My New Journey with Pigeons: What I’ve Learned, and Why You Should Get Them Too
Yes, especially if you live in town or have a small amount of space.
Pigeons are a domestic bird oft overlooked. I know I overlooked them, though I’ve exhibited chickens for many years. I thought they weren’t worth my time. After flunking a pigeon breeds identification quiz in the Skillathon at the State Fair, I decided to learn all of the common pigeon breeds. My interest in owning pigeons grew. After all, I had owned every other type of bird exhibited at the fair, and I was going to be a fair judge. How could I know pigeons if I didn’t own any? Also, I was becoming disenchanted with my chickens’ flightlessness. What was the point of owning a bird if it couldn’t fly around? In 2022, I finally resolved to buy some pigeons.
There were pigeons for sale at the Beaver Pigeon and Bantam Club show. I came home with a pair of Arabian Trumpeters, with no idea how to take care of them. I kept them in a small cage with a roost. I quickly learned pigeon raising is very different from raising any of the other breeds I have experience with.
What I’ve Learned:
Pigeons need more space than you think. Pigeons fly and exercise their wings. My temporary little cage was too small so I built a small loft (with lots of help. I never built anything before). A confined pair of pigeons need at least four square feet of space.
Pigeons don’t need to be NPIP tested to show or sell. Considering that feral pigeons and homing pigeons fly all over the country, testing seems pretty futile.
Treat new pigeons with preventative medicines. Pigeons get diseases and can die from them. Medication is a great way to prevent them. My Arabian Trumpeter hen suddenly sickened and died. While it could be any number of things I think it was canker. I wish I had known pigeons could get it and that I could easily treat her with trizole as a preventative measure. Now my new arrivals get a trizole pill and antibiotics (pigeons can get salmonella too!), and I keep this medicine around in case I see any symptoms of disease. Changing the water regularly also helps prevent canker.
Pigeons bathe themselves in water. I guess I should have expected this, but it surprised me.
Male pigeons are defensive of their territory. When the hen died, her mate was all alone. I was offered a free pigeon and he was a male Homer. Despite the fact that this new pigeon was twice his size, my Arabian Trumpeter bullied him relentlessly. Female pigeons get along together fine, but male pigeons tend to need one female each to keep the peace. My boys (at least, I think Gill is a boy) are finally chummy now though.
ETA: I was totally wrong! Gill or “Jill” as I call her now, turned out to be a girl. They paired up and fell totally and love, she even laid some eggs. So I guess it proves a male pigeon can be pretty defensive of his territory regardless of the sex of the new pigeon.
Why You Should Get Them Too:
You can keep them in any yard, and as house pets as well. Pigeons are a low-budget, low-maintenance alternative to a parakeet in the house. If you have a yard, you can keep them in places where chickens are not allowed. Obviously, check your ordinances, but even in the big city, lofts and even free-flying pigeons are often allowed. Pigeons are smaller than chickens, and most cities already have pigeons. Plus, no neighbors can complain about a pigeon cock crowing!
Pigeons fly. I haven’t free-flown my pigeons yet, but I’ve heard about the magic of the experience. The pigeon is free, it has no leash. It can fly anywhere in the world, but it chooses to go home to your loft because it likes it there. I definitely love watching my pigeons fly around the loft. There are so many fun activities that can be done with flying pigeons. You can train racing homers for a race or a kit of rollers for an aerial display. There are also highfliers, tipplers, Ukrainian Skycutters, and Ringbeaters.
They make loving pairs. There is so much joy to be derived from watching the unconditional love of a pair of pigeons. They feed each other, they co-parent, they preen each other; their love is so unlike the fickle love of chickens.
They have entertaining personalities. My Arabian Trumpeter Cock, Biff, is unafraid of me, but he doesn’t like being touched. Normally, if I grab for him, he tries to fly away, but when cornered, he makes a brave and futile stand. He either swats me with his wing or pecks me. When I set him down, he tells me off for grabbing him. I find that pigeons are actually more aggressive than chickens. Fortunately, their attacks couldn’t hurt even an infant.
There are so many kinds! There are fancy pigeons for people who like fancy birds, and utility pigeons for food. There are flying pigeons for exciting aerial displays, and homing pigeons for racing. I just know there’s a pigeon out there for you!
Yes, especially if you live in town or have a small amount of space.
Pigeons are a domestic bird oft overlooked. I know I overlooked them, though I’ve exhibited chickens for many years. I thought they weren’t worth my time. After flunking a pigeon breeds identification quiz in the Skillathon at the State Fair, I decided to learn all of the common pigeon breeds. My interest in owning pigeons grew. After all, I had owned every other type of bird exhibited at the fair, and I was going to be a fair judge. How could I know pigeons if I didn’t own any? Also, I was becoming disenchanted with my chickens’ flightlessness. What was the point of owning a bird if it couldn’t fly around? In 2022, I finally resolved to buy some pigeons.
There were pigeons for sale at the Beaver Pigeon and Bantam Club show. I came home with a pair of Arabian Trumpeters, with no idea how to take care of them. I kept them in a small cage with a roost. I quickly learned pigeon raising is very different from raising any of the other breeds I have experience with.
What I’ve Learned:
Pigeons need more space than you think. Pigeons fly and exercise their wings. My temporary little cage was too small so I built a small loft (with lots of help. I never built anything before). A confined pair of pigeons need at least four square feet of space.
Pigeons don’t need to be NPIP tested to show or sell. Considering that feral pigeons and homing pigeons fly all over the country, testing seems pretty futile.
Treat new pigeons with preventative medicines. Pigeons get diseases and can die from them. Medication is a great way to prevent them. My Arabian Trumpeter hen suddenly sickened and died. While it could be any number of things I think it was canker. I wish I had known pigeons could get it and that I could easily treat her with trizole as a preventative measure. Now my new arrivals get a trizole pill and antibiotics (pigeons can get salmonella too!), and I keep this medicine around in case I see any symptoms of disease. Changing the water regularly also helps prevent canker.
Pigeons bathe themselves in water. I guess I should have expected this, but it surprised me.
Male pigeons are defensive of their territory. When the hen died, her mate was all alone. I was offered a free pigeon and he was a male Homer. Despite the fact that this new pigeon was twice his size, my Arabian Trumpeter bullied him relentlessly. Female pigeons get along together fine, but male pigeons tend to need one female each to keep the peace. My boys (at least, I think Gill is a boy) are finally chummy now though.
ETA: I was totally wrong! Gill or “Jill” as I call her now, turned out to be a girl. They paired up and fell totally and love, she even laid some eggs. So I guess it proves a male pigeon can be pretty defensive of his territory regardless of the sex of the new pigeon.
Why You Should Get Them Too:
You can keep them in any yard, and as house pets as well. Pigeons are a low-budget, low-maintenance alternative to a parakeet in the house. If you have a yard, you can keep them in places where chickens are not allowed. Obviously, check your ordinances, but even in the big city, lofts and even free-flying pigeons are often allowed. Pigeons are smaller than chickens, and most cities already have pigeons. Plus, no neighbors can complain about a pigeon cock crowing!
Pigeons fly. I haven’t free-flown my pigeons yet, but I’ve heard about the magic of the experience. The pigeon is free, it has no leash. It can fly anywhere in the world, but it chooses to go home to your loft because it likes it there. I definitely love watching my pigeons fly around the loft. There are so many fun activities that can be done with flying pigeons. You can train racing homers for a race or a kit of rollers for an aerial display. There are also highfliers, tipplers, Ukrainian Skycutters, and Ringbeaters.
They make loving pairs. There is so much joy to be derived from watching the unconditional love of a pair of pigeons. They feed each other, they co-parent, they preen each other; their love is so unlike the fickle love of chickens.
They have entertaining personalities. My Arabian Trumpeter Cock, Biff, is unafraid of me, but he doesn’t like being touched. Normally, if I grab for him, he tries to fly away, but when cornered, he makes a brave and futile stand. He either swats me with his wing or pecks me. When I set him down, he tells me off for grabbing him. I find that pigeons are actually more aggressive than chickens. Fortunately, their attacks couldn’t hurt even an infant.
There are so many kinds! There are fancy pigeons for people who like fancy birds, and utility pigeons for food. There are flying pigeons for exciting aerial displays, and homing pigeons for racing. I just know there’s a pigeon out there for you!
