# How to build pigeon nest in cage?



## Silvarrior (Oct 23, 2016)

I have two pigeons which are a male and female. I got about two weeks ago and now I think the hen is going to lay. But I don't know anything about pigeon laying. Do pigeons need a bowl or something in which to lay or any soft flooring will do? Do they only lay in a private space (I mean covered on all sides) where they won't be seen? You can see the little white shelter I have created in the cage. Will my hen lay in there( though I have never seen her go inside it) or does she require a special setup? Please reply


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Lovely birds! Would try what Sandy 68 suggested. We give ours straw pieces as they are easily available.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Just put the dog dish, or a box without the top covered. A wooden box would be good, as it can't be tipped over, or one of those dog dishes that splay out at the bottom so that it won't tip. Don't put the straw in the nest. Place it in the enclosure and let them collect it and build their own nest. That's important to them to be able to put it together the way they want to. Give them enough to make a nice deep nest so that the babies have a soft nest to grow in. You don't want them sitting on the bottom of the dish or box, as they can get splayed leg if growing on a hard or slippery surface. They need lots of nesting material under them. They also need to be able to grab onto it (like straw), to keep their feet under them when the parents sit on them, because the weight of the parents can also cause the legs to splay out if they don't have anything to grab onto. 
They also need a calcium/D3 supplement, such as CalciVet or similar.


----------



## sandy68 (Jun 26, 2016)

Deleted by sandy


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Fiona just lays her eggs in a very very shallow large ceramic bowl maybe six or eight inches across. Sometimes she just curls up newspapers and I give her straw and she makes a nest.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

sandy68 said:


> *If you give them a box with the top uncovered as JAY3 suggests they may get in and not be able to get back out .*Would be better if you used a 3" x1" piece of wood and made a tray 9"×9" cover the base with ply put some holes in it for air circulation ...However the wide based dog bowl would be perfectly fine with or without the cardboard box .these are made of plastic cheap to aquire in most supermarkets you can put holes in the base easily , also they are used quite a lot by fanciers as they are easy to keep clean ...
> all the very best.
> sandy


Why would they not be able to get back out because there is no cover over it? The box in the pic they posted is a small covered area. I was suggesting not covering it. It would be open. It would be an open box. Very easy to get in and out of.


----------



## sandy68 (Jun 26, 2016)

Deleted
sandy


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

The box only needs to be about 3 or 4 inches high. You of course wouldn't use a tall box that they couldn't get out of. Wood is better than cardboard because they do perch on the side of it, and you don't want it to be tipped over.
The enclosure you have them in is a bit too open for them to feel comfortable. It would help if you could close up one end, to give them more privacy and help to keep them warmer in the cold weather. Like covering the end with wood rather than screen.


----------



## sandy68 (Jun 26, 2016)

Deleted by
sandy


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

sandy68 said:


> Cardboard is cheap easy to hand and easily disposed off , and provides shelter seclusion everything thats needed ..enough of this pettiness ...
> all the best
> sandy


Sandy........drop the attitude. I was trying to advise the poster, and not talking to you. Sorry if you view someones elses advice as being petty, but I see it as being helpful. Guess it's all in ones attitude.

The cardboard box that you show in the enclosure is too lightweight. A box like that will tip over and also be difficult for them to perch on. They do perch on the edge a lot while feeding. So you want it to be sturdy.

As far as the advice to close one end of the enclosure with wood, well that just makes for a better enclosure. They don't like it totally open. They like an area where they can go that is closed off. If kept inside somewhere, it does give them more privacy, and if outside, it keeps they safer from the weather, or being scared by predators. Most have an enclosed loft or area where they can go, and then the open area to come out in. Having just the open area doesn't make them feel as secure.


----------



## sandy68 (Jun 26, 2016)

Deleted
by sandy


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Please guys we are all here for the love of pigeons. We don't have to all agree all the time. Am wondering how the birds are doing making their nest. They are pretty birds. Fiona is getting ready to lay eggs again and is using a wad of newspaper, not any bowls or boxes given. Lucy put her eggs in a pile of straw on newspaper.


----------



## sandy68 (Jun 26, 2016)

Deleted by 
sandy


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Have heard of pigeons making nests in all kinds of places. A box of nails is one of the strangest. But pigeons are quite inventive.


----------



## sandy68 (Jun 26, 2016)

Deleted by
sandy


----------



## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

sandy68 said:


> JAY3
> Seems to me that the one with an attitude is yourself ....
> you have consistently blah blah or boo hoo'd my posts grow up whats up did you loose your dummy again ?get back in your pram .


Sandy, no need of such insulting language for anyone who is trying to help. We all are here to help, our opinions may vary tho. We should respect everyone. Stay to the topic without such obscene language. I will close this thread if it continues.


----------



## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Sandy, we all know what causes offense. In this forum we all are here to help and this is for the sake of our love for birds. So why to just stick to our opinion and quote others as wrong. I understand you too try to help and I honor that. We all are here being something in common which is we love pigeons. The benefit of being on this site is satisfaction of being helpful to birds and their owners and what can be better to help someone in need. 
Hope you will understand what I mean to say. We have to be respectful to everyone and work to help birds and their people in need.
You can pm me if any other clarification needed. 
Thank you.


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

So how are the birds doing?


----------



## Silvarrior (Oct 23, 2016)

Guys sorry for the late reply I had been super busy. Anyway I used a perfect sized and shaped plastic bucket for them and put some fresh soil and a plastic sheet in it. I also got them a pigeon feed. Since this post is so old, I have posted the pictures and detail of how the pigeons are living now as a separate post. Please check it out and give me your views on anything more I need to do.


----------

