can you let your pineons (free range?)

[Kylo_Hen!]

hi i'm trying to get my mom to say yes to pigeons she dose not want me to have a pet that can't be let out or out of it's cage- dove cope so my question is can you let them in your yard(with super vision) and will they come back?

 

[NoFlyBackFarm]

Ummm... maybe not?

 

[sylviethecochin]

So long as they've been properly bonded to your cote, they'll return home on their own.

 

[Thepigeonguy]

Definitely! Just don't feed them that day before you do. I also recommend that you only let birds out that were born at your house (older birds might fly home.) Keep the feed as a reward. Otherwise they might loiter, will be slow and vulnerable to predators, and be likely to stay the night outside. A tip that's helped me many times is to make a particular sound when feeding them (whistling, saying certain wards, etc.) My personal sound is simply "pigeons, pigeon, pigeons" in a sing song voice.

 

[backyard pigeons]

Yes they can, all pigeons will return home on their own as night falls if they have learned how to get in. But you will not want to fly a breed like fantails because they are kinda hawk bait, but a breed like homers can avoid hawks pretty well, @Thepigeonguy advice is excellent

 

[sourland]

Yes, pigeons can be flown on controlled flights. Free lofting will result in all being killed by hawks. Some breeds are more hawk resistant than others. One rule in flying pigeons is : "Never fly birds that you can not afford to lose."

 

[jak2002003]

Its better to let them out to fly.

Make sure they are pigeons though... not DOVES. Doves will just fly away as they have not got the homing ability of pigeons.

Also you are best to only let them out when you are there to keep an eye on them.. and then call them and shut them back in. If you let them fly about all the time then in the end some are going to get killed by predators or annoy your neighbours.

Start with young birds and home them to you coop / dovecote first... you can see many videos of how to do this on YouTube or read about it on here. Never let new adult pigeon out that have not been born at your place.. they will likely fly away and not return.. trying to find their way back to their old owners.