# Help fpr a newbie please



## bwpt95 (Dec 31, 2020)

Hello, we have been raising feral pigeons for practice before buying homers
We started with an elevated rabbit hutch, and our breeding pair liked it so much we have too many pigeons in there. 
We bought a homemade pigeon loft from FB marketplace and are readying it for our young pigeons move into before winter really sets in.
Questions: 1. Should we remove all nesting materials from the breeders nesting area fornthe winter or should we provide bowls year round? 2. Will the young single pigeons need nesting boxes or just perches? 3. We inherited wood shavings for bedding when we bought the loft. What are the advantages/ disadvantages of this for use on the floor? 4. I had been lining the solid parts of the rabbit hutch with newspaper and then changing it out. Sometimes the pigeons pooped so much in one spot it soaked through and got the flooring underneath damp. I know it's important to keep the loft dry. Should I be changing that out more often, or switch to more absorbent material? 5. I'm starting to want to keep track of my birds. We used zip ties instead of ID rings but are running out of colors. Any other ideas? 6. We have been feeding with a chick feeder with Mason jar upside down. The birds make a mess and throw the seed and then are eating amongst poop. Any ideas on conserving feed and keeping it clean? 7. Suggestions for resources (i.e. books) to put on my Christmas list for husbandry and loft management for pigeons, so I don't pepper the forum with questions???
THANK YOU!!


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## mercedes15 (Nov 24, 2021)

bwpt95 said:


> Hello, we have been raising feral pigeons for practice before buying homers
> We started with an elevated rabbit hutch, and our breeding pair liked it so much we have too many pigeons in there.
> We bought a homemade pigeon loft from FB marketplace and are readying it for our young pigeons move into before winter really sets in.
> Questions: 1. Should we remove all nesting materials from the breeders nesting area fornthe winter or should we provide bowls year round? 2. Will the young single pigeons need nesting boxes or just perches? 3. We inherited wood shavings for bedding when we bought the loft. What are the advantages/ disadvantages of this for use on the floor? 4. I had been lining the solid parts of the rabbit hutch with newspaper and then changing it out. Sometimes the pigeons pooped so much in one spot it soaked through and got the flooring underneath damp. I know it's important to keep the loft dry. Should I be changing that out more often, or switch to more absorbent material? 5. I'm starting to want to keep track of my birds. We used zip ties instead of ID rings but are running out of colors. Any other ideas? 6. We have been feeding with a chick feeder with Mason jar upside down. The birds make a mess and throw the seed and then are eating amongst poop. Any ideas on conserving feed and keeping it clean? 7. Suggestions for resources (i.e. books) to put on my Christmas list for husbandry and loft management for pigeons, so I don't pepper the forum with questions???
> THANK YOU!!


Hello,
You should remove nesting materials until Breeding season after the winter, the perches will be fine.
I recommend using a an absorbent bedding material for the floor, it will help keep the cage both warm and dry. If you scoop out the bird droppings with a plastic scooper everyday it will stay clean., but once a month completely change
all the Bedding material. Don't use zip ties they can hurt the birds later on. Keep the food clean and separate form the 
poop. You make a feeder out of for example a plastic container, just cut out opening for bird to put head in to eat.

Hope this helps,

Good Luck


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