Pigeon Nest

Nest-boxes provide pigeons with places for theirprivate lives, and after your birds are mated or, as somefanciers prefer to say, 'paired', they will spend a considerabletime in them. They should therefore be of a size which twobirds and two youngsters can share comfortably - about 60cm (2ft) x 60cm x 60cm. It is useful to have a shelf the full width of the box and about 25cm (10in) from back to front, set about half-way up the box. In this way two nest-bowls can be accommodated as required during the breed-in season, and when one bird is sitting the shelf provides perch for its partner and gives an extra sense of calmness to the birds. It also allows the hen to retreat if the cock is too aggressive. The thickness of wood for nest-boxes is usually1.5cm (1/2in), but this is a matter of individual taste.The positioning of nest-boxes depends on your individual loft.

In general they are placed along the back of one of its sections but, if your loft has to be narrow from hack to front,nest-boxes can be made triangular-shaped to fit into a corner .Opinions differ considerably among fanciers concerning the entrance to nest-boxes. Some prefer the opening to be the complete top half of the removable front, let down on hinges to form a let-hoard or perch the full length of the box. Fanciers who prefer this say it provides somewhere where the pair of birds can rest together when not nesting. Others prefer the opening to be 15-18cm (6-7 in), square allowing only one bird to enter at a time. This opening may be in the upper half,or at floor level which has the advantage of letting an intruder get out quickly when attacked by the rightful owners. If he cannot see the exit, all three adults will mill round and round,destroying eggs or young in the process. Yet others, equally successful, do not believe in putting in fronts at all, and never seem to have any trouble with the mating of birds or fighting because birds enter strange nest-boxes. This is just a small example of how different the methods of pigeon fanciers can be.

Nest-boxes can be arranged in tiers of three or four according to the height of the loft, but make sure they are not higher than you can reach. Preferably have the entrance to the top box of the tier at eye-level, because if you have to make an effort to reach into a nest-box or perch the pigeon will sense this strain and will not be confident of your approach; and you must always have the confidence of your birds. To save money, tea-chests can be used as nest-boxes and burned after one season's use. Those from China are best, for they are of solid wood, not ply, and they lack the sharp metal strips which can cut human fingers and birds' toes.