# breeding cages



## mill pigeon (Apr 2, 2008)

i'm wanting to build 4 breeding cages and i'm looking for some ideas
has anyone used those rabbit cages they sell at the feed store?


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

we use my dad's old rabbit cages
It's not the best, but good enough for separating birds, breeding, things like that

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/BirdsOfAFeatherLofts/Lofts and Cages/pigeonlofts002.jpg
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/...Cages/?action=view&current=pigeonlofts005.jpg [there's three in a row, so we stuffed empty feed bags between them so each pair wouldn't be distracted by their neighbors. fancy, I know  ]

We really need to tear down the white cages and build something new. They look horrible.


As long as the rabbit cages you find have enough space for a pair, they should work. Also make sure any wire is small, like 1/4 hardware cloth. A hawk actually hit the front of that white cage so fast, it was able to reach through the wire and injured one of my birds. We didn't think that would happen, but it did, so we covered the wire with another layer of smaller stuff. Other things could get in too if you're not careful. Black snakes are bad about getting through chicken wire and eating babies/eggs. Of course it takes a while before they can get back through....

Now you won't have to learn the hard way like we did


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## mill pigeon (Apr 2, 2008)

does anyone else have some ideas for breeding cages?
how many of you breed from a loft with nest boxes and do you like it better then cages?


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## bigislerollers (Jan 20, 2008)

Here are some pics of my individual breeding pens that I made this year. 8 pens, 3' x 3' x 4 1/2' each.


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## warriec (Feb 2, 2007)

The rabbit cage ones look sad and the white ones look good but expensive.

Remember pigeons are versatile and will breed almost in any condition. You need to look at it in a more detailed way.

firstly, you do you want to breed seperately? Its more work.

then, if you have the same breed you can opt putting few pairs in a cage?

pls give us more details on your reason why you want 4 cages


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## Pigeon0446 (Apr 22, 2007)

I have two bigger breeding coops (8x14 & 10x16) with nest boxes then I have a few small single pair breeding pens which I use for special pairs or older pairs that really can't get out of the coop window into the dayscreen anymore. The small pens are more work but they are better because you know who the parents are. In the big lofts even though they are sectioned off more then one pair is mixed together and you never know which cock actually got to the hen.


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## mill pigeon (Apr 2, 2008)

warriec said:


> The rabbit cage ones look sad and the white ones look good but expensive.
> 
> Remember pigeons are versatile and will breed almost in any condition. You need to look at it in a more detailed way.
> 
> ...


i have 2 real good pairs of breeders and want to use 2 pairs of pumpers so i can raise as many as i can but later on i want to build some more after i raise some racers that i consider good enough to breed


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## bigislerollers (Jan 20, 2008)

One thing I really like about the individual pens, besides knowing for sure who the parents are, is that it's easy to switch mates in the middle of the season if you want.


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## laughingdog (Jun 14, 2011)

curious about what pumpers are, if are not foster parents soley raising babies, as well as about switching pairs in middle of season??? i cant figure out how to post new topix.. and so asking on old ones.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

bigislerollers said:


> Here are some pics of my individual breeding pens that I made this year. 8 pens, 3' x 3' x 4 1/2' each.


Have you ever had a breeder get past you while cleaning out these types of cages ?


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## bigislerollers (Jan 20, 2008)

SmithFamilyLoft said:


> Have you ever had a breeder get past you while cleaning out these types of cages ?


Aloha Warren,
Yes, I had a breeder hen fly out over my head once. Fortunately, all my birds are settled here and or raised by me so I did not lose her. I have since added a sort of curtain hanging about 1/2 way down the opening of the doorway to keep that from happening again. So far it has worked.

"curious about what pumpers are, if are not foster parents soley raising babies, as well as about switching pairs in middle of season??? i cant figure out how to post new topix.. and so asking on old ones."

Laughingdog, pumpers are foster parents. Their job is to raise the young of the breeders. In my breeding program I like to put the birds on different mates. It helps me find out who the good breeders are and I also get 1/2 brothers and 1/2 sisters quicker by switching mates around during the season. I like to get about 3 rounds off a pair and then switch them around.


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## laughingdog (Jun 14, 2011)

wow, all great info thanks! now how do you match up the fosters to take the eggs or chicks of the others you want, just try to time nesting, laying, and chick sizes, or will some fosters just take care of any egg/baby any time its put by them? wondering as having to go over to friend's myself when he is not home alot, to check for roller eggs myself so no one/thing else keeps taking to eat etc.. as he or someone will see for day or two then the one or two eggs keep getting eaten by chickens, and family, and im wondering how many eggs the hen can keep trying to make before the pair just leave again like they did for days after each time nests were destroyed, and they stay gone longer each time, but last time were lured in with food when going past and caught and put in coop with chickens till they nested again, but in the new nest box, which is also been raided now three of four times. so will the birds just stop laying or stop sticking around if eggs keep getting destroyed and nest with it, or will the hen just still stay there and try to nest over and over???? i was going to try to get two to three pairs of eggs for my doves to foster, maybe my new "rollers" as well (they are well over twice the size of the rollers friend has, one has fan tail, they have huge puffy throats and furry feet, and both huge dark irises and pupils, unlike the rollers which only have one eye each like that, though the guy says they roll, also two are young seeming as still squeakers, and might have pair of adults with them), but curious how to or if i can get these of mine to foster eggs or chicks, if they havent been nesting or laying yet... ???


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## bigislerollers (Jan 20, 2008)

laughingdog said:


> now how do you match up the fosters to take the eggs or chicks of the others you want, just try to time nesting, laying, and chick sizes, or will some fosters just take care of any egg/baby any time its put by them? wondering as having to go over to friend's myself when he is not home alot, to check for roller eggs myself so no one/thing else keeps taking to eat etc.. as he or someone will see for day or two then the one or two eggs keep getting eaten by chickens, and family, and im wondering how many eggs the hen can keep trying to make before the pair just leave again like they did for days after each time nests were destroyed, and they stay gone longer each time, but last time were lured in with food when going past and caught and put in coop with chickens till they nested again, but in the new nest box, which is also been raided now three of four times. so will the birds just stop laying or stop sticking around if eggs keep getting destroyed and nest with it, or will the hen just still stay there and try to nest over and over????


First thing you need to do is to make sure the pigeons have a safe place to nest. You mentioned that the chickens were eating the eggs. Are you sure its the chickens and not some rats, snakes or other type of animals? If the pigeons nest keeps getting damaged I wouldn't be surpised if the pair just took off and found a safer place to live.
For timing the foster/breeders eggs. The timetable I use is if the breeders eggs are laid up to 7 days *before* the fosters or up to 2 days *after* the fosters have laid, you should have no problem switching the eggs and having the fosters raise the young. I always keep a container of Kaytee Exact, baby feeding formula handy just in case I have to handfeed a squeaker for a couple days.


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## laughingdog (Jun 14, 2011)

thanks, i keep the exact fresh around also (my exotics decided its a second spring so needing to sell lovebirds,cockatiels,budgies,and zebra finches in future, as some are spoken for already, but babies will be abundant). i tried feeding my pidgy when it was younger, but it didnt like it and went back by foster mom for her food, though loved the chick feed. it was the chickens and people eating eggs mostly, but were raccoons and other things as well befor redid cage with him to make better, now just the people and hens. his hen has gone suddenly super broody and protective, and was attacking me from new nesting spot, how long till first and second egg, and if i were to take the first egg i only one, or both if layed by time i get there and nothing eaten, will they just keep laying like my doves do? would be better to take the one, and she will just keep laying, or would she stop if there were already two and i took both? ive seen the eggs in there, but left them, and they soon got devoured by someone or thing. he was saying about putting a lock on to keep family and neighbor children out, but think his hens as can get into nest will just kill and or eat the babies even if they stopped eating eggs.
anyway to keep them out, as ive been suggesting alternative ideas like fencing/netting off area, or making other nest somewere else. they are in super shape it seems though now, the sheen on them makes you not even hardly notice the red of male, and black of female. any ideas of what would the offspring look like, as i was thinking both colors, but just realized theyd be mixed together or something? would it be possible and any tips, to get them to keep laying if i want to keep taking eggs to foster or incubate, or how many would she lay before would give up for season? i think took sixteen eggs from my dove either just the first time of continous laying, then just the eight (two in each nest, that were all but one that might notve been fertile or incubated enough after begining.. not sure how that many happened).


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