If you are thinking about rescuing a pigeon and keeping pigeons as pets, then probably one of the first things that popped into your head is housing for pigeons.  Pigeons are pretty easy keepers once you have the right setup and here we are going to show you how to create an outdoor pigeon aviary to do just that. 

Space Requirements

At our sanctuary, we aim to give each pigeon about 8-10 square feet of aviary per pigeon. We build our aviaries at 6′ tall as this makes it easier for us to clean the aviary and access it and gives space for plenty of perches and flying space for the pigeons. If you are only looking to kee a few birds, the minimum requirement for an outdoor space for pigeons is a 8′ x 4′ x 6′ tall pigeon aviary. This aviary can house up to 4 pigeons but is needed for minimum roaming space for 2 pigeons as well. If pigeons are outside, you must have at least two.

Predator Proofing Your Aviary

It is very important to predator proof your aviary as pigeons are prey animals to many species. All enclosures should be fully covered in 1/2″ to 1/4″ heavy gauge mesh. The whole aviary meaning roof, sides, the ground, and any gaps need to be coated in that 1/2″ – 1/4″  mesh as they have a lot of predators. No gaps is very important. About 1/2 of this aviary should be shelter with 1/2″ mesh still underneath the plywood sides and roofing panels. We also recommend creating a half wall to prevent harsh winds from hitting the birds in the winter. 

Adding Enrichment

Pigeons are extremely intelligent and require tons of enrichment in their enclosures. Great enrichment ideas are perches, a shallow bath tub, toy xylophones, swings, etc. They will need nest boxes regardless of males, females or a male/female pair. It is important to note that freeflying is NOT recommended as it is extremely dangerous to the birds despite if they stay close by to you. Aerial birds of prey kill pigeons who free fly frequently and can within seconds of release.

Types of Pigeon Aviary Materials

Pigeon aviary frames can be constructed easitly using a pressure treated wood frame or a galvanized metal frame. There are many kits that sell galvanized metal frames but beware that you may need to add additional support beams to make it last a long time.

As far as footing goes, we use pine shavings under the shelter portion for soft bedding and pine chips as flooring. Pine chips as flooring are due to accessibility for us as we can replace them easily. Depending on your location, many people like to use cement pavers so they can spray off the pavers with the hose for cleaning (this won’t work in places with cold winters due to it creating ice), others like a dirt floor, and some use laminated flooring. With wood chips, it is important to know which woods are safe for birds as many are not, but we have had great success with wood chips in our aviary.