Is my pigeon lonely?

[laughingdog]

Just set out in all wire cage for mins to hour etc each day at different times (board on top so not too much sun or rain, for week to month, in all wire cage, in most open area, and only feed daily what they'll eat in mins after bring in while whistling etc as feed n they eat. They learn to come to call and as spaz when they listen to whistle/song/sound, you can then let out of cage right before dark then lengthen time each day. You don't have to be as careful, just sure fire way to settle them, so they see n hear all around them at different times of day, and come home on command and stay around not wondering around off too far too soon.

 

[cavemanrich]

Hopefully nobody minds if I jump in here... @cavemanrich I'm truly sorry for your loss.
I am hoping you might know/help:I have two pigeons that I hatched and hand fed. Their parents were ferals, These two are "house pets". You talk of setting your birds. I assume this means they "set" home on their internal GPS map... How long does this process take? I would love to take mine outside, but, I am fearful of them leaving. (Especially since Maine is jumping into its chilly season!) I'm also using them to help foster a squab that I recently acquired. (Maybe a roller) Learning to peck seed and drink and such.
Anyway, setting my birds, do you have a process, or is it simply time and breed?

Home setting means making them able and willing to return to your loft. You say that yours are inside your home as house pets. That makes it slightly trickier to home set. Here is why. A pigeon wants to return to its home. A portable cage taken outside does not look like home to pigeon. Your pigeon may hesitate to enter back into cage after flying around outside. He may even land on top and stare at you, but wont necessarily enter. May be confused and try to find home but wont know how. More ideal loft has access to the outdoors. Pigeons can see the outdoor ambiance and see where their home entrance is at. At first they may only wander off just a short distance, and they see how and where to return. At the bottom is a pix of a small aviary with access to garage loft.
There are a few tricks to use to get your pigeons to return.
If your pigeons are a mated pair, or even just chummy friends of same gender, they will not want to leave their partner. Only release one at a time. Keep the other inside loft, or within sight but not able to fly away . Partner will return and home setting started . Do this a few times, and then switch roles, releasing other pigeon while containing the first. Do this a few times. Once they know where and how to return, you can try releasing them both. Chances are they will both return.
Second trick is to release them hungry. In my case this was difficult because I always had food inside loft for them to eat free choice. But it is an option to feed your pigeons and remove food until next day feeding. If they are used to eating at a certain time, they will be hungry just before that time arrives. Releasing them hungry will direct them straight home for dinner.
Third way is to try releasing them when they have young ones. Most ideal time (in my opinion) would be when baby pigeons (there are usually 2 per cycle) are about 2 week old. Both parent are still feeding junior. Release only one at a time and start with the male. Once he is home set, after a few times, then you can switch to the female. At week 3 the female is already looking to lay another batch of eggs, so she is very likely to return. Reason to start at 2 weeks is this. Should your pigeon not return, then the other single parent is able to raise and feed the baby (babies) by him/her self. I have had this situation of single parent raising. Also have had non family member help feed orphaned as well.
Fourth method applies to new born pigeons. At about 1 month old, your babies are able to fly a little. Have them go out with a parent. They will not try to split at this time because they are still being fed some by the male parent. They are not strong fliers ether at this age. Mama parent usually stops her feeding at about day 20, and is concentrated on her new batch of eggs (or soon to be). The papa pigeon will be teaching junior where to enter the loft. It is great to watch this father child interaction.

It is not very well visible but at the lower right hand corner is the access opening into the loft inside garage. After flying around, my pigeons would return into this aviary, and then enter their loft thru that opening.. Aviary is a repurposed large dog cage. It is mounted at roof level.

 

[caesargirl]

Home setting means making them able and willing to return to your loft. You say that yours are inside your home as house pets. That makes it slightly trickier to home set. Here is why. A pigeon wants to return to its home. A portable cage taken outside does not look like home to pigeon. Your pigeon may hesitate to enter back into cage after flying around outside. He may even land on top and stare at you, but wont necessarily enter. May be confused and try to find home but wont know how. More ideal loft has access to the outdoors. Pigeons can see the outdoor ambiance and see where their home entrance is at. At first they may only wander off just a short distance, and they see how and where to return. [COLOR=FF0000] At the bottom is a pix of a small aviary with access to garage loft. [/COLOR] There are a few tricks to use to get your pigeons to return. If your pigeons are a mated pair, or even just chummy friends of same gender, they will not want to leave their partner. Only release one at a time. Keep the other inside loft, or within sight but not able to fly away . Partner will return and home setting started . Do this a few times, and then switch roles, releasing other pigeon while containing the first. Do this a few times. Once they know where and how to return, you can try releasing them both. Chances are they will both return. Second trick is to release them hungry. In my case this was difficult because I always had food inside loft for them to eat free choice. But it is an option to feed your pigeons and remove food until next day feeding. If they are used to eating at a certain time, they will be hungry just before that time arrives. Releasing them hungry will direct them straight home for dinner. Third way is to try releasing them when they have young ones. Most ideal time (in my opinion) would be when baby pigeons (there are usually 2 per cycle) are about 2 week old. Both parent are still feeding junior. Release only one at a time and start with the male. Once he is home set, after a few times, then you can switch to the female. At week 3 the female is already looking to lay another batch of eggs, so she is very likely to return. Reason to start at 2 weeks is this. Should your pigeon not return, then the other single parent is able to raise and feed the baby (babies) by him/her self. I have had this situation of single parent raising. Also have had non family member help feed orphaned as well. Fourth method applies to new born pigeons. At about 1 month old, your babies are able to fly a little. Have them go out with a parent. They will not try to split at this time because they are still being fed some by the male parent. They are not strong fliers ether at this age. Mama parent usually stops her feeding at about day 20, and is concentrated on her new batch of eggs (or soon to be). The papa pigeon will be teaching junior where to enter the loft. It is great to watch this father child interaction. It is not very well visible but at the lower right hand corner is the access opening into the loft inside garage. After flying around, my pigeons would return into this aviary, and then enter their loft thru that opening.. Aviary is a repurposed large dog cage. It is mounted at roof level.

Superb! My piggys actually are caged in the front mud room, 85% glass and on nice days the door opens to the screened in front porch... So the entrance is actually a screen door. The other door from the mud room opens into the house. They spend a good portion of nice days on the perches in the screen room... Hopefully I have unintentionally started their home set! Although right now they're on their towel snoozin on the couch and my new baby is practicing flying from the coffee table to the dogs rear end and back again!

 

[laughingdog]

Yeah.. I've free flown all types of hookbills this way, as well as ringneck etc doves. Look up portable lofts or flying pigeons from portable lofts, as usually small pet porter/carrier flown from, taken to out door places like parks etc. I've had them bring back friends (budgies finches canaries cockatiels conures amazons etc people release), n chased back by bops, but never not return (had a turkey vulture take some young out of nests though). Never release just one pigeon, as makes it instant target to press and disadvantage at spotting and confusing to help evade. Birds a lot smarter when let developed intellect, than just sitting in bare tiny cages.

 

[caesargirl]

Yeah.. I've free flown all types of hookbills this way, as well as ringneck etc doves. Look up portable lofts or flying pigeons from portable lofts, as usually small pet porter/carrier flown from, taken to out door places like parks etc. I've had them bring back friends (budgies finches canaries cockatiels conures amazons etc people release), n chased back by bops, but never not return (had a turkey vulture take some young out of nests though). Never release just one pigeon, as makes it instant target to press and disadvantage at spotting and confusing to help evade. Birds a lot smarter when let developed intellect, than just sitting in bare tiny cages.

Lol, if I'm not allowed to bring home anymore homeless animals, my pigeons aren't either! Predators are a HUGE issue here. Everything from bald eagles in the air to fisher on the ground. The more I think about it, the more fearful I am that someone might not return due to, well, being eaten. I've actually spent the day researching ways to net off a flying area for them....
And with the exception of my fish, no animal in my house is caged. I find animals to be less healthy both physically and mentally when confined for lengths of time.... Wish others understood that

Although the fish seem to appreciate it!!

 

[laughingdog]

Cheap quick easy deer netting has worked better than chicken wire for bop attack preventio n of watched outdoor pudgy fun, otherwise if gonna be outside all time then need 2x4s and one inch hardware cloth, cloth under too for digging animals..

 

[cavemanrich]

Superb! My piggys actually are caged in the front mud room, 85% glass and on nice days the door opens to the screened in front porch... So the entrance is actually a screen door. The other door from the mud room opens into the house. They spend a good portion of nice days on the perches in the screen room... Hopefully I have unintentionally started their home set! Although right now they're on their towel snoozin on the couch and my new baby is practicing flying from the coffee table to the dogs rear end and back again!

If your pigeons fly out thru your doorway, they will easily return thru same. They will associate the doorway as way home. Pigeons do not think that they need a small port opening into loft made just for them. Any entrance will be fine to them. I actually think that a wide opened door is an easier way to homeset them. Way easier for them to figure out where entrance is.

 

[laughingdog]

Maybe place stickies on window of and windows around door using. I had some dumber parrots that had to have window stickies as they used to fly i into them coming in when startled.

 

[caesargirl]

Maybe place stickies on window of and windows around door using. I had some dumber parrots that had to have window stickies as they used to fly i into them coming in when startled.

Mirrors... My piggys and mirrors....lol, they got stickies! They seem to have figured out windows, might have something to do with dog nose prints!!!

 

[banties11]

ohhhh no! they are just beautiful birds. cheeky two as i have found out. i had a homing pigeon turn up 2 days ago and hasnt left. cheeky thing walked in through my front door, went to every room of the house and has decided to stay. i have picked it up and cuddled it of course, taken it outside to set it free and it just stays sitting in my hands. i am a little confused as i thought they always found their way home