Thought I'd post some pics of my coop in case anyone was considering building one of their own.
I've haven't had pigeons in it very long but one of the females is already sitting on a couple eggs so hopefully I'll have some young ones to home to my coop by next spring/summer. It was a lot of fun and the design was pretty efficient so it wasn't too spendy either......hope you get some ideas from this for one of your own!!!
Gettin' started....two sheets of plywood are enough for all four walls.
From the door on the right side.....large "bullet feeder and grit container.
From the door on the left side.....large galvanized drinker with stand and heater (cord goes out the door in the floor).
Floor 48" x 46 3/4"
Last edited by Nebraska on Sat May 30, 2009 7:10 pm, edited 13 times in total.
is it painted white so the pigeons can see it better?
natetnc wrote: is it painted white so the pigeons can see it better?
Very nice job. You look a little younger than I thought when I saw you with that drill . I was wondering what you use for grit?
nice looking coop. I see your dogs have inspected your handy work already eh?
Very nice job! Just like mine only more professional. I used hardweare colth for the floor.
I thought you were over here. Very nice job. Just one question, whats the door in the bottom for? also as I recall, it doesn't look like you have a preditor door for the re-entry. Great job though!!!
I thought the pic of your pointer looked familiar! I put the door in the bottom so I could push the scrapings into a 5 gallon bucket when it's time to clean. That's also where I have the cord come out for the heated drinker. So far, it's just as easy to scoop the scrapings from the side so skipping the door in the floor wouldn't be a big deal.
I just finished a similar coop. I looked at your design and tried to copy it. It was easy to put together but then I had to find some friends to help me move it into place. I painted it with extra paint we had around and left most of the roof white on top.
I put the birds in and they seem to approve, though the dogs won't leave it alone.
I am going try to post pictures of it.
[quote="GWP-Fritz"]Thank you for posting this!
I just finished a similar coop. I looked at your design and tried to copy it. It was easy to put together but then I had to find some friends to help me move it into place"
To help move it to different locations, I put handles on either side and it really helps.
I think I would put a couple of legs under the front of it to keep the whole thing from tipping forward in a wind.
I planted mine in the ground about 18" as well. I just got a new post hole digger for my tractor and I wanted to use it. We have had some pretty strong winds (gusts up to 50mph last week) and it was fine. I have considered legs for the aviary because if we get a huge snow i was worried about the weight. The way I attached the aviary was with screws and when I put the 2x4 on the front where the door to the aviary is I put a strip of plywood behind them so the aviary actually slid on and the 2x4 hold it in place. I don't know if you can see it from the pictures but I can post a picture of it. I did it that way so I didn't need someone to hold it while I screwed it in.
The birds seem to really like the aviary and I am just waiting on some nesting bowls.
Either of you guys have a materials list or a cost estimate?
postoakshorthairs wrote: Either of you guys have a materials list or a cost estimate?
I just edited in dimensions to the original post......hope that helps!!
I don't remember exactly what I spent or used because it took a few trips to the hardware store but here is a close summary.
4 Sheets of Plywood - 2 for the walls, 1 for roof and misc., 1 for floor and misc (misc being shelves, perches, and aviary) I might have also used some scrap I had.
That is all I can think of when I go through what all I bought at the store. Like I said it took me a few trips because I didn't want to over do it and have to take stuff back and there is a big box store down the street.
One word of advise I picked up from the original post was to cut the doors but not all the way and then install the hardware. I read that after I did the first one and you can tell a difference between the doors.
Very nice, I have a question. How do you catch the birds when it's time for training? My coop now is smaller and it seems like I spend almost as much time trying to catch the birds in the coop as do I do using them for training. One word of experience, my dogs love to stand by the coop and catch the pigeon's when they are free flying. The entry door is about 4 1/2 feet off the ground and the dogs have caught 4 pigeons this week.
DoubleB20 wrote: Very nice, I have a question. How do you catch the birds when it's time for training? My coop now is smaller and it seems like I spend almost as much time trying to catch the birds in the coop as do I do using them for training. One word of experience, my dogs love to stand by the coop and catch the pigeon's when they are free flying. The entry door is about 4 1/2 feet off the ground and the dogs have caught 4 pigeons this week.
You won't have pigeons for long as they are smart enough to find a safe place to go plus you are setting your dogs back rapidly as that is exactly what you should be spending your time training them not to do.
Thanks for the dimensions and list. I just wanted a rough idea of the cost before diving in (aka...knowing if i could sneak it by my wife ) I really like the looks of the one gdog built and the use of the metal studs but where do the dogs return? I prob just couldn't see in the pics.
I would think that a butterfly net or pole crab net would work to catch the birds. We used a pole crab net at a pet store I worked at to catch the birds that got loose.
I need to post up a new pic with the return entry. Looking at the front of the coop, I put the door in the side of the aveary on the lft hand side with a platform. It works great.
great pictures. I appreciate the insight. Son loves your dog by the way.
Amazing isn't it, we try to pull one over on our wives so we can harbor birds considered a pest by most people in order to walk around in the cold with a furry friend and harrass them. Gotta love america!
I started a coop last fall, built it and populated it with homers from a friend a couple of hours away. I have one side of it with some breeding pairs and the other side with the homers and a few ferals. I kept the homers in for several weeks, then trained them with a temporary aviary (with them using the bobs). I would feed them in the aviary, with the bobs up (see pic below), and just lower a bob each day over the period of a week. They got real familiar with that real quick. I also followed OhioGSP's information as well as some in our local NAVHDA chapter...very good help and information. I was pretty unsure when I released them but they all came back. When I started flying them from farther away I lost several of my ferals, but I kind of expected that. I am now flying them about a mile away (where my training field is) and have lost only about 5 birds (we have a lot of hawks). My breeders are starting to produce so I am hoping production can keep up with the hawks.
Last edited by bmacinok on Thu Dec 10, 2009 9:53 am, edited 3 times in total.
That's a great set-up.....I especially like your drinker.
that bird with the featherd legs is probably a tumbler of some sort. It will dilute your flocks homing ability if allowed to breed. In case you done know. Nice job!!!!
????? can you mix say chukers ,quail an pigeons in the same coop?
This probably a dumb question, but does the color of the coop matter? Most of the one's I see are white or light colored - didn't know if that was on purpose or just what people had on hand.
I painted mine white to reflect heat but I see 'em painted lots of different colors so if you shooting to have it blend in with it's surrounds by painting it a certain color, I'm sure you'd be fine.
I have a question for those of you that have coops. I am about to build my own, but am very concerned about health risks. How do you control mites? I've heard that is one of the major problems with pigeons, the second would be the droppings. Can they cause respiratory problems? How about my dogs, can they contract any illnesses from retrieving these birds? Any info would help.
My coop is painted a brown color to try and blend in with the trees. The pigeons have no problem coming back to it.
As far as droppings are concerned I just scoop them once in a while and put them in a trash bag. I know there is talk of possibly getting a respiratory issue, so I try to keep my mouth covered up when I am scooping.
MadMax wrote: I have a question for those of you that have coops. I am about to build my own, but am very concerned about health risks. How do you control mites? I've heard that is one of the major problems with pigeons, the second would be the droppings. Can they cause respiratory problems? How about my dogs, can they contract any illnesses from retrieving these birds? Any info would help.
For mites a drop of Ivermection under each wing and/or each leg will do the trick. I also put a couple of drops of Ivermectin down the throat for internal parasites. I'm not sure how bmackinok is able to cover his mouth ....so I use a respirator. A dust mask will work but I prefer a little better protection.
i am finshing up a coop for what is the most part the same. how many birds can one keep in this set up as i have been offed 40 at no cost will this be to many?
IMO, 10 to 12 birds would be optimal.
I currently have 5 birds but I've had up to 20 birds in that coop (short-term) without any issues.
So when I get my coop built and put some pigeons in, how long should I keep them in before I use them for training so that they return? I plan on getting some birds that are about 100 miles away, will that keep them in my loft?
What type of food? regular bird feed? crushed corn?
I transitioned adult birds from someone else's coop, and most of the birds hung around. I did keep them in the coop for a couple of months, then only let them out in the evening right before dark so they would only fly for a bit then come back in to roost. Probably did that for a month then started taking them out further and further to get them used to homing. I did lose a few, just not sure if it was to them not homing or the hawks which we have a lot of.
If you start producing young they will definitely home to your coop.
I would use a pigeon mix from your local feed store. A lot of folks use just whatever, but I found I had problems with cracked corn on the young, seems they can't handle the sharp edges in their craw.
jkoehler wrote: So when I get my coop built and put some pigeons in, how long should I keep them in before I use them for training so that they return? I plan on getting some birds that are about 100 miles away, will that keep them in my loft?
Or you can look for "young Birds". These birds are birds that can eat on thier own but have not been flown yet. That way you only have to wait a few weeks and then start letting them out close to dusk. I also feed a feed called pigeon checkers. Great feed, pigeons love it so that the bird home fast and don't crap on the neighbors cars. Keeps every one happy and more importantly QUIET. If you have time, like now where you aren't using the pigeons alot you can lock them up for a couple months.
bmacinok wrote: I did keep them in the coop for a couple of months, then only let them out in the evening right before dark so they would only fly for a bit then come back in to roost. Probably did that for a month then started taking them out further and further to get them used to homing. I did lose a few, just not sure if it was to them not homing or the hawks which we have a lot of.
This is also how I transition new birds. However, I go 3 to 4 months instead of just a couple.
If they lay eggs I let them out sooner.
If I get young birds, I like it when they still have some (very few) yellow feathers (I'm having a brain fart for the proper term so I will call them Yellow feathers) on them. They are old enough to take care of themselves and they will home back to your coop.
There are many different choices when it comes to pigeon food.
I feed a pigeon food with corn in the cold months and without corn in the warm/hot months.
I am wondering if you cluld use some kind of a glossy finish board like waynescoat on the inside to aid in easier clean up? Or will the birds not really like that idea?
Dealer for Dogtra, Ruff Tuff and Mud River Need a product, just ask.
I used tempered hard board and some odd sheets of Merlite like they used to use around the bathtub. Its hard and glossy and needs little cleaning.
I really like the coop I wish there was a material list .
Well I finally finished my coop!!!! Thanks to those that posted pics of their coops for us to copy. Take a look.