# Newbie here.. Can chickens and pigeons share a space together?



## happybirdlady (Sep 25, 2011)

I am new to pigeons, so new I do not yet have one. I will have a bazillion questions but first I have to ask all of you experienced people if they will fit in with my chickens and live together?
I have always thought pigeons were beautiful and so peaceful and would be soft to touch.

My husband and I moved to a house with chicken coops and we have built a few new pens, all of which are large and under roof. The last pen we built is almost 2 story's. It has a huge oak tree growing up through the middle of it that we used chicken wire to carefully enclose around the tree no predators could get in.
I kept thinking it is to bad all of this upper space is going to go to waste, I wish there was some kind of bird or birds I could put in here with the chickens that could use this wonderful upper space.
We were at a chicken show yesterday and I stumbled upon some Indian fan tailed pigeons. I was totally smitten with them and wondered if they would be able to live with the chickens in the same pen. The woman selling them was nice but I only asked a few questions most were about handling them.
I came home and thought a lot about them and could it work?
It would be neat to bring a tree into the coop, one with no leaves but pretty branching, basically a dead tree. I could put a nest in there for them. Some kind of feeder that was hung from the tree that the chickens could not get to.
Well am I crazy??
My biggest concern would be would they fly out and be gone when we opened the door??
Will they go wild in a situation like that?? I want them to be tame and like me.
We live in NW central Florida so I assume the weather would be ok??
I will ask more later if you all think they could work.
I would appreciate any advice.......... Thanks so much........ Amy


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## jeff houghton (Jul 17, 2010)

not something i would do as chickens peck at everything but i think this question as been asked before so hopefullyb somebody can advise you.


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## sky tx (Mar 1, 2005)

Most pigeon do not keep chickens & pigeons together.
It Has been done --but you will have to be careful and watch them very close.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

happybirdlady said:


> I am new to pigeons, so new I do not yet have one. I will have a bazillion questions but first I have to ask all of you experienced people if they will fit in with my chickens and live together?
> I have always thought pigeons were beautiful and so peaceful and would be soft to touch.
> 
> My husband and I moved to a house with chicken coops and we have built a few new pens, all of which are large and under roof. The last pen we built is almost 2 story's. It has a huge oak tree growing up through the middle of it that we used chicken wire to carefully enclose around the tree no predators could get in.
> ...


Hi & welcome.
Good thing to ask questions so fire away.
Couple of points I'll say straight away -
Chicken wire - It will NOT stop predators. It will keep birds in, either chickens or pigeons, but it is not strong enough to stop predators, and once they get in, the birds cannot get out so the predators will run havock with them.
Trees/branches - Pigeons do not nest in trees. They are more at home on FLAT perches and ledges that mimic their oringinal natural habitat of cliffs.


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Not a good idea. I had a couple of chickens in my aviary with my pigeons. I moved them out as soon as I could get a coop built. There was never any problem with them going after the pigeons, but I got paratyphoid in my loft shortly thereafter. I didn't know it at the time, but chickens can be carriers of salmonella. Because my chickens were healthy, the possibility didn't occur to me. Now I would never house them together.

Margaret


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I would not put fantails in with chickens.. not only because of the disease transfer but because that breed are not very good flyers and they could get picked on by the chickens.. flying breeds that can have a place to perch away from the chickens I have heard people keeping them with the chickens in a large coop..but still IMO... even then I would not do it.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I understand your wanting to put them in together, but it really isn't a good idea. Yes, they can share disease, unfortunately. And although the dead tree idea sounds charming, pigeons don't really like perching that way. They like a nice flat shelf or something to perch on. And especially fantails. They are a bit more clumsy than a smaller and differently built pigeon, so would have a harder time trying to balance on a branch. Also, chickens will go after anything, and fantails spend a lot of time on the ground. 

I know you believe that chicken wire will keep out predators, but raccoons have easily torn through it to get at birds, and will kill everyone. Also, you may not realize that rats are predators, and will kill your birds, but they will. They can get through chicken wire. And mice can easily go through it. If they get in, which they will, they can spread salmonella/Paratyphoid to your birds. Make them very sick and many can die.

I understand that it would be nice to look at, and it sounds like a nice idea, but sorry to say that it wouldn't be a good thing to do, for either you or the birds. 

A Separate loft with an aviary for the birds, one where you can watch them, and maybe interact with them would be a great idea. Just not together.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Jay3 said:


> Also, chickens will go after anything, and fantails spend a lot of time on the ground.


Yeah, I was terrified of my aunt's chickens as a child after seeing them eat a large toad.  Poor little guy.


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