Pidgeon fertilizer! Ancient buildings that used pigeons to collect fertilizer Youtube link.

Edit:  After posting this, the permies website recommended several similar post posted by other members that are almost identical.  Sorry, I guess that I should have checked this first.   I had never heard of this before.  Should have known that others here were already on top of it.  :)


I thought that this video that I just came upon might be really interesting to someone here.

The video described far east pidgeon towers that have been used for centuries to collect fertilizer.

The towers seem to be made of mud, but it looks like bricks would work just as well.

Just in case the link doesn't work the title of the video on youtube is:  "You wont believe how this ancient desert architecture feeds millions for free!"



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C12H6ddutS4

Have a great day!

Very cool Tim thanks for sharing.

There is an ethical problem behind using pigeon lofts. I can build a pigeon loft to house hundreds of pigeons on a tiny patch of land. They fly large distances foraging - including over other farmers' fields. The birds fatten up for me to harvest, and produce fertilizer for me to use on my land - but it comes at the expense of those around me.

In the UK they used to be the exclusive privilege of the wealthy landowners, who enjoyed squab on the table regularly while the pigeons foraged the fields of their tenant farmers.

Now pigeons are recognised as a pest species and hunted here, to protect crops. It is not unusual to see flocks of 200+ birds descending on a single field. They tend to hit freshly seeded land, or when crops are sprouting with tender new shoots.

Jen Fulkerson wrote:Very cool Tim thanks for sharing.

You're welcome Jen :)

Michael Cox wrote:There is an ethical problem behind using pigeon lofts. I can build a pigeon loft to house hundreds of pigeons on a tiny patch of land. They fly large distances foraging - including over other farmers' fields. The birds fatten up for me to harvest, and produce fertilizer for me to use on my land - but it comes at the expense of those around me.

In the UK they used to be the exclusive privilege of the wealthy landowners, who enjoyed squab on the table regularly while the pigeons foraged the fields of their tenant farmers.

Now pigeons are recognised as a pest species and hunted here, to protect crops. It is not unusual to see flocks of 200+ birds descending on a single field. They tend to hit freshly seeded land, or when crops are sprouting with tender new shoots.

Thank you for posting this Michael.  I didn't know or consider any of what you posted here .  Good to know.  Sure puts a different perspective on it.