Pigeon flew away!!!

[jak2002003]

I got a pair of white racing homers.. young birds. I kept them in with my flock of fancy pigeons for 2 months... and put them outside in a large cage each day in various places in the garden, on the coop roof.. and on the house roof... so they got used to the area.

They are very tame and settled down well. So today I decided to let one out with my flock.

At first everything was good.. she was happy to be pecking about in the dirt outside the coop with my other birds.

Then my birds flew up to the house roof. she flew with them at first.. but when she got too scared to land on the roof.. and kept flying up and up vertically!!!!!

Then she flew off in a straight line into the distance.. without even circling the area.

I wish I did not let her out in the evening as I was advised by someone. It was about one hour before dusk. Now I fear she is flying in the dark and won't get to see any landmarks.

I as glad I kept her mate in the cage!!!

Do you think there is any chance she will come back? I have never had a new pigeon fly off like that before...

 

[jak2002003]

I think a predator may have got your missing birds... maybe it made that hole to get in and out.

I have good news with my pigeon. I got her back in the loft!

Yesterday she was around the property.. it was stormy weather with strong winds.. and she seemed to be loving it.. sweeping high across the sky with the wind. She would not come down.. even when I released my own pigeons... I put her brother in the cage near the door of the coop and a bowl of food in there.

In the afternoon she was no where to be seen. In the evening all my birds had gone back into the loft.. and as I went to close the door.. I spotter her sitting on the ground next to the door.. but she could not figure out how to get back in.. because they have to fly up to a step first about one foot high.

I was able to go up to her slowly and pick her up quite easily. Once back in the coop she seemed relieved and ate and drank and went to her roost.

So now I know she will come back eventually... but she needs to join the main flock in her habits and not go off on her own.. I don't want her to lead my well behaved birds off track.

How long do you all think I should wait till I let her out again... perhaps wait till she has matured a bit and is not such a rebellious teenager? Any tips on training? I am going to add lots more nest boxes.. because I think once she gets one of her own she will like to get back to It more than just a perch.

 

[laughingdog]

Id say not to fly that pair at all as was hard and maybe expensive getting from so far away, at very lest, till you get few pairs of young out of them.. anything could cause them to be lost for one reason or another, especially them not close to rest of flock. enjoy project of them n let putterers out to play around.

don't fly what you cannot afford to lose. just old motto of pigeon keepers, and sound advice I've regretted not doing in being eager to fly great birds, even after six months, then immediately loosing them each time. Rule of pigeon fliers: "youll lose your favorite/s first".
The whiter/different a homer, and different a breed/one to few is from whole group (or in rollers the better rollers of kit or rest of flocks), better chance thatll be taken n taken first by BOPs/preds. good ol time pigeon (homer n roller) people like hokum told n showed me that as has bad hands on experiences.

Anyway best luck from now on!

 

[jvvvhhgg]

Thanks.Feeling hopeful.All I have to do is to search and pray

 

[julio1993]

My only 2 pigeon's flew away today... weird cause they were on eggs. I was hoping they'd come back

 

[Blackberry18]

I got a pair of white racing homers.. young birds. I kept them in with my flock of fancy pigeons for 2 months... and put them outside in a large cage each day in various places in the garden, on the coop roof.. and on the house roof... so they got used to the area.

They are very tame and settled down well. So today I decided to let one out with my flock.

At first everything was good.. she was happy to be pecking about in the dirt outside the coop with my other birds.

Then my birds flew up to the house roof. she flew with them at first.. but when she got too scared to land on the roof.. and kept flying up and up vertically!!!!!

Then she flew off in a straight line into the distance.. without even circling the area.

I wish I did not let her out in the evening as I was advised by someone. It was about one hour before dusk. Now I fear she is flying in the dark and won't get to see any landmarks.

I as glad I kept her mate in the cage!!!

Do you think there is any chance she will come back? I have never had a new pigeon fly off like that before...

No telling that she may or may not come back. But give a her a while.

 

[wlantry]

Had she ever flown before? If she had, she's probably back where she grew up...

 

[Hokum Coco]

Quote: When flying new squeaker pigeons I only flew them in the morning after they had been without feed for at least 12 to 14 hours. That always gave me an edge to attracting them back to their coop. If they were young birds I never separated them from one another but let them out as a flock.

If they were a mated pair chances are you bird flew back home. I have keep mated pairs from January to May. During that time they had raised 3 clutches of eggs. When I released the female homing pigeon (separately) it stayed in my loft. When I released the male it was back home in it's original loft for breakfast the following morning where it will remain.

Fanciers have to keep some adults pigeons prisoners all their lives because their bond with their original loft is that strong.

No two homing pigeons are the same some even though they may have good blood lines can not find their way home from around the corner.

From what you have informed me I would expect you bird should find it way back to your loft in a perfect world.

Wishing you a safe return on your wayward homer..

Take a look at my set up through the link in my signature maybe you may get an idea or two you might emplioy.

 

[jak2002003]

She had been flow at the old place.. but only for a week before I bought them. They were never take away and homed to the loft.. they only got let out to fly around the loft... but I think she must have tried to return there.

I am going to email the guy to see if she turns up... Its a long way from me... I live in Chiang Mai, and her loft is in Bangkok... 369 miles away!!!!

I thought as she was still young.. and a squeaker.. she would not try to return, especially as I put them out each day in the cage to get used to the place for over 2 months.

I took me over a year to find these white homers!!! So now I am going to clip the males feathers to keep him here..

I will use him to breed with my smaller white king pigeons to get some more white birds.. that will be good at flying around my house. I love to see them flying. My big kings can only fly from place to place.. like from the coop to the house roof... and they are too heavy to put on a show in the air for me.

 

[jak2002003]

SHE CAME BACK ... AND THEN WENT AGAIN!!!! .

I let my flock out to fly.. and she turned up out of nowhere.

But she kept herself well away from my flock... flew down to drink from the pond... and then flew off again into the distance. She seems afraid of the other pigeons and me now... acting very flighty and nervous.

I left the coop door open until after dark.. but she was not back inside.

Any tips how to get her back in? I hope she comes back tomorrow again.