Mary Allen
You can think what you want about pigeons – they have little idea about nest building. Breeders can support their darlings with nest inserts so that no young animal is too cold or too warm.
Breeders know that pigeons are extremely sloppy nest builders. Some couples barely collect a few straws. The result is nests that don’t really stick together and aren’t tight enough. Especially in the middle of the nest, the eggs and chicks often lie directly on the bare nest shell. If this is made of clay, it may feel quite cold at first, but it warms up quickly and retains the heat. Increasingly, however, nesting bowls made of plastic, rubber, or pressed wood chips are also being used. But all of them are only practical if the nest is sufficiently padded in the middle.
If this is not the case, it can happen that the eggs are crushed and there is no breeding success. But even for chicks that have already hatched, a lack of padding can become a problem in the first few days of life. They sweat in plastic shells and, in the worst case, even straddle their legs.
To prevent this, specialist retailers have been offering so-called nesting pads for years. They consist of a layer of coconut fiber about one centimeter thick. As a result, they offer a pleasant heat cushion and the necessary support. The inserts are placed directly in the nesting bowl. The pigeons can then build their nest on this surface. It is particularly practical if the insert is glued into the nesting bowl with double-sided adhesive tape. As a result, it does not slip and is very durable. If the young animals do not defecate too wet, such a nesting liner can easily be used for a whole season.