Mary Allen
Just switch off and do nothing, pigeon breeders do not know. Now in autumn, when the plants are dying, you can collect perfect nesting material for the next year with little effort.
The days are now getting shorter and the temperatures are falling noticeably. At least now we realize that summer is over and autumn has begun. The final sprint is also pending for our pigeons. The last feathers are formed and the end of the molt is foreseeable for most pigeons. Breeding is already a long time ago and the exhibition season is just around the corner. But you would be a bad pigeon breeder if you didn’t already have the potential breeding animals for 2020 in mind.
It is also important to think about the trappings of breeding. Because when parts of the plant die off in autumn and the leaves fall from the trees, it’s time to get active. By spring at the latest, you will be happy if suitable nesting material is available for the pigeons. Straw alone does not only have advantages. It is very smooth, so the nest can easily come apart. This phenomenon occurs especially in pigeons, which only show poor nest-building behavior. If you give the pigeons different nesting material, the nest will hold together much better. Even with bad “builders” – and they are actually pigeons by nature.
Most of the time, however, the nesting material is not available in spring. If you now walk through the garden with your eyes wide open, you will definitely find something. He’s a real treasure trove. There is something to be found on every corner. There are, for example, the faded stalks of lavender, the long stalks of cornflowers, and perennial stalks. Even the last nettles can be harvested. The imagination knows no limits.
Thick Nesting Material is Stable
By the way, there is no need to remove the leaves on the stems. The pigeons get along very well with this compact building material. The resulting somewhat thicker nest material ensures the stability of the nest. You just have to be careful not to mold the potential nesting material. The dead plant parts are dry enough. Everything else should be bundled or placed in an air-permeable bag. If you then let it air dry, everything is fine. An ideal place is the eaves of the dovecote or a hut in the garden.
It is ideal if you cut the nesting material into hand-length pieces. Then they can be stored very well and you have them in the right format in the spring. While pigeons can get by with longer nesting material, shorter ones are more practical in practice. If a pigeon gets caught with its feet in the long nesting material, it can happen that it pulls the whole nest out of the nesting bowl. This is not the case with short nesting material.
So if you are already thinking about the next breeding year and collecting nesting material, you will be happy in the spring. The clever pigeon fancier is already thinking about tomorrow today – also with regard to the nesting material.