pet homing pigeon

My grandpa breeds homing pigeons. He has lots of homing pigeons. I want to raise a baby homing pigeon and imprint it to me so it can be a pet. And I know its hard to feed baby pigeons. So if I wait til the pigeon is alittle older but still a baby. Will it still be able to imprint to me and be a docile pet?
Thanks

2002 said:

My grandpa breeds homing pigeons. He has lots of homing pigeons. I want to raise a baby homing pigeon and imprint it to me so it can be a pet.

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Pigeons do not like to be picked up and handled. The best you are going to accomplish even by hand raising a squab is to have the bird fly to you on command (in and around the loft).

Homing pigeons are all business when released on a toss (well at least mine are).

I accomplish this same result by hand feeding my homing pigeons shelled unsalted peanuts as a treat only.
If you have the patience you can do this in about 4 weeks is my guess with just about any adult pigeon.
In a perfect world sooner if you remember to always move slowly around the pigeon so as to not spook it.

Yes, it wouldnt be like a cuddly pet Id keep it outside in a coop and then I would let it out but Id want it to perch on me

You could get tumbler breeds that are a lot more friendly. They'll be best if gotten two to six, so not so scared of anything and tame easier. Id get when eating but still squeakiers.

I want especially a homer because I want a friendly bird that I can take places and if its doesnt come back to me it will just go home.

Birds have better chances being flown in pairs and higher of getting back safe. I've had some friendly homers that I did nothing but sing n whistle to when fed their parents when they were in nest, but young for some reason imprinted on me as FAM and followed me around and came to sitting on me all time till I shoo them, but those I fed layer pellets.

You should get 2... because they are social birds.. and one is going to be very lonely in your coop.

When it gets mature it will want a mate... and if its on its own it will just fly away to find one.

2 will just be as tame as one!

Don't get young birds to hand raise either.... that is making a lot of hard work for yourself, and the pigeon may die if you don't get it right... also it won't make them tamer than if you just get a couple of young birds that have started to feed themselves.

If you call them each time you feed them they will know you are associated with food.

Just look how friendly the feral pigeons are on the streets.. no one had to hand rear them!

I would say other breeds are naturally friendlier than Homers, most my Rollers tamed down way faster than the Homers, and my Indians Fantails and Lahores are really docile. That said, my very favorite and tamest bird is a Homer who just is super tame, who knows why. She will sit on my shoulder and fly to me any time she is in the coop. If I whistle she flies to my arm. It's really cool. But I didn't hand raise her... she just has a tame personality. And she is a just a special bird in general. I did a training toss and she came back a day later than everyone else - with a three inch gash from a hawk through her crop. When she drank or ate it would just pour out the crop. I had to sew her up, but she healed fine. However I won't fly her anymore because she is my baby and hawks are too big a danger. I would not fly any pigeon you aren't willing to lose. At least by me hawks get really bad in the fall/winter/spring. A week ago I had one figure out who to get THROUGH the netting on my coop and came in and ate a pigeon. I will say rather than hand raising you should try getting young birds, as they are just old enough to leave the parents, but young enough to still depend upon you for food. They will learn to assositate you with food and eat form your hand pretty quickly.

Thanks everyone! You all gave me fantastic advise!