I walked out to feed the horses the other morning, and two pigeons flew out from under the overhang over the horse runs. I was afraid of that.
I did my best to keep pigeons out of the new barn the whole time we were building it. We paid extra for a door that wouldn’t get stuck and have to be left open, so there wouldn’t be a way for those stinking birds to get in. Where the horses come and go, we installed those plastic strips like you see in walk-in freezers, so pigeons couldn’t get in that way, either. And that was a major project, because it meant not only installing the strips, but also teaching the horses to go through them without tearing the whole barn down.
But the one spot I overlooked was the beam holding up the overhang over the horse runs. There’s just enough space on top of that beam for pigeons to sit, and if I don’t chase them off, to roost. So now I need to go get some chicken wire or hardware cloth and close up that opening.
But there is another option. I could allow them to nest up there for a little while, and then sneak out there and net the birds out of the rafters. I could build a pigeon coop off the old unused chicken shed, and I could start raising pigeons to train my bird dog. I could even sell the excess pigeons to other dog and falcon trainers around the area. It could be a good way to earn a little extra ammo money.
But that would mean having to care for a bunch of pigeons. I’m not sure I’m up for that task. Besides, I’d have to research the laws and find out what sorts of permits or licenses I might need to keep and raise pigeons. I don’t know if there are any in Wyoming, but that would be a good thing to know for sure before I started. And that just seems like a lot of work.
So I guess I’ll be heading out to get some hardware cloth. Maybe I’ll look up the laws when I get back.
