# Dog Dish Next Bowls & Coconut Fiber Nest Pads Update



## johnnyksspeedshop (Oct 12, 2007)

Hello all, I couldnt find the original post to update, so I posted the old post below. I just wanted to update you on the nest bowls and pads. This week was very cold, -18F with a -30F windchill one day. Anyway, just letting you know that despite the cold my first pair of 2012 young hatched today with no other nesting material besides the coconut nest pad. I also dont use any artificial lights, and my pigeons wont hesitate to breed. Just thought an update would be nice on how this combination held the warmth. Now the parents have the next step of raising the young. Here is the old post I made:


Hello fanciers, i'm sure many of you have heard about or use the plastic dog dishes as nest bowls. They can be found for just over a dollar a piece, and are very stable. I've been using these bowls for awhile along with hay as nesting material. Although the nests are nice, the loft looks very messy with the birds dragging hay all over the place. You also do not know if there are any types of bugs hiding in this type of nesting material. Anyway, i'm not fond of ordering materials over the internet and having them shipped here, and often cant wait for something to arrive because I have procrastinated too long. Well, I wanted to find a different nesting material that is a little more appealing to the eye and makes cleaning a little easier. I needed something that would provide traction to prevent splayed legs as the plastic these dog bowls are made of are slippery, but I also live in Minnesota and need something that retains heat well. While looking around my yard for ideas, I noticed that my neighbor, an avid gardener, had hanging flower baskets, and holding everything in was a fiber mat of some sort. I immediately headed down to the local garden store (Linders), and found that they sold this fiber in mat, and it was coconut fiber. So I bought a decent sized sheet of it, cut one circle so it perfectly fit the bottom of the nest bowl, and traced its outline repeatedly on the rest of the fiber mat, and cut out a whole bunch of them. Anyway, they have worked out great so far. Here are some pictures:


























As you can see (dont mind the mess), the bowls are a great size because the young can easily deposite their droppings outside of the nest bowl, keeping their feathers and bottom clean.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

everything looks hunckydory!


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## johnnyksspeedshop (Oct 12, 2007)

Thank you!


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## November-X-Scourge (May 12, 2011)

Those are some killer cute babies! I just wanna hug them!!!!!   I like that idea too, the coconut... maybe, when mine have some squabs (*IF EVER BECAUSE I HAVE 1 POSSIBLE FEMME AND 5 MALES!!!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!*) I'll do that!


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## orock (Mar 28, 2011)

Looks Good where did you get the coconut fiber in sheets.


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## johnnyksspeedshop (Oct 12, 2007)

Thank you Elisabeth, dont worry, you will get some young!
Orock, I got the sheets from a local garden store called Linders.
Here is a pic I took today of the father on the newly hatched 2012 young:


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## Aliens down under (Jan 9, 2014)

Hi, do you drill holes in your dog dishes?


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Hi Aliens down under,
They look great as nesting materials. Good thing they're easy to clean.

Have you tried sitting on the sheet(with not thick clothes)? May sound stupid but they pinch when you sit on them. So may it hurt the delicate squabs? Is it only the coconut fibre they are made up of or they have jute fibre mixed in them too cuz ya! jute is the one that pinches like a tiny needle! Owwww!


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## Aliens down under (Jan 9, 2014)

Thanks will check.


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## flight (Dec 29, 2011)

What size are the dog bowls?


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## Aliens down under (Jan 9, 2014)

Bowls to be purchased. What size do you suggest?


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## Rod Hultquist (Aug 23, 2009)

great idea. thanks for sharing.


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