# !!!! Help !!!!



## jafacanyan (Jul 17, 2013)

hello, i have always been interested in owning a couple of pigeons, but was always worried about being able to keep them at my house. i was wondering if there are any laws on keeping pigeons at your home any spacial requirements. also i have 3 kids at home was worried about my kids getting sick like bird flu or other illnesses past from birds.


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## Animals for less (Jul 16, 2013)

Hey there..

Don't worry about your children getting sick. Generally wash your hands after cleaning and handling yoi should be fine. Check with your local government or city. I know in my forner city irvine, ca they allowed up to 6 birds. But u can always get a couple pairs . So long as your not flying them and them pooping on your neighbors roof you should be fine. Also you can register and post a wanred add for free on my site for birds. Www.animalsforless.com . Good luck !


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Good for you, Jafacanyan.

There is an adoption section here as well. Rather than go buy a domestic bred Pigeon, I would urge you to consider that there are tons of rescued Pigeons which for one reason or another are not releasable. They may have been Homers or Tipplers or Rollers who's owners cannot be found (or who do not want them anymore), or Ferals who were injured and nursed back to health but due to their injury cannot be returned to the Feral world, or even King Pigeons which someone rescued from a butcher shop thinking they could just let them go afterward.

Any of these examples, and many more, make wonderful companion birds, given love and care and time.

Contrary to most public belief, Pigeons are not disease-carrying vermin. The vast majority of Pigeon illnesses are confined to their species only...most do not even transfer to other bird species, and even fewer to mammals.

So they are no more of a health risk than any other companion animal. It is up to every owner to upkeep a good, clean and healthy environment for them, of course.

With that said, if you are going to get one or a few....locate an Avian vet near you and when they arrive, get a checkup and some typical tests...just like you would a wellness exam for a dog or cat, really. You will need to have a vet who is familiar with Avians handy. A yearly check-up is always a good idea and in the event of injury or accident, one generally needs to move FAST on getting birds to the vet (as opposed to larger mammals, where oftentimes one can observe the situation for a half-day or day before determining whether a doc is needed).

Oh, yes....they can live and interact fine as indoor pets. Some people do half-indoor, half-outdoor by setting up an outdoor aviary/loft/flight where they can spend some time when the weather is good.

Regarding laws...if you are adept at checking local or state codes online, see if you can find a site where you can search and then type in "Pigeons" or "Pet Pigeon".

OR, you can call down to city or county hall and start by asking there. You want to phrase it along the lines of: "Hi...are there any rules or codes or limits to the keeping of tame, hand-raised domestic Pigeons or Doves ? Is there a code/department which addresses that ?"

Depending on where you live, it may be a health code, a municipal (civil) code, an animal welfare code, etc.

Very few places flat-out forbid it...many places do have number limits and space restrictions....

Welcome to the Forum !


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Please, tell us a bit more about your home situation. What area of MI do you live in ? We have several MI members here...

How would you see setting things up for your feathered pals, etc ?

How old are the kids ? Is the usual situation that everyone is out of the house between 9 and 5, give or take ? Do you have other pets ?

Stuff like that


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## jafacanyan (Jul 17, 2013)

I would like to thank you both for the replys, I live in fair haven michigan, my kids are 3 years old, and a 7 month old, they do play in the yard, I don't think the kids would be of any harm to the birds. My older son wanted me to buy him a pair of dove he saw at the pet shop. I also have been into bird at a very young age, My uncle that live in belgium is a breeder of turkish tumblers, hence the reason I figured I rather buy pigeons. Also if you can send me a link to the adoption section. Thanks


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Hello.

That sounds nice. Not so much concerned about the kids harming the birds, was just curious.

So your uncle is a Pigeon guy ? That's cool. Did you ever participate in taking care of his loft ???

Would you be setting up a loft in the yard or something, or would you be housing them inside (in your house, in cages etc) ?

Would you be flying them, or just keeping them as pets/companion birds ?

The adoption section is here:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f10/

You wanna try to avoid having birds shipped; it is preferable to actually go meet the seller and pick them up in person. A lotta folks ship birds, but it is really stressful on 'em, and there are more than the fair share of stories of tragedy resulting.

Certainly in your area, within a reasonable drive you can probably find some which need a good home, if you are a bit patient.


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## jafacanyan (Jul 17, 2013)

yes I think I would in the yard, but really can't find much info. getting a loft or really where would I even find all the item i would need to own pigeon, info is hard to find one pigeon keeping. I guess I need to find someone with experience in michigan which I have no luck with yet


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Well, a loft can be built by any decent carpenter as long as he has some rough plans to go by. I would not recommend the prefabricated lofts, they are actually more expensive than having a carpenter build one from scratch.

A while back I made a thread showing a quick and easy (and cheap and sturdy) design which could be built by any reasonably experienced handyman or carpenter.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f10/

This is for a 4x8 up to an 8x8 enclosure, anywhere from 5'-8' tall.... Any construction guy would be able to read those plan sketches and give you a ballpark estimate.

They can vary in size, lofts....but if your intention is to keep a pair of Pigeons in the loft all the time, then the bigger the better. If you would allow them inside the house maybe once daily or every other day for an hour or two of free-flying and exploring, than the outdoor enclosure can be smaller. Personally, I think both for the Pigeons and yourself, it is nice to bring them in the house regularly, even if it is just for an hour a day... so they can bond with the family. They will be more interactive that way. I am assuming here you are aiming for Pet Pigeons as opposed to Flyers.

You should investigate the nearest Avian Vet to you. Probably get them a wellness check-up when you finally get them. Always good to have a vet on hand.

As far as supplies, these can be ordered online. There are a few national supply places which are popular. Jedd's, Foy's, and Seigel are three often used ones. There are others, too.

Take your time, have fun investigating. There is a Lofts section here on the Forum with lots of fun photos of what people have done.


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## jafacanyan (Jul 17, 2013)

Thank You Jaye you have been great help, No they will be flyers i would love to get both my kids and watch one day


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

If they would be Flyers, there's a lotta boning up to do  But in that case, an outdoor loft is probably the ticket.

Before you get too attached to the idea, if you are considering flying 'em... you may wanna contact your local town/city and ask if there are any codes or ordinances regarding the keeping of a Pigeon loft.

You also might wanna browse around this section for ideas and resources:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f14/


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## WestofSummerville (Jun 10, 2012)

Your yard? Do you have a back yard? That's we're I build my loft, and tumblers don't like to be restrained, but yeah, a yard would be a great place, and depending on the breed you get, you can let your pigeons free fly, or stay cooped up, or in this case, lofted up. And I live in the middle of a neighborhood, pretty much. Crows keep falcons from touching our chickens and pigeons...good luck


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Jaye said:


> *Well, a loft can be built by any decent carpenter as long as he has some rough plans to go by. I would not recommend the prefabricated lofts, they are actually more expensive than having a carpenter build one from scratch.*
> 
> *Well now........that all depends on what you have him build, and on his rates. LOL.*
> 
> ...


..............................................................................................


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## jafacanyan (Jul 17, 2013)

I am not very handy, so will be ordering one, I really can't find any pigeon lofts on the web i have been find more chicken coops, anyone that might know of a web site please send me a link thanks!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I think it would just be better to buy a small shed, and add what you need to make it a good place for them. They do come in all different sizes. Something you can walk into is much easier to tame them and interact with them. Because you can go in and close the door, you don't need to worry about them flying away. A hutch or something makes it very difficult to handle them or do anything.


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## jafacanyan (Jul 17, 2013)

Thank you all for your reply's!


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

jafacanyan said:


> I am not very handy, so will be ordering one, I really can't find any pigeon lofts on the web i have been find more chicken coops, anyone that might know of a web suite please send me a link thanks!


As I noted earlier, it is really much cheaper to just find a cragslist carpenter and have them build one from scratch. I believe I gave you the the link which has plans for the framing and roof for one, so right there it is 66% done and any carpenter should be able to give you a quote for it.

Do not buy prefabs, they are expensive and rarely are they well-designed.

Alternative, as Jay3 says, is to just buy a wood shed and alter it to work as a loft space.


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## jafacanyan (Jul 17, 2013)

Yes, I have been in contact with a handy men, I did check out some prefabs, they all had bad reviews thank you again Jaye, you have been my go to guy. I cant wait to get everything to gather!!!!


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Keep us posted..I envy you, I remember how fun it was when I built mine (or rather, had a carpenter build it for me !)


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## jafacanyan (Jul 17, 2013)

This is week is a big week, I start building, and my new babies will come in on Thursday


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## jafacanyan (Jul 17, 2013)

the loft is done, and the baby's have arrived these baby's look real good, I can wait to start training and flying them see how they perform, will keep updating with new info.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

We'd like to see a pic of the loft, can you post one ?


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## jafacanyan (Jul 17, 2013)

yes, been a busy work week, i will try to this weekend. started train them to come out and go in the loft


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