Expanding the Pigeon Enclosure
Outdoor projects continue at my Bedford, New York farm.
As you may know, I have about 20 fancy pigeons. I’ve had them for more than three years. A number of the birds were featured in the well known New York City “Fly by Night” performance by artist Duke Riley and were members of Duke’s personal flock. My pigeons live in a protected enclosure adjacent to my peafowl pen. Pigeons have been domesticated for thousands of years and have been kept by people worldwide for their companionship, their sport, and their loyal service. Caring for these birds is a nice way to pay tribute to the pigeon and to learn all about these fascinating creatures. Recently, I decided it was time to expand their yard to give them a bit more room to fly.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- The pigeons were housed in this coop across from my stable. It was already a very nice size for my fancy homing pigeons, but I wanted to expand it to give them even more room. This photo was taken last summer – the allee of linden trees, full of beautiful green leaves, is in the background.
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- The entire enclosure was covered with a net to protect them from any predators. They also had perches repurposed from old felled trees right here at the farm.
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- I wanted to remove the hoop structure and match the fencing around the peafowl pen. A team from Garon Fence in nearby Bedford Hills, New York, assisted with the expansion project.
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- The hoop structure was replaced with galvanized steel posts secured into the ground for stability.
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- These pipes are made from 16-gauge galvanized steel for strength, durability, and corrosion resistance.
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- A steel pipe cutter is used to trim the tops to the exact height.
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- Any cut pieces are gathered together and recycled.
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- Here is one pipe post secured and cut at the top. This enclosure will last for many years.
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- These are called tension bands and are used to attach the fencing fabric and to secure any gate posts.
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- These are called metal fence loop caps, which are used at the top of the steel posts to cover the tube openings.
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- The loop caps are also used to secure the top crossbar to the vertical supports.
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- Meanwhile, the exterior of the coop is given a fresh coat of paint – my signature color, “Bedford Gray.”
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- The inside is also repainted the same color. When keeping pigeons or any type of outdoor bird, it is important that the coop, or loft, remains dry with plenty of ventilation. The boxes on the left are for nesting. Each mated pair of pigeons should have their own nesting space. And while pigeons are highly sociable, always have ample perches inside and out.
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- Next, the fence fabric is attached from the top to the bottom.
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- Here is one side complete with the first layer of fencing wire.
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- A poultry safe wire netting is also secured on the inside. Here, one can see the two layers.
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- Both layers extend from the top to the bottom and from one end to the other. It is crucial that the pigeons are completely safe from predators.
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- The pigeon coop is now fully enclosed with added height for the birds to fly around. They will love perching on the roof and watching all the farm activity.
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- The wire is also extended several inches down to keep burrowing vermin out of the pigeon enclosure.
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- And netting is secured above – to keep the hawks, falcons and other aerial predators out.
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- Pasang backfills any of the remaining open spaces from the installation and levels the soil to make it neat and tidy.
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- The enclosure is complete. I think my pigeons will be very happy with their new expanded pen. In my next blog, I will share photos of my pigeons and information about these wonderful birds.
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