in the evening when I think they're all back in, I can just flip it up and they're totally secure.
I don't close it every night, but I try. I had (what I think was) an owl hitting my loft every night I left it down. It would get in there and kill 1 or 2 pigeons then leave. After keeping it closed up every night for a month or so, he seems to have found better eating somewhere else.
The 110 conibare traps I had set on top might have scared him off too!



Bank, you're gonna hate those horizontal 1x2's that the pigeons are setting on. It's gonna make it a bitch to clean out. I'd suggest taking them off and making a removable floor for each box. In other words, just cut a piece of plywood, (or whatever you have left) just a little smaller than the box, then screw that 1x2 lip to it individually. That way, you can just slide out the individual boxes and clean them out. Just a suggestion from someone who has some difficult places to clean himself...

[banknote]

What's the hole in the back, ventilation? Bottom slide out for cleaning? Any other specifics they need other than the 'entry sticks'?

We put doors on both sides to make cleaning easier, and a trap door in the floor so we can just sweep it out into a bucket. By the looks of things we'll need to do some scraping, too.

[banknote]

I would think sand would be fine. I actually don't pay a lot of attention to grit. Sometimes I'll put it in the loft, sometimes not.
It's not something that I do on any kind of routine. If I think about it, I'll toss some in.
But, at least once a week, I'll leave the loft door open for an extended amount of time, and they always end up gravitating to the little gravel pile next to the loft.
I also feed a mix of wild bird seed and layer crumbles. I don't THINK you need grit with the crumbles, so maybe that helps too.

What you might think about doing, since it appears that you have a plywood floor, is put just a thin layer of sand on the floor.
That way, they can get their grit if they want it, and it'll make clean up a hell of a lot easier.

I'd sure like to hear the outcome of whether they home after their incarceration. I've always kept homers, but I know it'll increase your odds if they raise a set of chicks before you turn them out.
With the homers, 2-3 weeks of settling in and they'll be back, but that's with birds that have never flown on their own.
keep us posted, I'd like to see the results if you don't mind.

I thought about this and it sounds like a good idea. Might help keep dropping from sticking to floor and avoid too much scraping at cleaning time.

I'm trying to keep a fairly strict feeding schedule at last light, and just feed them enough for one day, so we can start letting them out right before they expect to get fed and hope they'll come back. If we can get them to pair up and hatch some chicks, we'll do it while they aren't yet fledged. Will keep you posted.

[banknote]

Bank, you're gonna hate those horizontal 1x2's that the pigeons are setting on. It's gonna make it a bitch to clean out. I'd suggest taking them off and making a removable floor for each box. In other words, just cut a piece of plywood, (or whatever you have left) just a little smaller than the box, then screw that 1x2 lip to it individually. That way, you can just slide out the individual boxes and clean them out. Just a suggestion from someone who has some difficult places to clean himself...

This sounds like a really good idea, too, thanks!