a few questions about pigeons. JUST CURIOUS

[Mary Of Exeter]

Quote:
That was here https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=491768

WHOOPS. Thanks

Too many threads asking questions - can't keep up with'em all!

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

I don't know how pigeons got stuck with their reputation as being dirty. They're cleaner in appearance than my chickens and turkeys which take dust baths, and my ducks which play in the mud. But, poop on a few statues.....

 

[Timmy]

Quote:
That was here https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=491768

WHOOPS. Thanks

Too many threads asking questions - can't keep up with'em all!

Ya I got kinda mixed up to when they posted two threads about almost the same thing at almost the same time.

 

[Timmy]

Quote:
Here's the thing pigeons can carry disease and parasites and any thing that lives in a large city and feeds of the trash that people leave behind and then poops every were is gana be thought of as gross. Also they have a great ability to survive and make every nook and cranny they can find into a nest site and they poop all over the ground below it. There droppings are an issue because of the bugs and respiratory disease associated with it. Now The pigeons that people keep are for the most part well cared for and clean so we don't have to worry some much about those thing with domestic pigeons.

 

[boykin2010]

Ok thanks for that! I figured it was probably a myth like the one about all pitbulls are mean. Anyway i thought of another question. In your opinion what is a good price for a pair of kings and a pair of fantails. I saw someone selling a pair of kings and they wanted 10$ for them. I dont know if it is a good deal or not. I also saw someone selling fantails but not in pairs you just picked out which ones you wanted. It didnt say how much he wanted for them. If pigeons mate for life then i pick out 2 and they have different mates will they not mate?

 

[sourland]

Pigeons do not mate for life. They will usually accept a new mate quite readily as long as the old mate is not present.

 

[Timmy]

Quote:
What your going to pay all depends on were you are and the quality you want. $10 sounds like a good price for a pair of kings, but it's hard to say sight unseen. At any rate I wouldn't pay more than $20 a bird unless they were something real nice. Also find out if they are utility or show kings. The show kings should be priced a little higher than utility birds and for your purposes show kings are probably a better choice. As far as the fan tails while pigeons are monogamist they will find a new mate when they loose there current one. The birds that are being sold are probably young birds and not mated yet. if this is the case and you only want a pair see if the saler will guarantee the sex of the birds. That way when you wined up with two cocks or hens you can return one and not have to buy two more.

 

[boykin2010]

ok thanks!

 

[Pine Grove]

Thurston Spivey in Valdosta has several varieties of pigeons..Or you can go every other week to either Adel or Pearson to the auction..hundreds of kings are sold each week at these two sales

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Pigeons carry no more diseases/parasites and are no more dangerous than any other animal, including us humans

They like to say they carry all these dangerous things but when it comes down to it, pigeons are rarely ever the actual cause of anything. They are just easy to pin things on. Pigeon Fanciers Lung, well, you can get that from horse stables, poultry farms or anywhere else where there's a lot of animals and a lot of their dust. Few fanciers get it with pigeons in lofts...why on earth people in cities think they will get it from the pigeons nesting on their balcony...I will never understand

Salmonella? Think of all the foods that are recalled because of possible Salmonella contamination. It's everywhere! How often do people in cities actually touch pigeons or their droppings? Only idiots would touch animals and their feces and then go eat something without washing their hands. That's how you'd get salmonella or anything else from pigeons

And the parasites? I've had plenty of pigeon lice on me and I never worry about it because they eat feathers. And mites - well, I have never seen one on a pigeon that wasn't stuck like glue to the feather shaft. Good luck getting them off and onto your skin. I think they are happy where they are! Then there was the whole avian flu scare. Luckily pigeons are immune to at least 2 of the strains and have a great resistance built up to the others. When they do get it, they keep it to themselves. So you definitely don't need to worry about getting that from them!

Now if only the general public knew the truth