# Nestboxes~ Can babies fall out???



## aussiegirl (Feb 24, 2008)

As i am a chicken breeder and am very new to pigeons, I wonder about the safety of nestboxes.
Dont the young ones fall out????? please forgive my ignorance, but it goes way against my chook nesting theories.
Chooks nest on the floor for safety reasons for the chicks.
How do pigeon chicks cope with the height?
I have a mumma pidge sitting on her 2 eggs in a nestbox attached to the wall 5 feet high. What now??will they be ok up there?
Just a thought!!!


----------



## Grim (Jul 28, 2007)

They naturally nest on cliffs or in caves. The babies will sit tight for the most part until they can fly. They will move around before then but mine in particular stick to the backs of the boxes, and they understand what a drop is and won't jump out until they can fly. (assuming no other cock bird forces them out). Thats why having plenty of boxes is necessary.


----------



## aussiegirl (Feb 24, 2008)

Thankyou Grim, that makes sense now!!


----------



## eric98223 (Aug 4, 2007)

Grim said:


> They naturally nest on cliffs or in caves. The babies will sit tight for the most part until they can fly. They will move around before then but mine in particular stick to the backs of the boxes, and they understand what a drop is and won't jump out until they can fly. (assuming no other cock bird forces them out). Thats why having plenty of boxes is necessary.


yeah grim where were you when i built my first nestboxes?? lol i attached them to the studs in my loft with no backs (not thinking because the old birds could not fit ) a baby fell through the back down one level and got cut a little by the mesh. i felt terrible!! baby was ok quickly and is all better now, i have never to my knowledge had one fall out the front of a box. they seem to know that it is a place to avoid. i usually set my babies on the floor when they start filling in under the wings usually 3-4 weeks old ..


----------



## Grim (Jul 28, 2007)

Well at least he was ok. Good point though even small gaps can lead to the death of a young bird.


----------



## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

Does this mean that I have been installing barrier boards for no reason? Here I worry and put up little boards across the fronts, going to the trouble of using hinges so I can open and clean in there easily, all so the babies can't stumble out the fronts of their boxes and fall to their plump little deaths...only now I find out they're too smart for that


----------



## Grim (Jul 28, 2007)

It can't hurt though better to be safe then sorry.


----------



## warriec (Feb 2, 2007)

1 in 20 babies fall out of there nest box. each of my nest box have a 3 inch ledge. its rare and you should not worry much


----------



## Snowbird Sue (Dec 31, 2007)

Yes, they do fall out of the nest. I have had it happen to me.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

The only babies I've ever had "fall" out of the nest, didn't actually fall but were pushed off of the perch that serves as the door on some of my boxes. By the time they are old enough to start wondering around in the box, they can, even if they DO fall, flap their wings good enough to break the fall. It's instinctual. Barriers certainly don't hurt and are a good thing to have "just in case". My individual breeding pens just have shelves with no barrier and I've never had a baby fall off of them. The main problem would be, *IF they do *fall, fly, jump, get pushed,......whatever, they are stuck on the floor as they can't get back to their box.


----------



## Snowbird Sue (Dec 31, 2007)

Baby pigeons do fall out of the nest. They don't have to be pushed, but sometimes if they get brave, and sit on the edge, they can fall out, and they don't need to be pushed.


----------



## jojo67 (Jul 14, 2007)

i have them enclosed so they can't fall out if hey get pushed are whatever, but i was thinking if you had'nt the fronts, another cock could get to them easy and maybe do harm. at least with the closed front it gives the young a bit of protection when the parents birds are out of the nest. I would be afraid of them falling too if had'nt the fronts. as lovebirds said if one fell out onto the floor it would'nt be able to get back to the nest, it would only take a minute for another bird to do harm if the fall did'nt.


----------



## Snowbird Sue (Dec 31, 2007)

jojo67 said:


> i have them enclosed so they can't fall out if hey get pushed are whatever, but i was thinking if you had'nt the fronts, another cock could get to them easy and maybe do harm. at least with the closed front it gives the young a bit of protection when the parents birds are out of the nest. I would be afraid of them falling too if had'nt the fronts. as lovebirds said if one fell out onto the floor it would'nt be able to get back to the nest, it would only take a minute for another bird to do harm if the fall did'nt.


Yes, the first time my birds set, I didn't have the "nest boxes".... I was quite misinformed, and only used a nest with straw. Poor little guy didn't have his "wings" at the time.  Now, I have the nest boxes, with the nest inside, and the babies can't fall "out" of them. BUT, in a regular "nest", on a shelf, they sure do. I guess we have to learn by our mistakes.


----------



## aussiegirl (Feb 24, 2008)

Snowbird Sue said:


> Yes, the first time my birds set, I didn't have the "nest boxes".... I was quite misinformed, and only used a nest with straw. Poor little guy didn't have his "wings" at the time.  Now, I have the nest boxes, with the nest inside, and the babies can't fall "out" of them. BUT, in a regular "nest", on a shelf, they sure do. I guess we have to learn by our mistakes.


Have your nestboxes got the opening at the top?,
Mine are now 3 weeks old and getting really feathered out. Their box is 4ft high to guard against rats etc. Im worried about them not being able to get back up if they fall out or when they first fly down to floor.
Im not going to move the nest down for fear of the parents abandoning them.
Perhaps if i build a ledge underneath the box so they can have a broken fall?


----------



## Pigeon lower (Oct 23, 2007)

i have a full box only open in the front and it has a bar across about a inch off sorta so they can not get over it and parents to roost on it


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

aussiegirl said:


> Have your nestboxes got the opening at the top?,
> Mine are now 3 weeks old and getting really feathered out. Their box is 4ft high to guard against rats etc. Im worried about them not being able to get back up if they fall out or when they first fly down to floor.
> Im not going to move the nest down for fear of the parents abandoning them.
> Perhaps if i build a ledge underneath the box so they can have a broken fall?


If the babies purposely fly down to the floor, they can fly back up. However, IF they fall out (which rarely happens) or get pushed out (more likely) then they will flap their wings to break the fall instinctively, but may not be able to get back up that high. Depends on the bird.
I take my babies off of the shelves and put them in the floor every day and pick them up at night. One day, I did this, went out to the loft a little while later and this 26 day old baby was on the shelf. I thought maybe I forgot to put her in the floor, so I put her in the floor. A little while later, I go out again and she's BACK ON THE SHELF!! She could fly pretty darn good at such an early age. Most however, can't or don't do that.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I saw these and they looked like a simple thing to do.


----------



## aussiegirl (Feb 24, 2008)

Thankyou for those comments.
I went out and put a 2 foot wide shelf under the nestbox about 1 foot below it just in case. I use prevention rather than cure for everything!
Now this is the first night that a parent hasnt stayed with them.
I hope i havent done the wrong thing, they may not have liked the ledge???
They are 3 weeks old now, ive put some pine shavings around them to keep the warmth in, its getting frosty here in Australia,
Ill keep watch tommorrow morning to check that they are being fed.
I think a parent has laid an egg in the adjoining box!! which is probably why they arent bunking in with the squabs?
This is my first set of squeakers/squabs so im learning every day,
Ask me about chickens and ill be an eggspert!!!


----------



## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

TheSnipes said:


> *Does this mean that I have been installing barrier boards for no reason?*
> *Here I worry and put up little boards across the fronts, going to the trouble of using hinges so I can open and clean in there easily, all so the babies can't stumble out the fronts of their boxes and fall *to their plump little deaths...only now I find out they're too smart for that


I think precautions are great. Better to be safe than sorry.

My set up is different than most. I don't have a loft, rather an aviary. Even though Dolly & Dumpling had plenty of room to venture, I worried that they would take that extra step & walk right over the side.

I realize they aren't baby, babies in this photo, but the fear factor of them walking off the side & not being able to get back up got the best of me. 
I placed a little 'fence', if you will, around their 'play' area. It worked great. When they would approach the edge & saw, or touched, the fence they moved back.  

Cindy


----------



## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

aussiegirl said:


> Thankyou for those comments.
> I went out and put a 2 foot wide shelf under the nestbox about 1 foot below it just in case. I use prevention rather than cure for everything!
> Now this is the first night that a parent hasnt stayed with them.
> I hope i havent done the wrong thing, they may not have liked the ledge???
> ...


Yes they are thinking about their next eggs already so will not sit the others 24/7 anymore. Be prepared to hand feed if needed, you might have disturbed the parents by the extra construction activity. Weigh your squabs to make sure they are gaining, not losing weight now that the parents are 'busy elsewhere'.


----------



## aussiegirl (Feb 24, 2008)

Thankyou yes i did go and have a look and sure enough i think it spooked the parents so i took it back down and they began to feed them straight away.
So ive Learnt that lesson!!
Should i put some feed and water dishes up there??? or leave it till they can fly down themselves?
Sorry
Thanks
Helen


----------



## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

There's no harm in leaving those young ones on the floor, the parents will still feed them while they get busy with a new round of eggs, just place some water and a small feed dish on the floor, then show them where it's at, use the "kiss"
principle ( Keep It So Simple ) works for most things!


----------



## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

I place a small "fence" about four inches high across the front of the nest box. I also place feed and water in the box so that the parents have an easy time to get feed. The fence works as a barrier to other snoopy birds, makes it easier for the parents to defend the nest, and acts as a safety factor in case the babies get out of the nest one way or another. Later when they do jump the nest they have food and water right there. They can observe the parents and start pecking at seeds till they are weaned.

Margaret


----------



## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

I have to wonder? did everyone just forget about nest fronts, or if you built without you must have planned for this sort of thing?


----------



## aussiegirl (Feb 24, 2008)

I have a front on mine which is only 1 1/2 inches high. 
The nestbox came with the birds when i first got them a few months ago.
This is my very first time breeding.
The squabs are wanting to get out, i can see it in their eyes!!!
They are standing right at the edge. I guess id love to put them down on floor however i dont want to spook parents again and end up feeding them myself.
I guess if they did go down there they would need a comfy spot to sleep too.
Im already handfeeding a 3 week old squeaker!!


----------

