Calling all Pigeon People!

Any pigeon people out there on here?
Tell me about your dovecotes.
Do you race them?
Do you eat them?
Are they the future of secure communications?
I was born in Egypt, and returned in the early 90's for a number of years and fondly remember eating pigeon and seeing the beautiful pigeon towers. I want some so bad I can taste it.

Pigeons: A self feeding, free ranging, fertilizer producing, meat source that can deliver you mail.

https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2016/10/pigeon-towers-a-low-tech-alternative-to-synthetic-fertilizers/

Why is a stool pigeon a bad thing?

A proper dovecote would have saved my pigeons from their worst nemesis: the local cats.

I've been wanting to build one of these and I did a little research last summer. From what I gather the entry holes need to be 6 to 8 inches in diameter and have a landing stick in front of the hole, and painting the outside of the structure white makes for greater color contrast so the pigeons recognize the holes more easily. Inside, the nest boxes should probably be like 8 inch x 8 inch but I've seen bigger ones and smaller ones also. As for dealing with the birds, i'm not really sure if it's a case of "if you build it they will come" or if it helps to trap some birds and then lock them in for a few weeks before they recalibrate their home location. Also it seems people who raise them for racing keep them locked in most of the time and give them food and water, whereas people who raise them for manure or for meat just let them forage for food and water or just give them water only.

Here's a half decent article on them: https://www.notechmagazine.com/2016/10/pigeon-towers-a-low-tech-alternative-to-synthetic-fertilizers.html

And he's a vid showing some people building a traditional one: https://www.boisbuchet.org/workshop/building-an-arab-pigeon-tower/

Pigeons are a big part of my life. They are my friends and employees, providing me with nitrogen for compost in their used bedding and they get retirement benefits. When I want to limit the numbers I give the dog raw new eggs, but otherwise they are not for food, neither racing: just entertainment, providing a chance to watch the Cooper's hawk in action each mid winter.

I have three cotes and one is a 70s motorhome. All are protected with 1/4" mesh, and a livestock Akita-Labrador, who caught a weasel and a fox this year, a neighbor's cat last year (who resulted in a large vet bill for one of my old lazy cats) and a large raccoon before that.

They are also food security in a worst case scenario.

Ra, that sounds amazing!
My kid has been lobbying for a dovecote, so I'm extra interested.
We keep chickens, mostly for the compost, so I can vibe with having livestock that are partners more than they are food.


Can you share pictures of your set up?

William Bronson wrote:
Can you share pictures of your set up?

Yes I will work on that this week

I like the motorhome (pigeon-mobile) best: it runs, so if it's empty, easily done by buying and throwing down some expensive safflower seed, I can start it up and move it:
Downwind of a shipping container (windbreak) near the house in winter, and in the shade and downwind of the house in summer. All possible entry points for weasels need blocking though ( if they are determined they will try to eat and tear through wooden frames which is why a metal rolling pigeon tractor is good )

I will get a pic of Constable Tonto (livestock dog) as well because he is definitely part of the solution