Adopted Rescued Racing Pigeon and Need Info

[Humble Shack Farm]

Hello!

I adopted a rescued racing pigeon (she didn't make it home, was found in the mouth of a cat, wasn't claimed and was taken in by a local rescue) back in February. I have found a sad lack of information on keeping pigeons and doves as pets. Topics like what to feed them (she's a picky eater), health/veterinary care, how to tame them, etc., just isn't to be found. I've looked for books, videos, 4H resources, and breeder websites without finding anything really useful other than basic housing information.

Can anyone tell me what your pigeons eat? Snow Glimfeather (my pigeon) is a picky eater and the pigeon and dove food by Kaytee was being wasted because of all the stuff she wouldn't or couldn't eat (some of the ingredients were too big for her to swallow). Right now I'm using a blend of a finch food, oat groats, parakeet food, and cockatiel food to get as much variety as possible. I usually leave the food until she has eaten as much as possible, and she always leaves the colored bits. Her favorite seed is the little white safflower seeds.

How about taming a scared pigeon? She started out less scared of us but after having to bath and medicate her several times to get rid of an infestation of feather lice she really doesn't want anything to do with us. Ultimately, it's okay if she is never really tame, but I think she'd be a lot happier if I could get her out of her cage and let her fly around the room.

Also, how vocal should a single pigeon be? Snow started out more vocal and has gotten much quieter, only making sounds at night/early morning now. I'm hoping that isn't a sign that she is unhappy or anything. Are the males or females more vocal?

And any resources on pigeon health would be appreciated as I like to know what to look for and be prepared to treat any illness in my birds.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Redbrew]

Go to the palomacy facebook page and get all your questions answered!

 

[cavemanrich]

Cassy and Caliber​

There is very much information on the pigeon forum here on BYC, Let me answer some of the most urgent questions. Pigeon feed. You may purchase it at many feed stores that carry it.
In my area, there are at least 2 feed stores nearby, that I can get pigeon seeds. Some of the farm feed stores do not carry pigeon seeds. TSC, Farm & Fleet, Rural King, don't. Not sure if they can order such for you, unless you ask.
This online selller is popular.
https://foyspetsupplies.com

They can provide you with anything you need for pigeons.

There are also some threads with many posting, that you can read thru, and get all the info you need. Theis one has over 11,000 postings.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pigeon-talk.1276029/

This thread has ove 1,200 postings, and also filled with great info.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pigeon-bulletin-board.1174207/

Since you keep your pigeon indoor, I will tag @Serin , since he keeps an indoor pigeon and is a wealth of info on indoor pigeons.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I used to feed my pigeon a mix of seeds like this:

However, he’s picky and even though I only fed him a small handful per day, he wasted a lot of seed. Now I feed him (and my new pigeon) Kaytee dove seed. It sounds like that’s what you're feeding as well. You may want to try feeding less. I’ve read that it’s recommended to feed two tablespoons or less per pigeon per day. That way they eat all the seeds instead of picking out their favorites.

Males are usually more vocal as females, but that’s not always the case. As for taming them, sitting near them and hand feeding seem to be good ways to do it.