A Complete Beginner's Guide to Pigeon Care

For starters, there are three primary things that you have to take into consideration when outlining the important factors on how to effective care for you pigeon pet. These three things are: housing, feeding, and water. These three primary considerations are the most important factors in making sure that your pigeons stay safe and in good condition. All these three things have to be optimally and effectively implemented to ascertain the desired output.

Pigeons are fascinating and docile creatures and they deserve every bit of care you can offer to make them live a healthy and safe life. And it's completely up to you on how you will do about that process. Actually, there are many ways on how to ensure your pigeons wellbeing and we will be giving you some of the best beginner instructions on how to effective uphold pigeon care. These approaches are very doable and you can practically do them all by yourself without the assistance of any professional or experienced individual. All you have to make sure is that you completely understand what you will read through in this article and follow precisely through the instructions given. Rest assured, if you are to implement everything that will be mentioned in this guide, you will not have any problems at all.

Guides and Tips on Pigeon Housing

Pigeon housing can either be a loft or a cage. Any of these two housings will do just fine. Just make sure that they are properly built or comfortably appropriated so that your pigeons will never feel inconvenient in any way dwelling in such a place. As much as possible you don't want them to feel as pets but rather household companions or a family member that gets the kind of care that they deserve.

For Cages:

A pigeon cage has to be spacious enough for them to move around. If you can build an entire aviary for a single pigeon pet then feel free to do so, just make sure though that you are capable of coming up with such. Oftentimes, pigeon pet owners are misconceived between the importance of high and wide pigeons. Give more importance to the wideness of the cage rather than its height.

In order to measure the appropriate wideness of the cage that you will have for your pet, make it a point that the containment is wide enough for your bird to stretch its wings fully. Measure the appropriate dimensions in accordance to that level of convenience.

Make it a point as well that the cage is located on a high place or wherever it is improbably accessible to your other pets in the house, especially dogs and cats. They may "meal" their way to your feathered friends without you knowing. Also keep the cage away from drafts, fans and any forms of heat sources. Exposure to temperature extremities may lead to the ailment of your pigeon pets or worse, death.

Most pigeons like their cages when they are semi-open. They like this kind of conditions to protect themselves into the covered area of the cage whenever there is extreme heat or cold. It somehow serves as their refuge.

Ventilation is also very important in pigeon housing as pigeons do still need to breathe fresh air. Also, if your pet pigeon is to be caged the entire time, you have to ensure that your pet pigeon gets regular exercise every time. You can probably allot at least two hours in a day for your pigeon to stretch out.

Like all pigeons do, they like perching and they like perching in flat surfaces rather than irregularly shaped ones. Bricks will do just find as perching areas for pigeons and it could also serve as their nail trimming maintenance tool.

Hygiene and maintenance is important from time to time to make sure that there will be no development of diseases taking place. There are a lot commercial, non-toxic cleaning agents you can purchase, but if you are kind of short in budget, you may just use vinegar.

Feeding Guidelines

Generally, pigeons have always been grain eaters. Protein and carbohydrates are among their fundamental mineral intakes in a day. In feeding grain to your pets, make sure that there is a mixture of a 12-15% ratio of protein in it.

Finding a pigeon feed store can often be tricky and rare. But if you can't find one, you may use chicken feed instead but that's not advisable to go on in the long run. If ever you do find a feed store that sells pigeon feeds purchase from there immediately.

You may also do some personal mixtures of pigeon feeds depending on your preference but make sure that it is still based on the nutritional values given by the feeds. By doing some improvisation yourself, you will be able to come up with a diet that is more complete and balance for your pet pigeon.

Water

Fresh water for your pigeons every day is very important. It is perhaps the most fundamental intake for any pigeon on earth. They may go on without food for days but they can never last longer than a day without water.

There are certain compositions that can be compounded to the water you give to your pet pigeons that can make it more nutritious and thus healthier. For example, Apple cider vinegar is often mixed by a lot of pet owners to the water they give to their pets because of their nutritional value. You may add a little drop of this to the water but then make sure that you still give your pet clear water after. A once per day dosage of this mixture will do just fine.

Other considerations

Nutrition

Since your pet(s) is more than half the time kept indoors, it will need sufficient amount of vitamin intakes. Mineral supplements are also necessary, and make sure they contain Vitamin D3. This vitamin will help energize your pigeon even if kept in a condition where there is less sunlight.