pigeons fighting.

[jeffkrop]

So I have 7 pigeons in a coop 3ft by 3ft 2.5ft tall. Just a box with 4 nesting boxes hanging off each side. I have had up to 12 pigeons in this coop at a time.
When I go out to look in on them now they are fighting. 2 birds look like they fight all the time and there are 2 others that kind of join in. This is what Ive seen
over the last todays maybe five 15 minute periods.
Im getting 12 more birds this weekend and had planned to have a packed coop for a week. Planing to keep 5 in the coop and put the dog on 5 a week as it is going to start geting nice
here in MN, "so they say"
19 birds in this coop with 4 fighting now any thoughts

[jeffkrop]

Now wait I looked at some videos and it looks like my birds are kissing.

[Moulders Farm]

To many bireds in such a small area . Adding more birds will probly cause more trouble . sounds like you need to build more or bigger coops

[Sharon]

I think birds are at the top of the "bullying" pecking order.

I have often seen them keep a bird from eating /drinking until it died.

[jeffkrop]

I know what one it is I could just put it out for the dog. My birds dont come back they are not homed. So I would not have this problem after that.
But is this bird showing who is boss and going to mate with all the others?
I would be so much easier if you could tell witch were male and female.

[Sharon]

When one male isn't available , there's always the next one to take its place.

[buckeyebowman]

When one male isn't available , there's always the next one to take its place.

I was thinking the same thing! If the birds are fighting or "kissing", I figure it must be mating season! If you've ever had any experience with a flock of chickens and looked at them closely, you'll notice that quite a few of them are missing an eye! Birds are the nastiest critters going when it comes to establishing a "pecking order". Where do you think the term came from? We like to think of birdsong as beautiful. You know what it really is? "This is my turf! Everybody else stay the heck out!"

I figure once the hens are bred and eggs are laid, things should quiet down.

[AZ Brittany Guy]

I think birds are at the top of the "bullying" pecking order.

I have often seen them keep a bird from eating /drinking until it died.

I turn the bullies in to "shooters".

[Sharon]

I remove them from the "pack" fast too; too bad we couldn't do that with human bullies.

[ezzy333]

The kissing you are talking about is part of the mating routine. If you start getting rid of all that do that you will be down to either all hen or all cocks and you sure won't have any young ones. Pigeons do not normally fight other than protecting their own space such as their nest box or maybe their roosting area.

Ezzy

[mountaindogs]

The kissing you are talking about is part of the mating routine. If you start getting rid of all that do that you will be down to either all hen or all cocks and you sure won't have any young ones. Pigeons do not normally fight other than protecting their own space such as their nest box or maybe their roosting area.

Ezzy

I also thought they paired up and had monogomous relationships as long as both pigeons were there... ?? ... Mine usually do... Once they start raising young I see the same pairs pairing up. And they both care for the babies, alternating.

[GWPtyler]

As it is going to start geting nice here in MN, "so they say"

In your dreams. I predict late April before I even see grass again...

[jeffkrop]

As it is going to start geting nice here in MN, "so they say"

In your dreams. I predict late April before I even see grass again...

You live away from the Red? Might see water before grass. But hay it not even 10am yet and its 21 out there.

[jeffkrop]

So I went out and took the brown out out of the coop so everyone else could eat just to see if that was the deal.
I think these 2 are males anyone know if I am right?

[DonF]

Not sure I know why you are worried about it. You seem to be concerned only with having kill birds. They are cooped up in to small a pen and there is no where to go to escape fights, if that is what they are doing. I have watched in my own loft's over the years and the only fighting I noticed is when another bird lands on someone else's nest. Do yourself a favor and build a better loft, get rid of the holding pen. Allow 2 sq ft per bird and give them a way to get away from each other. Carefull though, if you don't cull, you'll be over run with them in a couple years easy!

On another note about fighting, my neighbor's watched a hawk hit one of my pigeon's on their barn roof. But the pigeon got free of the hawk at which time a bunch more pigeon's showed up and they ran the hawk off. Would have liked to have seen that!

[jeffkrop]

Not sure I know why you are worried about it. You seem to be concerned only with having kill birds. They are cooped up in to small a pen and there is no where to go to escape fights, if that is what they are doing. I have watched in my own loft's over the years and the only fighting I noticed is when another bird lands on someone else's nest. Do yourself a favor and build a better loft, get rid of the holding pen. Allow 2 sq ft per bird and give them a way to get away from each other. Carefull though, if you don't cull, you'll be over run with them in a couple years easy!

On another note about fighting, my neighbor's watched a hawk hit one of my pigeon's on their barn roof. But the pigeon got free of the hawk at which time a bunch more pigeon's showed up and they ran the hawk off. Would have liked to have seen that!

So I do not know if I want a big coop in my yard. I live in a city that does not allow chickens, I dont know what they say about pigeons. Also before I spend time and money building a coop I would like to know about the birds that will live in it. When you say 2 sq ft per bird is that floor space? How many nesting boxes should I have? I am feeding chicken food and cracked corn now will that be ok with a coop?
I am just making small take here also just learning for what others do. This is just some fun no worries. My dog is learning and so am I.

[DonF]

Not sure I know why you are worried about it. You seem to be concerned only with having kill birds. They are cooped up in to small a pen and there is no where to go to escape fights, if that is what they are doing. I have watched in my own loft's over the years and the only fighting I noticed is when another bird lands on someone else's nest. Do yourself a favor and build a better loft, get rid of the holding pen. Allow 2 sq ft per bird and give them a way to get away from each other. Carefull though, if you don't cull, you'll be over run with them in a couple years easy!

On another note about fighting, my neighbor's watched a hawk hit one of my pigeon's on their barn roof. But the pigeon got free of the hawk at which time a bunch more pigeon's showed up and they ran the hawk off. Would have liked to have seen that!

So I do not know if I want a big coop in my yard. I live in a city that does not allow chickens, I dont know what they say about pigeons. Also before I spend time and money building a coop I would like to know about the birds that will live in it. When you say 2 sq ft per bird is that floor space? How many nesting boxes should I have? I am feeding chicken food and cracked corn now will that be ok with a coop?
I am just making small take here also just learning for what others do. This is just some fun no worries. My dog is learning and so am I.

Will they allow pigeon's? If so, about a 4'x4'x8' in the back yard would work well. I knew a number of people in the past that had that. One was long ago, a racer.

2sq ft of floor space.

chicken feed and scratch is fine. My ferals get only scratch but the homer's get reg pigeon feed. Not sure why I feed them that, they'd do well on scratch I think or layer crumble's. But I'm gonna be asking them to come a long way home, up to two hundred miles, so I have it in my head they won't make it unless I feed them right. Not into racing but can take them a long way off and use them to set dog's up for photo's and they should come home. Couldn't care less if it takes two or three days!

[cjhills]

Trouble with scratch is they won't eat the oats and it is dusty. I feed one 1/3 wheat and 2/3 whole corn and mix in 25 lbs of wild bird feed. Cracked corn sometimes gets moldy because with out the hull moisture gets in.

[DonF]

Trouble with scratch is they won't eat the oats and it is dusty. I feed one 1/3 wheat and 2/3 whole corn and mix in 25 lbs of wild bird feed. Cracked corn sometimes gets moldy because with out the hull moisture gets in.

I was wondering about wild bird feed a while back. Never heard anyone say they used it before.

[ezzy333]

Pellets are better than crumbles with a lot less waste. Shelled corn should be used and not cracked as it can cause problems. I buy an 18% pellet, Breeder Pigeon Mix, wheat, white milo, safflower and sunflower seeds. Young birds, breeders raising young, all pigeons when, moulting need extra protein to replenish, repair, and grow feathers and rebuild and grow muscle. They need carbs when racing or flying. So when I need to increase protein I feed pellets in the morning and they get a grain mixture at night. The straight grains I buy are mixed into the Breeder Mix to increase the carbs and decrease the protein which they don't need when racing but it actually seems to be a detriment. I also increase the fat before the race. Pigeons are like dogs and humans and they do not need the high protein to perform but rather need it afterwards. I also use the grains to help cheapen the overall ration but I strongly advise you use whole grains and grit instead of cracked/ But if you want to do it as cheap as possible I would but a layer or all flock pellet and feed just that.

Ezzy

[DonF]

Ya know, the crumbles I fed them were some I'd quit using with my chickens. I was going to be gone a few days so I filled up a feeder and couple one gal water'ers. I gave them the crumbles because the chickens had that stuff every where and wasted it. Pigeons ate it well but as you say, they scattered to much. Keep thinking I'm gonna try pellets but never have. I think ezzy mentioned using rabbit pellet's once? haven't tried that yet but my rabbits are old. When they go I've been thinking about feeding the left over to the pigeons. Probably the ferals as they are the one's I experiment on. Nothing has hurt them so far. Years ago we got them a bag of peas to mix with their scratch. Didn't hurt them at all but their poop turned bright green!

[mountaindogs]

I have used pellets. Much easier for me. Only problem is I use pelleted pine as floor covering and they sometimes try to eat that. If they are in a feeding frenzy and eat too many I am worried it would kill them. They never do that when they are fed the scratch or the crumbles. HOWEVER, I have a gluten allergy and the dust (which contains wheat) from the crumbles gets in my eyes nose and mouth enough to make me sick. I have to be ultra careful when I handle it and wear a mask and pour it slowly and far from my face. WAY too much risk for pigeons