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Author Topic: Brian-pigeon ?'s  (Read 3732 times)

Offline randydrivesabus

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Brian-pigeon ?'s
« on: May 06, 2008, 02:49:37 pm »
"I have a homing pigeon or two, and most are white spotted, or splashy. One is all white, very pretty, and one is hand raised so when you go in the pen he lands on your head."

the above is an email description a friend has given of some pigeons she has to give away. Health problems are causing her to give away a lot of animals & birds she and her husband care for.

is it very time consuming to care for some pigeons? can they live in pretty much any building? what do they eat? please, any info is appreciated. I'm finding it hard to find something online to read about them. I have experience keeping chickens, geese, turkeys, and guineas.

thanks!

Offline Jerrymac

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Re: Brian-pigeon ?'s
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2008, 03:38:52 pm »
Back when I was in pest control I captured a lot of young pigeons that weren't quite ready to fly. I made them some roosting  places in an old storage shed and caged in an area in front of the shed. When they got old enough to fly I let them out. They would return every evening to the shed and I would close them up.

A cat found a way in one night and wiped them all out. :'(

But they were easy to keep.
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Offline poka-bee

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Re: Brian-pigeon ?'s
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2008, 03:41:14 pm »
It depends on what you do with them.  It takes time to train for racing, Brian would know more about that.  Mine are by accident & are very easy to care for.  You can get pigeon food & grit from the feed or petstores.  They need fresh water to drink, I use a rabbit waterer & tub to bathe in, they love baths.  They also enjoy greens, I planted a pot of wheat & pansys that they pick on.  Once they know where they live they won't fly away so you can let em fly, just make sure their living space is predator free, you can even let em live in the rafters of your barn once they know your place.  My male Earl had a broken wing that didn't heal correctly so couldn't be released.  His son the Perv WON'T go away...taken to the next town & he was back the next day.  Perv lives outside the loft, Earl isn't let out cause he can only fly a couple of feet. They are great fun to watch & having tame ones a treat.  It is fun to have them fly down & eat from your hands or ask for a headscratch! Go for it!
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Offline randydrivesabus

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Re: Brian-pigeon ?'s
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2008, 05:14:29 pm »
is there a concern for predatory birds (hawks) attacking them?

Offline poka-bee

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Re: Brian-pigeon ?'s
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2008, 06:24:48 pm »
That's always a concern.  If they have places to fly & hide they may be ok. I have one that was attacked once & lived.  The hawk has been back many times since & Perve dissapears for hours, he watches much more carefully now.  I do live in a wooded area though so the hawk has to stalk pretty close, not high in the sky! You might want to let em out at certain times to fly, not the same time every day though cause animals have an uncanny sence of time. The beauty of them in flight is almost worth the risk though & it's probably what they think too!  Post pics when you get them!
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Brian-pigeon ?'s
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2008, 10:27:16 am »
Randy, I'm sure Brian will chime in too, I haven't seen him on the forum since the day before yesterday, he must be swamped!!!  Beautiful day in this great life, Cindi
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Brian-pigeon ?'s
« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2008, 01:45:30 am »
Randy, I'm sure Brian will chime in too, I haven't seen him on the forum since the day before yesterday, he must be swamped!!!  Beautiful day in this great life, Cindi

Sorry, I've been fighting a chronic sinusitis that has now eroded the bone plate between sinus cavity and upper jaw--now I get an abscessed tooth along with the sinusitis which also makes my asthma act up, gives me a touch of bronchitis and a splitting headache to boot.  I've been under the weather for a week and seeing doctor, dentist, or x-ray specialist almost every day.

As for the pigeons. 
1. If a young bird is removed from the nest prior to having been let out of its loft it will imprint on the location it's let out to fly as home.  I was just given 10 birds, kept them penned for a week, let them out and they stayed--I'm now training them along with my other young birds for racing. 
2.  A hen, if taken to a new loft, mated and on eggs will run a 50/50 chance of staying with the eggs.  A male will always go back to it's original home--the one it first flew from.
3.  Pigeons can be kept in rabbit sized pens, if necessary, and often are for breeding purposes or showing.  For larger areas a partial wind break is nice with wire but be sure the top is covered with either poultry netting or a roof.  My 1st loft was a 3X3 foot corner of a shed with a small fly pen attached that was about 3X6. 
4. Pigeons are grain eaters.  They will eat a variety of grains.  Most pigeon feeds are a mix of Wheat, Peas, Corn, Barley, and Vetch or Milo. In a pinch wild bird seed mixed with cracked corn will work.  If raising racing pigeons you want Type A or type B pigeon feed:  Type A usually uses pop corn (smaller Kernel) and Type B has large Yellow Kernels.  Then their is Dove mix which should be used for the smaller breeds of pigeons such as rollers, owls, etc.  Utility breeds should be feed the Type B mix as they are meant to be eaten.
5. Always fly your birds hungry.  Full craws slows their flight and loses to hawks will soar.  A hungry bird always comes home to eat.  I train my to return to the loft when I call--they know when I call that it's feeding time.  If my birds are out and I see a hawk all I have to do is call them and they come right into the loft.
6. Colors:  Whited splotched head is called Pied.  Interlaced white feathers throughout the birds plumage is referred to as Grizzel.  The most common colors are Blue Check and Blue Bar--blue and gray feathers the bar has 2 blue bars on gray wings.  Red Checks and Silvers (aka Mealy or Red Bar)  have red and silver makings just like the Blues.  Birds of all 1 solid color are called Self, i.e. Self Red, Self Black, Self Brown, etc.
saddled birds have wings of 1 or 2 colors with different body colors, i.e. blue bar wings and a white body.  There are also a lot of tint differences in coloring that go by names such as chocolate, yellow, orange, violet, lavender, etc.

One of the best ways to get real good birds is to get some inexpensive scrubs and then find a breeder of the type of pigeon you want and get his unwanted eggs.  Most pigeons racers don't want young hatching after 1 April at the latest as they are then too immature to fly for racing so they just throw the eggs away.  Get those eggs and you can get some very good stock for nothing.
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Brian-pigeon ?'s
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2008, 09:24:13 am »
Brian, oh brother, you do have your share of crappy health issues, eh?  Wishing you well.  How in the devil can a sinusitis erode the bone cavity?  That is unbelievable, is this a permanent thing?  Have a wonderful and great day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline randydrivesabus

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Re: Brian-pigeon ?'s
« Reply #8 on: May 08, 2008, 09:24:31 am »
Sorry about your health problems Brian. Thanks all for the information. If I go through with this I'll post pics.