Meet my rescued pigeons!

[GermanKennhuhn]

Such pretty birds!

 

[Tre3hugger]

Man those are some cool birds

 

[african chickens]

neet neet is brown? pigeons can be brown?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

neet neet is brown? pigeons can be brown?

Yes. His color is called recessive red. (“Brown” and “red” are genetically two different colorations in pigeons.)

 

[Saaniya]

I’ve ended up with a lot of pigeons over the past few months, mostly by accident. Though I have a thread about them (https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pigeon-adventures.1500316/), I thought I’d re-introduce them here!

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This is Phantom, a fantail mix pigeon (fantails are a fancy domestic breed with huge tails) who was wandering about with a wild flock of feral pigeons. He either got lost during free flight (the pigeon equivalent of free ranging) or was dumped. Now he has a mate who he loves to show off his shiny colors to— pigeons mate for life!

View attachment 3077193View attachment 3077194This is Skipper! He’s a feral pigeon who I found with a hole in his crop— he probably got away from a hawk. I could see the seeds inside of him! Fortunately, after a week of treatment, the hole in his crop is closed and the outside flesh wound is almost completely healed.
Skipper’s thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pigeon-with-hole-in-its-crop.1520912/

View attachment 3077210View attachment 3077208View attachment 3077209View attachment 3077211Oliver is another feral pigeon. Something happened to him in the wild and he lost sight in one of his eyes. I knew the blindness was recent due to his odd behavior, so I caught him (which was very easy due his disability) because he wouldn’t have had much of a chance on his own.

View attachment 3077258View attachment 3077259Quin is a racing pigeon (you can tell by her leg bands) who got lost during a race. Unfortunately, this isn’t that uncommon, and racing pigeons, once lost, can’t survive in the wild. I caught her and now she has a mate! (She’s sitting on fake eggs in the first picture, I decided not to let my pigeons breed since I rescue them.) She’s very calm and docile, and will even tolerate sitting on my lap and being pet for a short while.

View attachment 3077280View attachment 3077281View attachment 3077282This is Wraith, Quin’s mate, a very dramatic pigeon! He was “released” on 9/11 as part of a dove release. Seeing as he’s neither a dove nor a wild bird, I knew he wasn’t going to be able to survive for long in the wild, so I caught him! Sometimes domestic doves are used in dove releases, but they aren’t able to survive in the wild, either. There’s a certain breed of pigeon, homing pigeons, who can actually return to their home once released. However, they can still get lost, especially if they’re released too far away from their home.

View attachment 3077293View attachment 3077294View attachment 3077295View attachment 3077296View attachment 3077297This is Kasper, another white pigeon who was released on 9/11. However, she was in even more danger than Wraith, since she was only around 6 weeks old! She didn’t even know how to find food or how to stay with the feral pigeon flock. Luckily, I was able to catch her, and now her and Phantom are mates.

View attachment 3077309View attachment 3077308View attachment 3077312Rubber Band is another disabled feral pigeon. I found her in the wild with a rubber band wrapped around her leg, cutting off circulation. Her foot eventually turned black and fell off, so now she lives in my aviary since she is unreleasable. She has that feral pigeon glare!
Rubber Band’s thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rubber-band-wrapped-around-leg-of-pigeon.1494608/

View attachment 3077322View attachment 3077323View attachment 3077324This is Tofu, who is a feral I found with a broken leg. I knew her chances of healing on her own were slim, especially since she was young, so I caught her. Unfortunately her leg healed a bit wrong, which made me decide to keep her. She is very confident, and coos at and fights with anyone who tries to mess with her, including me!

View attachment 3077334View attachment 3077335View attachment 3077336View attachment 3077337View attachment 3077338View attachment 3077339Finally, meet Neet Neet! He is my first pigeon, a breed called a roller. Though he wasn’t rescued, he was the one who ignited my love for pigeons. Since I’ve had him the longest, he’s extremely friendly and loves perching on people, being pet, play fighting, and performing courting dances for various objects. (Including my shoes, like pictured above.) He even goes on car rides! He would make a great inside pigeon, though he lives outside because I don’t have enough time for an house bird right now.

(Note: though I’ve upgraded my pigeons to a bigger pen, they still need more space, because I don’t free fly them due to the danger of predators. I’m currently making them an even bigger aviary, since I keep ending up with more pigeons!)

Wooooooooow my god they are beautiful how do u care them I'm new to pigeon currently raising one rescued i also have one rooster and one red vented bulbul

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Wooooooooow my god they are beautiful how do u care them I'm new to pigeon currently raising one rescued i also have one rooster and one red vented bulbul

The basics? Pigeons should have a diet consisting of mostly seeds, the more variety the better. This is what I’m currently feeding:

It’s feed for racing pigeons, I had to order it online, though it has a bit too much corn for my pigeons’ liking.

Seed for wild birds, doves, and quail can also work, though you may have to mix different types to get enough variety.

For indoor pigeons especially, I like to use a small, heavy container that has just enough food for one day. Otherwise, your pigeon (being a single indoor bird) will fling its seed everywhere and refuse to eat anything but its favorite types. Here’s what I use for food and water dishes for inside pigeons (excuse the mess, I need to clean them):

Pigeon for size comparison

For a cage, pigeons are not like parrots and use horizontal space rather than vertical space. Large birdcages or dog crates work great for pigeons. Some people don’t use cages at all for their inside pigeons. If you do plan on using one, make sure that the pigeon gets lots of time outside the cage. For perches, pigeons prefer shelves and flat perches to round ones (since they live on cliffs in the wild). The bottom of the cage should not be wire, since that’s hard on their feet and may cause bumblefoot. People usually use plastic bottoms, puppy pads, yoga mats, newspaper, paper towels, etc.

Pigeons love to bathe in water, so a shallow dish or container filled with water should be provided to them at least once a week.

The bath in my aviary

If you want to free fly your pigeon (let them fly around outside) then you should train them to have a recall and only do it under supervision, otherwise it’s very dangerous since pigeons normally have a flock for protection. It still has its risks even with training, though. I don’t personally free fly my pigeons.

There are such things as pigeon diapers, harnesses, and leashes (though I just use a leash for small dogs) that you can order online.

Pigeons with human or bird mates will want to have a nest. The females will lay eggs with or without a “proper” nest, so it’s best just to provide one by giving them access to nesting materials (like hay/straw) and some sort of box/bowl for them to build the nest in. I replace my pigeons’ eggs with fake eggs so I don’t end up overcrowded. Plastic or ceramic eggs can be ordered online, or you can make your own out of clay, for example. None of this may apply to you since you have a single bird. However, sometimes a pigeon will choose to have a human mate, and may still lay eggs (if female) or want to sit on eggs (if male).

Common issues with pigeons are coccidiosis, canker, worms, and mites/lice. An inside pigeon should not be exposed to any of these so does not need preventive treatment, but some do it anyway. I keep the treatments for canker and parasites with me because I have an outside flock and rescue pigeons regularly. Since your pigeon is a rescue, you should consider treating them for mites and worms. Most of the rescued pigeons I’ve taken in have had feather lice.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I have FINALLY expanded my aviary, and the pigeons are thrilled!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

 

[Saaniya]

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They are such beauties ☆♡

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Neet Neet inside the house

Oliver in the aviary