# How do I live with indoor pigeons?



## Herp Lover (May 14, 2013)

When I got my pigeons I had a nice outdoor area for them but since we moved into my grandpas house when he died I brought my pigeons indoors with plans on moving them back outside when I built a coop for them. since my mom bought some baby chickens I thought that they could live together because I saw someone else that had them together so my dad built a great 8' tall chicken/pigeon pen with a coop for the chickens and was going to build boxes up high for the pigeons but the chickens peck at the pigeons. As soon as the pigeons get on the ground the chickens run up and peck at them so I am worried that they will wind up injuring or killing them. Since I have not been able to find a job here yet I can't afford to build another pen and the current one would not leave enough room for the chickens if we divided it so the pigeons have to stay inside for now. I have cockatiels so I am use to birds pooping all over the place but the pigeons have huge poops that they insist on leaving on my bed. I know that bedrooms are not good places for pigeons but The dogs would kill them if they were in any other room. I do have a air purifier in there and it helps a lot with the bird dust. My question is how do I keep poo off my bed and out of my rabbit's area while still letting the birds out of there cages?


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## Miss-Sassypants (Sep 25, 2010)

Aww, thank you for caring for the pigeons. Do your pigeons have names? If so, do share and upload photos of them.

Pigeons make such wonderful pets! I know cos I have one, and she lives in my room. Yup, we share the same bedroom and I'll be one of the best person to advice you on this, lol.

The dust, skin, feathers and poops comes with the little fella. I have mine in a cage (a cloth wired one) that is the size of half my room, so I basically have not much room to manoevour. Then again, Krikky (my bird) thinks the room is hers, and that I'm the refugee, lol.

For me, the most important thing is - control. You are the human - with more intelligence - and therefore you are IN CHARGE. That means, you control her movement, her poops, her hygiene, her feed, and most importantly, you MANAGE the pigeon's safety.

The cage, gives her PLENTY of room to exercise and fly about. I change the feed and water daily so I can keep track of her change in diet or the feed hygiene (sometimes Krikky poops in her water and refuse to drink it until I change it. When I do, she drinks in like she's been withholding her thirst for 12 hours!)

The cage also contains her movement - meaning, in the zipped-up cage, she is SAFE. SAFE from microwaves, safe from blades of fans, safe from staplers, safe from every possible danger in a human household. She is "caged up" when I am at work or out of the house. I prefer to be out there knowing that my pigeon is SAFE at home and not accidentally drowning in the bathroom, or something like that. Of course when I'm at home, which is most of the time cos I'm such a loser, my bird gets supervised free flight around the house. Because I am watching her, her safety is not compromised.

Thirdly, and perhaps least important (to me) is POOP CONTROL! we know pigeons are poop factory, so if she is "caged up" the poops are manageable. They are all contained in the cage - which I then clean (wash, change fresh towel, all the works) every week. So I know, rest assured, there are no "surprise poop" out there, especially on my face pillow, lol. When Krikky gets free flight, I arm myself with a mist spray, a roll of paper towels and plastic bag to catch her poop fresh from her bottom. So basically, the house is *****-and-span. My family don't accidentally step on poops and I don't get yelled at.

With this "management style", I'm happy and of course, Krikky is happy. She's laid 24 eggs already and a total spoilt princess. I talk to her all the time, and with her in my room, she sees me a lot, and she's not deprived of "flock communication". 

Of course caring for one pigeon is easy. But if you have some pigeons, and your room can accomodate them, I suggest doing this style. Trust me, it will be easier for you to manage, and with control, you'll have a peace of mind. No more surprise poops in bed, lol.

Here's a picture of my Krikky's cage if you need an idea how big it is. I believe the size can accomodate about 3-5 pigeons? I dunno...










Good luck! Keep us posted about your pigeons!

PS: She gets her supervised weekly bath in the bathroom of course (not in my room!) After 3 years, she's conditioned to know that "baths" are in the bathroom, lol.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Can you throw an old sheet over the bed when your birds are out for exercise? An old towel over the back of a chair works. Then when you put them back into cages, you just shake out the sheet and towel and save them for next time.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

1) 8' tall Coop ? Why can't you divide the existing Coop into a place for the Chickens and a place for the Pigeons ?

A Chicken coop need only be around 3-3.5 feet tall, assuming they get let out for some exercise during the day. By using a plywood floor surface set atop some cheap 2x4's which span the coop, you can create a separate enclosure inside the coop for the Pigeons. 

2) If they are to be inside and you give them a bedroom of their own, remove carpet or any other easily-staining material and either keep the plywood subfloor as a floor...or if the room has a nice floor (like hardwood) go buy some sheet vinyl remnants and put that over the floor. The notion is to create an easily cleansable floor surface.

Any Pigeon Furniture you keep in there should also be hard-surface, nothing soft or cushioned or stuffed...again, easier to clean.

It makes it was easier to have them in a room if you do this. A good air purifier is helpful, too, and also good ventilation (by that I mean more than ONE window in ONE wall...that won't do once the dander starts to settle...you really need a room with two different windows on two different walls.


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