This is gonna sound crazy but...

[Bill Wyko]

:D I have a pigeon that has not left my back yard since I started building my workshop in the spring. It even sleeps right next to my dog. Durring the day it sits on a ceramic pot for the better part of the day, which is better than my 12 Delta sliding miter saw that it first had picked as a perch. Well it has kind of become a pet now so I was thinking of building it a little place to keep out of the cold this winter. any ideas as to what might work? I don't want to build something and have him not use it. Probably the silliest post ever here.:D

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Doesn't sound crazy at all. This is what hung around when my shop was being built:

75216

That's crazy.

[Gary Keedwell]

:eek: Man.....you got too much time on your hands:D

Gary

[Lewis Cobb]

:D I have a pigeon that has not left my back yard since I started building my workshop in the spring. It even sleeps right next to my dog. Durring the day it sits on a ceramic pot for the better part of the day, which is better than my 12 Delta sliding miter saw that it first had picked as a perch. Well it has kind of become a pet now so I was thinking of building it a little place to keep out of the cold this winter. any ideas as to what might work? I don't want to build something and have him not use it. Probably the silliest post ever here.:D

Greetings from Canada -

I have never made a birdhouse and I don't know if a pigeon would stay in it, but I can tell you this - this post was far more entertaining than a lot of others posts I have read and even heartwarming in an odd sort of way.....keep us updated on the developments :)

[William Nimmo]

My neighbor would tell you it is obviously a relative of yours that has passed on and has come back to be with you. So just in case.. build a nice little home for him/her

[Tom Walz]

If you think you have a problem try "pigeon house" under Google images.

We had a neighbor who had pigeons when I was a kid. I remember a plywood box with perches.

Nice post.

Thanks

[Richard Dragin]

Speaking of pigeons....

A guy I work with had a beef with another co-worker who was a machinist. We were in a large warehouse type building with the occasional pigeons. Before a long weekend the guy climbed up into the rafters and sprinkled bird seed on the beams directly above the guys lathe and mill. Monday morning the machines were covered in bird crap.

[John Gornall]

Birds that bond with people can be surprising. Fellow I knew found a seagull in his yard with an injured leg. Fed it until the leg got better. Seagull came for food every morning for 29 years. Some birds live a long time.

For pigeons be carefull this one doesn't bring a friend or 2. You could end up with a few dozen and a lot of unhappy neighbours. And if you drive them 20 miles and drop them they'll be home later in the day.

[Dirk Lewis]

...so I was thinking of building it a little place to keep out of the cold this winter. any ideas as to what might work?

How about some inspiration from John (http://www.extremebirdhouse.com/)? ;)

[Glenn Pearston]

Nice story - glad to hear your dog has a new friend. Sorry, no idea what a Pigeon would live in but let us know what you decide on.

Glenn

[Ken Shoemaker]

What are ya' charging for rent???? Are you zoned for that????;)

[Steve Sawyer]

Many years ago my wife and I rescued and nursed back to health an injured racing pigeon - best pet I ever had until we "inherited" a second-hand dog a couple of years ago. That bird decided that I was her One True Love and would follow me around, perch on me and attack (well, as much as a stupid pigeon CAN attack) anyone who came to close to me. (My teenage son at the time loved to come over and touch my shoulder when she was perched on me just to have the fun of watching her spread her wings to look menacing and peck at his hand!)

Pigeons are very hardy animals, so a plywood box to provide some shelter from the wind should be plenty. Leave the bottom open and put a single 2" strip of wood down the center for the bird to stand on to keep cleaning to a minimum. Still, it's a wild animal, so you might go to the trouble and the bird may not see it as suitable shelter.

[Greg Mann]

Okay, Bill, you're motives are admirable but what is this nonsense about "cold this winter"? You are in Tucson, for crying out loud. The pigeons around here can be seen foraging the courthouse squares in the middle of January at zero degrees. ;)

[stacey martin]

I think the pigeon has all ready found a home. He's waiting for it to be finished.
Stacey

[Bill Wyko]

LMBO to some responses. The link to those bird houses are beautiful but The bird ain't gettin a house nicer than mine.:D

[Bryan Berguson]

LMBO to some responses. The link to those bird houses are beautiful but The bird ain't gettin a house nicer than mine.:D


Build it a barn or a bridge - they love 'em both! :)

Bryan

[Richard Dragin]

Build it a statue of Nahm, they love statues.

[Anchor Sarslow]

Just build a bell tower on your new shop.. or a bridge deck.. statues are just toilets for a pigeon.. and a barn attracts too many other critters..

[Bill Wyko]

The bird hangs out with the dog.

[Raymond Fries]

Looks like the bird is used to framing and OSB. Why not make a small half a-frame against the side of the shop. A wind break with a corner would be nice.

I have never had pigons around before. I live in Indiana and feed the finches and have a bird bath heater for water for them.

Good Luck with the new pet...

[Steve Milito]

Actually, it looks like your dog has the pet!

[Dan Forman]

Interesting thread. I agree that something familiar in the current environment would be a good bet. You might also build in some sort of mechanism to deal with the droppings, a removable tray under the open bottom structure holding newspaper or such will prevent a mess from accumulating.

Here is a video of some strange bedfellows you might find interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZjZQ6KkiUk

Dan

[Bill Wyko]

Good ideas all. Maby a scaled down version of the new shop. When I first found him he was perched on my dewalt miter saw. He pooped all over it. He was almost plucked for that.:eek: Even when I had the smallest of openings in the shop he'd find his way back in and be on the saw. Once he realized the dog wasn't going to eat him, he had a new buddy. He also has other pidge buddies that drop by at feeding time too but they are fair feathered friends. They eat on the fly.:D

[andy brown]

Hi,
Pigeons don't live in houses! They shelter where they can on ledges and the like and so your kindest way of dealing with this bird is to get the workshop finished pronto and put a ledge up somewhere for him/her. The usual way to hang ledges,in England anyway, is to use a simplified form of the Origami sliding double dovetail (hidden variety) followed by a couple of 6" nails to hold the trimming rails in place. Not over the doors though.
A nice post!

Andy.

[Mick Zelaska]

"IF YOU BUILD IT --- THEY WILL COME"

I would not encourage this bird to stay as he may have friends. Trust me, the last thing you need is a flock of pigeons roosting on your house.

While fighting a pigeon infestation during my days as a facility manager, I did a little research and you would not believe the diseases these birds carry not to mention the constant cleaning of unsightly pigeon poop.:eek:

My advise is to trap and relocate him and hope he is not a homing pigeon.