# Brooklyn, all grown up and ready for love...



## karijo (Apr 11, 2006)

Hi everyone!

So, Brooklyn has been with me since he was a 6 day old baby on April 7th, 2006 and is doing wonderful. However, I still would really like to get him into a coop on our deck outside (I live on the top floor of a two story house in Oakland, CA and have a big 12 x 14 ft deck) so he could have more room when I'm not home, and I'd also like to find him a lady friend (I've been looking on eggbid, omg so many pretty pidgies).

Since the weather has been so nice out here in CA I had moved his cage (it's a wrought iron parrot cage that measures about 3 x 2 x 5 ft) out onto my deck under the overhang for the last month. At night he flies inside and sleeps in the bookshelf on a towel with two little stuffed toys (when he flies into his "cubby" I drape a towel over the front so he has privacy, and in the morning when he wakes up he flies back outside to his cage - and then runs back inside to share my shower as soon as he hears me turn it on. Still!!).

Brook has always been allowed free access to the outdoors when I am home to keep an eye on him (so he is typically out flying around from 2-4 hours a day), and he likes to spend his time both indoors and out. I try and keep an eye out for hawks (only ever saw one once back in May of 2006), and if Brook is outside one or more of the 3 dogs is usually out on the deck too. 

Anyway, for some time now I have been wanting to get some kind of larger aviary/coop for Brook and found one on ebay that is a little pricey but rather nice:

http://cgi.ebay.com/X-LARGE-Rabbit-...hZ011QQcategoryZ46292QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

It's 7'6" L x 2'8" W x 3'2" H. I thought I could add a 2' base to it, making it taller. I know it's not a traditional loft, but thought it might be OK for him? I just think he would like something more open than a traditional loft, since that is what he has been used to. 

So, some questions:

-Do you think this is a suitable enclosure?
-Should I set up some sort of heat lamp or pad inside the enclosed part for added warmth during our Bay Area winter? It can get a little chilly... I know he's a tough Brooklyn, NY pidgie, but he is used to warm nights indoors.
-How do I go about finding a lady for him? Can I get a 'fancy' pidge of my picking, how do I know he will like her? Should I get a second pair for company? 
-What do I do about new bird(s) bringing in any pests like lice, or internal parasites, etc. Brook is one clean bean and I worry about him catching something...

Thanks again, as always, for any help and advice.
I really love this bird and he is such a part of the family. 
He still refuses to eat anything other than Harrison's organic high-potency fine pellets (I can't even trick him with the 'adult lifetime' formula, which looks identical. He will not eat it. Such a brat), though he will eat a little seed like safflower if i hand them to him one at a time, once in a while..

OK thanks!!
Best,
Kari Jo and Brooklyn the pinchy monster.


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

karijo said:


> So, some questions:
> 
> -Do you think this is a suitable enclosure?
> -Should I set up some sort of heat lamp or pad inside the enclosed part for added warmth during our Bay Area winter? It can get a little chilly... I know he's a tough Brooklyn, NY pidgie, but he is used to warm nights indoors.
> ...


Hi Kari Jo;

That is quite a nice set up there that you are contemplating getting. It is a combination coop and aviary, nice!I would say, yes indeed, VERY suitable!

I live in the midwest and the winters stay below freezing for much of the winter. You live in California, so I imagin they are better. "They" say heat is not needed for pigeons, and this subject has come up time and time again and even recently. My pigeons are my pets, and I choose for them to be warm. I attached plexi-glass across the coop openings and use a small non- teflon heater at night to take the bite out of the cold and keep the water from freezing. That is up to you though. I keep a metal grate over the heater for safety in case one of mine gets out of its cage. My pigeons stay in private large cages while contained in the eveving and night, and fly in the attached aviary during day light hours.

Again, getting a lady companion for him is up to you but then you have to realize that mating will take place, and even if kept part, she will still lay unfertilized eggs. The process is continual and messy as well as far as the droppings are concerned. Messy and powerful armoma-wise. Are you prepared to have babies, or pluck the eggs away and replace with dummy eggs?

Regular bathing (and they love it!) is very important. I use a pigeon bath salt treatment once a month for my 8 pigeons that I bought from Foys Pigeon Supply house. It keeps their feathers lustery and rids them from critters. I do dip them to insure they get it done. They have a couple of fresh water pans available for daily bathing that they indulge in almost daily...even in the winter.


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## karijo (Apr 11, 2006)

Hi Victor,

Thanks for your answers!! I'm very grateful to have your input. I think the coop is really nice, and think Brook would love it. It does already have plexi windows on the little door, so there won't be a draft in the enclosed area, but I do like the idea of having the option to give a little heat if it gets chilly. Though it never gets cold enough here in Oakland for anything to come close to freezing, I do want him to be comfortable. Would the pigeon supply houses offer some suitable heating options? 

I am prepared for babies, and also can replace the eggs with dummy eggs if need be. (I used to do that back east with the adult ferals I would take in for rehab/rescue). I don't mind messy and stinky. Did I mention I live with 3 tiny dogs?  

As for regular bathing.. Brooklyn is definitely a regular bather. It's keeping him OUT of my shower that causes arguments. I just hold him off long enough until all the shampoo and soap is washed away, then let him in with me and he goes to town splashing and carrying on in the tub under the shower for a good 5 to 10 minutes. I love when he lifts his wings to get his armpits!! He'll hop in the kitchen sink after I'm done washing dishes if he feels like it too, so maybe that would be a good time to use the salts you mentioned? Do any new birds need to be wormed or vaccinated or gosh, I don't know!! Anything like that? Should Brook be?

So now, would I do best to begin with a young lady or what? How do you know they will like each other? I've only ever dealt with pairing parrots before, and it's always a challenge. Some birds can be so picky. But do pigeons just fall in love with whomever is available? Since he is a feral blue bar, will he want a lady who looks similar or what? Considering Brooklyn sometimes tries to have relations with my slipper, could I be over thinking this?

Should I get a single hen off eggbid or find someone local who has birds I can see in person?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Kari Jo!

That looks like an awesome setup for Brooklyn! Is it available here in the U.S.? I think I saw that it was a company in the U.K. that made these though I have seen similar structures at a place here in Norco CA., and they are very, very nice .. but also a bit pricey!

There are soooooo many pigeons in need of homes .. would you consider adopting a girl for Brooklyn from here on Pigeon-Talk rather than buying one or perhaps getting one from a shelter? 

Terry


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## karijo (Apr 11, 2006)

Where have you seen them in CA? I'd love to have a look!! I don't mind if they are pricey, I really want him to be happy, safe, and comfortable. Can you give me more info?

As for adopting a pidgie... ALL of my animals are rescues so of COURSE I would love to adopt the "right" bird. I'd really like a young bird, so I can hopefully get her to be tame (I don't expect her to be nearly as tame as Brook, but getting a bird young enough to get used to the dogs and me would be ideal) I would have kept the little female in that last batch of foster squabbies but they were successfully released. I wouldn't want to keep one that could be set free. 

My biggest concern is Brook's health.
He was throughly vet checked when he was a baby (blood work ups and so on), and has never had lice or anything. I want to make sure whomever I bring into the family is healthy and safe for him.

Though, I wouldn't mind having one pair of "fancy" pigeons, and I think this set up would be big enough for 4 birds, no?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Well, this is the place in Norco that had the hutches with attached aviaries .. it wasn't as big as what you posted, but it was NICE .. give them a call: http://www.bandefeed.com/Main_Page.htm

As to getting a companion for Brook .. please just give it a little bit .. I'll bet the perfect one is either here already or comes along soon. I, personally, have a couple of candidates .. 

Terry


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## karijo (Apr 11, 2006)

I emailed them! Thanks!

And I am in no rush to get Brook's companion(s).
I need the outdoor coop set up first, then would like to get him a friend which I would quarantine for 45 days before introducing them. So no hurry here.

As I said, I would be interested in buying or adopting a pair of fancy pigeons in the future as well - I really love the Lahores, Old German Owls, Damascenes, Archangels and Felegyhaza tumblers!! I think it would be neat to have a pair of one of those in addition to Brook and whomever he ends up with.


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