National Pigeon Association

Pigeon Housing

Pigeons are an adaptable breed and can live just about anywhere. Caring for your pigeons is a great responsibility and providing comfortable housing for them is important, however, it does not have to be complex. The range of the kinds of houses, also called lofts or coops, can be as simple as a small cage for a single bird or breeding pair to a multi-story house built especially for them.

Fundamentals of housing
1.Comfort of the Birds
2.Convenience of the keeper
3.Cost

Comfort of the your Birds

What's important is to provide a house that is free from drafts in the winter, able to keep clean and dry in wet climates and adequate room for the number of birds you will have. Other important elements of a loft are good ventilation and access to sunshine along with clean water and food. Remember, if you are going to breed your pigeons they can reproduce very fast. Most experienced fanciers keep control over their breeding pairs, both to control the population and to pair the best birds. You will learn more about this as time goes on.

Convenience of the keeper

Those issues discussed above have to do with the comfort of your birds. Now let's discuss the elements that might be important to you, the owner. If you are going to use a small cage setting it up in a way that you can reach inside to most of it might be important to you. This way cleaning and giving your birds food and water is easier. If you are going to build something larger then you might want to consider how large you might want it. Depending on where you live there may be rules as to the maximum size you can build. You might be out in a more rural area and and build a very large enclosure that has many divisions so that you can separate males and females when breeding is over and so that you can place young birds in their own enclosure as soon as they are weaned. The limit is your imagination.

Cost

The last area of concern is "How much will it cost?" The sky is the limit here. If you have a very tight budget, and who doesn't these days, something small and practical might serve your needs. If you have and unlimited budget then you may want something as elaborate as the Taj Mahal. You may want something in between.