Questions on pigeons-

[RareFeathers]

there's someone in my area giving away free pigeons!!!!
he put up an ad saying "FREE RACING PIGEONS Imported Belgium Dutch and Australian bloodlines excess stock"
i live 3 hours away and when i emailed, he said that once i've chosen what i want specifically, he'll bring 'em down, free of charge. he's such a nice guy. anyway, he said thet he's got 3 different age groups to chose from, stock birds, young birds and squeakers. and i was wondering if you guys could help me answer some questions

1. what are squeakers? do they eat a different kind food to the other age groups?

2. which age group sould i get? i have 3 pigeons right now, a nun, a king, and a donek, and they're about 2 years old, and they all live in the coop with my chickens, and they're all let out every orning (with the chickens) and locked up at night. based on that info, which age should i get? i'd also like young birds i can get to eat out mmy hand as i often get friends' kids who come by and like to feed my birds (less work for me

)
any and all help appreciated!
thanks,
james

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Squeakers are fledglings. Most people call the squabs squeakers once they get the majority of their feathers in and/or are weaned. That's the age you will want. By young birds, I'm assuming he means anywhere under a year old, so they are likely too old to break to your house and not as quick to tame as squeakers. Stock birds will be prisoners, so you won't be able to let them out. You'll only be able to breed from them. They sound like good birds. I would get a pair of breeders and then however many squeakers you want to fly. That way if a hawk gets your flying birds, you have a backup pair to rebuild your flock with.

 

[laughingdog]

there was a whole bunch of people rehoming birds a bit back, but now ive been actually learning about and trying to get some, i cannot find anyone willing to talk even, let alone spare some roller eggs for my doves to raise, from someone local. finding alot of homers though at farmers market, and a neighbor acquired a pair, and they are a pair by sheer chance and also seem to do all the performing ive heard only orentials in one place, said to do. the owner just wants to let them free fly, and or try to keep to nest in chicken coop, and not let raise eggs as they keep taking to eat or let chickens eat (a frustrating waste of such talented birds or just lucky genetics).

 

[RareFeathers]

i just got an email from him, H said the ones he said were young birds are young enough to train to stick around.

 

[Rollerman]

I would go with the breeders. Getting grown breeding stock for free is a great windfall! Sure you may not be able to let them fly for quiet a while but they will be busy raising you a flock while you learn about them and get set for training and competion if thats the route you want to go. If they are as good a stock as they say you may even be able to raise a few for sale. If your wanting to raise some it will take the squeakers and young birds several months before they are ready to start nesting. Also get ready to have the feed bill jump! Homers are big eaters!


Laughing Dog check out the Tennessee Pigeon and Dove clubs website,maybe you can find a breeder close to you that will get you started. I am in the middle northern part and have rollers. Can always spare a few to get a newbie started!

 

[laughingdog]

unfortunately, all the advice to the Tennessee site, sends me to the page, but tells me it doesnt exist yet but is coming soon. A lot of people selling pigeons at the first monday flea market (but one a bit back, that i didnt get to talk to), that seem to know anything or care to tell if they do, but just say they buy cheap or get for free in bulk and resell, and just keep them in the sale cages (so they have no idea of how they fly or what kind they are even except saying sometimes theyre homers..

just figured id find some that were on one of these sites (closest group i found was east TN chicken keepers, and got nothing back asking about pigeons).

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Laughingdog, so you want rollers, not homers?
Perhaps post an ad on the NBRC site:
http://nbrconline.com/Classifieds.aspx?sub=POSTAD

 

[laughingdog]

well im kinda enjoying the baby racing homer i have, but think i over did it with training as today and yesterday he is not going fast or right to his cage, and stopping halfway from across building, but just saw im supposed to wait till all the baby hairs are gone.. but just liked the performances of the pair of pigeons im familiar with, watching the dives spins, backflips etc, and never new they did all that till i came across these two, and otherwise just seen plain homers, and carriers. im assuming this air are mixes though, as seeing differant bbreeds only doing what these do all of.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

All flying breeds do some acrobatics, whether it is sharp turns, dives, etc. You can tell the birds are having fun flying when they start cutting up in the sky. But rollers and tumblers do backflips. How are you training your homer?

 

[laughingdog]

well im probably not doing so well as was feeding bulk of food in morn till today, then found beginner video series on utube of all places by accident, telling to only feed each about a tablespoon in morn after exercising light briefly, then fly, then feed bulk of at night to get them to keep returning at night to cage. i just was showing it off a few times and one kid tossed it the first time, and it flew straight to me and after that just been taking farther and lightly tossing it up, and finally getting it to fly to cage instead of straight back to me, but usually just start by doing the step up over and over to condition wings and would toss up and catch or hold out arm or palm and call to land on me to do until it started to show tired or just bored/disinterest, then just let walk around for scratch or let back in cage (its actually just a big parrot cage for now. oddly my doves/pigeon dont seem to keen on the milo, and go back and fourth on what they want to eat, but seemed to not want to eat hardly for last two days, so tody i let food get down to hardly anything, and mixed baby bird food, chick crumble/dust starter, and cockatiel food with the pigeon food. only gave them small amount though, as usually fill the bowl up with at least a cup's worth every day. the pidgy seems to be getting smaller but maybe stronger and think i heard it cooing the other night when my doves were all at it at once, but it sounded off, well maybe more like a pigeon trying. lol its getting awfully agressive about being fed and starting to chase the fosters down and looks funny as swallows the heads of normal pair to try to get them to feed it still, but the white ones still feed it normally except for the last two days seemed not to feed it at all (im slightly disabled so usually home unless out finding something local to do).

ps. these i like do the back flips alot mostly the female and the male i think just follows her lead.

anyone care to list which breeds of what are known for/to do what, and all what they do??? just to get a quick recap? as im getting little to conflicting info, as couple places said i was describing oriental rollers as for the size and all the differant abilities they do, others say americans or birminghams are the smallest and do the most back flips and some others, and some say rollers only backflip, that im thinking of tumblers or something else.. so im confused now, and probably wouldnt be able to get to go out to compete to places, so would just be looking to try some performers that i could just watch from balcony or porch, at least for now, but maybe just try to find friend for my one racer aside from performers. can you keep them together? its parents were twice size of the neighbor's roller and my doves, but at least half of feral pigeons. they were mostly white with other speckles and fancy colors, and wondering if i could or even should have just brought them home too, or wouldnt it work once left out to be wild (they still seemed pretty tame compared to most wild birds and we were out in country suburb were no wild ones were, just the farm). i figured once i got the babies or rollers settled in in good coop, they might not frea out if brought home. or would they acclimate again just fine (been on own for several monthes to a year and a half i think said)?