How To Take Care of a Pigeon | A Complete Guide

There are thousands of animals and birds out there needing shelter, food, and care. The argument between set free and domestication unavoidably goes on.

But, studies show that a domesticated pigeon is more likely to be a healthy pigeon because they are backed by better living conditions. With the proper care, the life span of pigeons increases by more than 100 percent. To ensure their well-being, a few things we need to know.

7 Tips to Take Care of a Pigeon

Pigeons are super easy to tame and take care of. Animals that are easygoing and quickly grasp household routines are easy to get along with. Being extremely intelligent, pigeons pick up the regime fast as we train them.

1. Pigeons Keeping

Pigeons do fine indoors as well as outdoors. Hence, you are never out of options!

Unlike many other birds, They are comfortable staying indoors. They only need a cage with basic amenities. Also to get some exercises, they require ‘out-of-cage’ time. If you want to keep multiple pets at home, you need not worry too!

Pigeons are extremely friendly. They are afraid of dogs and cats. They maintain peace with other pets as long as they feel safe around them. Moreover, it’s straightforward to make a cage/loft at home! Follow this video:

Pigeons love to stay outdoors. They do fantastic in a giant predator and rodent-proof aviary. But don’t make a single birdie stay outside alone. An ideal aviary size for two pairs of pigeons is 6x4x6. The aviary should have a cover to keep pigeons away from rain, cold, or unfavorable weather conditions. Check out this video to make one open aviary yourself!

2. Pigeons Feeding

Take-care always starts with offering food. The moment you start feeding your birds is actually the moment they start living under your care.

Fortunately, the list is extended when you consider their menu. To make things even easier, Pigeons can survive on a minimal diet such as seeds and herbs! But to keep them healthy and strong they need a little more than ‘seed-diet.’ The foods you can offer them are listed below.

• Clean Water – fresh and clean water should always be available near pigeons. If possible, mix aqua sanitizers to disinfect drinking water from living orgasms.
• Mixture – Grain, Wheat, seed, and herb mixture is the most ideal food for pigeons.
• Go greens- chopped or grated, include a portion of greens, vegetables, and fruit into the diet.
• Worms – just like any other bird species, pigeons do love worm feast. We should incorporate worms from time to time.
• Proceed shell grit – pigeons break down the food using their throat and a gizzard. Strange may it seem, but this is the reason pigeons must eat small amounts of stones and rocks along with other food.
• Sunflower seed- pigeons love sunflower seed. You can celebrate any special event with your pigeons by treating some of it!
• Supplementary – extra treats are always better to keep a pigeon cheerful around the neighbourhood. There is commercially available pigeon food to help with additional needs.
• Calcium-rich food- Calcium is the most needed mineral in a racing pigeon’s body. If you have racing pigeons, make sure they always get intakes of calcium via supplements. For example, Almond butter is super rich in calcium. Only one tablespoon contains almost 56 mm of calcium.

Things to keep in mind while managing diets

1. Offer food every 1 or 2 hours.
2. Like kids, pigeons may also refuse to eat some food. In this case, be patient while they get used to it.
3. The foods should be cracked, chopped, or prepared in any small size that pigeons can eat.
4. The food and water containers are advised to be stainless steel over plastic containers.

3. Housing

Pigeons are social and emotional birds. They get attached to humans, and fellow birds fast. Hence, they should be kept in groups. If they are kept indoors, they should have a large cage.

The cage should be kept out of direct sunlight and weather extremes. It must be built strongly enough to prevent wild bird, rodent, and predator access. Make sure it is well-ventilated. A good oxygen supply is needed for them to be healthy and energetic.

Racing or homing pigeons should be kept in an outdoor loft or aviary. If possible, keep the coop so that the pigeon’s flying way faces the south. It’s better if the flying area is devoid of trees or buildings. Pigeons don’t like wet environments. The coop must stay dry, and the floor should cover strays and shavings. The coop must be cleaned regularly.

4. Sleep Routine

Pigeons sleep from dusk till dawn. They need 10 hours of sleep per night. During these dark hours, they do not like distractions. Pigeons also take power naps in the daytime. If your pigeon stays indoors, make sure they are in the furthest corner from sounds.

Pigeons are light and temperature-sensitive. They prefer dark lights in a warm and cozy place during their sleeping. Make their area quiet and peaceful to ensure the best night’s sleep.

5. Exercise

If you keep your birds outside, make sure the coop is tall enough for them to have enough exercise. If your pigeons stay inside, you may let them out of the cage regularly — ideally two hours each day, taking proper precautions.

6. Basic Hygiene

Preventing health complications needs good hygiene. A good hygiene routine for pigeons comprises regular cage/coop cleaning, disinfection, and changing of water two times a day. Bathing pigeons are also essential to keep viruses and bacterias at bay. Fortunately, pigeons love to bathe and jump around water slides!

7. Pigeon Health

Even after taking the highest safeguards, All living things can contract the illness. Pigeons are very calm and vulnerable birds with less aggressiveness. If you feel one of your birds is sick, isolate it right away and consult a vet as soon as possible. Immediate isolation reduces the chance of cross-contamination, which helps the situation keep under control.

Make sure your birds are up to date on their vaccines for best health. Avoid letting wandering birds into the cage or loft at all costs as they may contain diseases or infectious viruses.

Taking Care of Baby pigeons

The way we care for adult pigeons is not suitable for baby pigeons. Parent pigeons keep their young under care for about 25-32 days. Both of the parents produce milk in their corps. This milk is the best food for baby pigeons compared to any other nutritious food. The parental care period tends to be longer in cold areas.

If you must take care of baby pigeons, you need to be extra careful. As the parental milk is not available, ask a vet for proper milk recommendations. The milk needs to be delivered using a small syringe.

Make sure the syringe reaches the crop of the baby pigeon’s mouth to ensure the milk is well consumed. The syringe must be boiled in hot water to avoid getting infected.

Make them eat handpick seeds once a day. After about 4 to 6 weeks, the baby is mature enough for adult foods and doesn’t require much assistance.

Hold Baby Pigeon with care

Holding a pigeon without hurting is crucial to get them to trust you. After a few exercises, you can learn how to hold and grab them firmly without being harsh. Follow these three steps to hold them carefully –

• Hold out the palm- hold out the palm of the dominant hand with a little gap in between fingers.
• Slide the hand- slowly position the hand on the side of the pigeon you want to pick and move forward in a manner that the legs of pigeons remain on the gaps of your fingers.
• Wrap your thumb around pigeons’ wings- grab firmly with your thumb when it’s in your palm. Keeping your pigeon’s wings tight helps keep it safe and prevents it from fleeing. The wings should rest flat on the pigeon’s back. Make sure it is not too tight!

Pigeon Taming

Calm as they are, pigeons can also act rebellious. Indiscipline leads to poor health conditions. And one rebel can deteriorate the health conditions of other birds.

A disobedient pigeon who sleeps outside out of pure rebellion must be trained not to do so. In this case, the rebel needs a punishment without being too harsh. One night without food could be enough, but don’t lock it up in the attic where it could become ill from the cold.

Final Words

Pigeons have been humankind’s best bird companionship. Pets or raising for meat, breeding for shape and colors, fancy flying, racing/homing- no matter the reasons, we need to take care of them with kindness and make the world a better place!

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