rollerpigeon
Site Moderator
303 posts
May 26, 2005
8:28 PM
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Can those who live in colder regions respond to this question that was sent in? FLY ON! Tony Chavarria
Hi, Tony Chavarria thank you for your opionion, because I'm going to move to Minnesota this summer and the winter is very cold, my uncle told me that during the winter it get below zero degree. So I just want to know if I my pigeons can survive in the winter. Please tell me what to do.
kloua cha
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Alan Bliven
162 posts
May 26, 2005
8:41 PM
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Sure you can raise pigeons in the winter in Minn. I used to raise them in Northern Iowa. It gets very cold but they do OK. The lofts have to be built different to keep the weather out but they don't need heaters or insulation. The main thing is to keep them as dry as possible. You have more of a problem with water freezing and the possibility of disease outbreaks than in our mild climates. Also, we never allowed the birds to reproduce in the winter unless the breeding lofts are heated.
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Alan
Last Edited by Alan Bliven on May 26, 2005 8:42 PM
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spinnerpigeon
9 posts
May 27, 2005
9:31 AM
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Hey Tony,
I am in MI and we can get some very nasty winters here! LOL. The birds do fine. Just make sure to keep them out of the wind. My lofts are built of 3/4 inch plywood. No heaters or insulation. Just my 2 cents.
Caleb
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Vibey
6 posts
Feb 03, 2006
9:13 PM
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I am in Ontario Canada , and it can also get exstremely cold here in the winter , and my rollers do very well. Pigeons are very hardy creatures , and can withstand alot . As long as they are out of the wind , and the loft is dry , the birds do fine . Ive never lost an adult roller to the winter elements. I don't suggest breeding during the winter though because if the parents aren't good setters, the young will freaze fast if left unattended too long. I do not allow my rollers to start breeding intil the end of march almost , depending on the weather. Good Luck.
Vibey
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jerryf
12 posts
Feb 03, 2006
11:47 PM
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I live in Minnesota. Yes it gets cold, but Rollers are a tough hardy breed. I keep the sexes divided during the winter, mate them up in February--this year as we have been having an exceptionally warm winter. I fed very small starter pig pellet of 18% and mix in some popcorn, its a must to have the birds in top condition but not fat at the sart of winter.
I fashioned wooden covers that cover most of the open space of a 12 inch rubber pan--so they can't bath in it--for watering in winter--I can mash out the ice each morning/afternoon. I bring warm water in used milk jugs from the house to water them --water has a teaspoon of ACV per gallon. I feed and water twice a day early morning and afternoon. Afternoon feeding and water is done 1-2 hours before sunset so they have an opportunity to fill up and drink before roosting. Remember a bird shivers to stay warm and a full crop over night reduces the stress on the bird.
My loft is not insulated nor is it heated. It is dry, draft free, and has fresh air vents throughout the building, the air is fresh. I use straw for bedding --yes some will say it harbors mites--but it stays drier than wood chips and is easy to clean out and stays put. I used wood chips--cedar last year foa bit..mixed with droppings--it start to mold and the loft air got stale -not good-and I cleaned the loft frequently.
One side of the loft is wire. In winter it is covered with plastic skylight sheets--stops the wind but allows lots of light, in summer the sheets are removed for a in-the-loft flyaway so to speak.
My loft is ground level, ceiling is 6 1/2 ft high. For 18 pair of breeders the breeding loft is 8 ft x 10 ft. with a wall of 12" wide 36" long and 10" deep nest boxes with wood dowel fronts. One nest box per pair. I have a second loft 7ft x 7ft used in winter as a hen loft. Cock birds stay in the breeding loft. I have a 7 ft x 16 ft growing pen.
As I write this the temperature is zero, I have 10 pair mated up and 8 more to pair up next week, I have a pair with 3 day old babes--in a coop with a heat lamp. but the water does freeze at zero and in the open breeding loft a pair of eggs. Time will tell.
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rollerpigeon1963
59 posts
Feb 04, 2006
6:26 AM
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Tony,
You can raise pigeons in the winter. But if he is raising rollers in the winter he might want to think twice. I heated my loft a few years ago and got a monster start on some young for the year. I started in November and finished in Feb. Had a ton of babies. But didn't get them in the air until April because of the hawk problems. That is where the nightmare came in!!! Man trying to get some bird that were 5 months old in the air and kit. And them getting them to roller was more of a job than what its worth. They were too strong on the wing by the time I turned them out. So its back to the old way of breeding babies. Put the pairs together at the end of Feb. have babies ready to put out at the end of March.
Late hatches were the same way when you raised some late hatches and they never got to develop in the air and then you lock them down all winter. You have your hands full come the following year.
Just my own opinion on this!
Thanks Brian
Last Edited by rollerpigeon1963 on Feb 04, 2006 8:39 AM
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Velo99
204 posts
Feb 05, 2006
5:54 AM
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Everyday is a new boundary here. I paired on new years day. I banded my first pair yesterday. I am in the Texas panhandle where I am taking full advantage of the warmer than usual conditions this winter. I could have started a month earlier but I was scared. We have been in the mid to low 20`s at night and the upper 40`s to 70 in the day. So far so good the squeaks are sticking out from under the parents now. If they survive the next 2 weeks I`ll be in good shape. I have been shoving nesting materials in the nest boxes and shoring up the nests I want to make sure the babies are warm. I paired up in mid Feb last year. I can get a full round jump this year and not have to breed when it is too hot.
YITS
KennyH
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