Housing for pigeons can range from a simple weekend do-it-yourself project using re-purposed wood and hardware all the way  up to a professional breeding loft costing thousands of dollars. For the purposes of this lesson, we will only point out and consider both the needs of the pigeons and fancier as they relate to basic needs and basic care of the pigeons. The actual design will depend on your resources and desire for simple or esthetics or both.
Housing Considerations:
Pigeon: Perches, protection from elements, protection from predators, quality of life (minimize/reduce stress factors), cleanliness, accessibility to sunlight, tools or appliances required, nesting boxes
Fancier: Performing the regular chores from regular cleaning, daily feeding and watering, accessibility, observation and esthetic eye appeal.
Social: Neighbors, health, zoning regulations, esthetics,
The Roller Pigeon:
The actual needs of the pigeon are minimal when you consider the issue from its perspective. All it want is a safe home, access to sufficient food and water and protection from the elements and creatures that would prey on it as a food source. So a simple box design, with a perch that allows each bird to stand completely upright, that has good ventilation with no direct drafts and allows for air to circulate during hot weather, and a reasonable sense of safety is all a roller pigeon needs.
Obviously, feeding trays and waterers should be made available and positioned as to minimize the chances of becoming fouled with droppings and other debris. To give a sense of what a pigeon will be happy with in terms of size, a “kit box” size: 65in tall, 99in long, 39in deep, 36in high inside, 32in wide inside will house roughly 24 roller pigeons in comfort and good health.
These are the basic housing needs of the pigeon. Kept in these conditions, a healthy pigeon appears to be very content, is active, healthy and vigorous and will consider this to be a good home.
You, The Fancier:
The practical housing needs of the roller pigeon are not hard to provide. It is where the needs of the roller pigeon meet the needs and esthetic desires of you - the fancier, where the designs can become quite extravagant and costly. A roller pigeon will be quite content to live out its days in something as modest as a rabbit hutch, simply install a trap door, nest box, perch and so forth, and a roller pigeon and its mate will be quite content with this arrangement.
The degree of difficulty in housing and maintenance will be affected by how many roller pigeons you decide you want to keep. So for example, I have invested close to $10,000 on my loft and kit boxes, however, it has all the bells and whistles to raise roller pigeons on a professional level. I breed year-round and require such a facility.
You on the other hand may only desire to keep 5 pair for breeding and fly 1 or 2 kits. If you are handy with a saw and wood, you can build your own custom designed loft or if you can’t pound a nail without bending it, you can buy sheds from home and garden outlets and place perches and nesting boxes inside with minimal difficulty over a weekend.
Having a walk-in loft is nice. There are many design and sizes that will serve this purpose. During rainy, snowy or even hot weather, a walk-in loft has a definite advantage. It allows you to spend more time with the rollers and just adds an element of convenience and usefulness when it comes to the tools, feed storage and other utensils needed to care for your pigeons.
Here are some pictures that show both loft designs and kit boxes. These should spark your imagination and give you good ideas as to how you may want to design your own housing to meet your specific needs and desire for esthetics:
Neighbors:
Whichever loft or kit box design you build, just be sure to consider the neighbors sensibilities. If you design a neat and esthetically pleasing loft, the neighbors will be more accepting of your new hobby.
If it is an eyesore, you may have more problems than what it is worth. Do give some considerations to size and the look as it might mean something to adjacent neighbors.
Zoning Regulations:
Do give some thought to checking your local ordinances regarding the keeping of a few pigeons. I have heard in my discussions with individuals that keeping a small number is usually just fine, it is when too many are kept that might raise concerns.
So do check before building a sizable loft. You may be better keeping a few in a smaller loft or kit box to meet local ordinances.
Tony Chavarria
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