Don’t tell my husband, we’re getting pigeons.

[WVduckchick]

TO BE FAIR

DH doesn’t say no to me. As long as I pay for it he’s fine.

I’ve been sending him videos and pictures for months weaning him into this process. He’s grown on the idea and realizes it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while and just haven’t because the timing was never right.

We show bantams and rabbits. Adding pigeons to the mix hopefully won’t throw it off too much. I just remember how much fun I had with them as a kid.

I came across these birds while browsing craigslist. They’re coming from a state over. They’re proven pairs that produced offspring last year. They were affordable and the guy is happy to share knowledge. That’s good!

Now a funny story from growing up.

My great grandmother was Czech. From the Czech Republic. She spoke broken English and had one boob. Partial mastectomy. Her other boob was homemade bras that she made to look like she had two. As a kid it wasn’t obvious. Looking back on pictures, it was.

She had HUNDREDS of pigeons. So many that she would let them out and they would coat the skies. Every now and then some would stay loose and nest on her roof. My mother and her siblings were the first generation of roof climbers to get the babies off of the roof when they got big enough to eat. My siblings and I were the second generation.

We would go visit and she would drag out the ladder and send us up on the roof of the house, barn, lofts, wherever they were nesting. We put the babies into baskets and lowered them down to her. She would prep them and eat them, but we were never allowed to eat them.

So here we were at six years old crawling fifteen feet above the earth sending baskets of pigeons down via ropes.

When she passed I inherited what was left of her birds. Chickens and pigeons. There was one black one she called a snowshoe pigeon (thinking back it was probably a fan tail) that lived for about ten more years. The other fantail mutts were what I raised and flew.

When they were all gone (when I was about 13/14) I thought I was done.

Then along came Jet. Who I kind of accidentally stole from a homeless man.

Mom and I were pumping gas at a gas station and I noticed him flopping around. I noticed his broken wing. I walked over and picked him up and loaded into the car. As we drove away we were chased by the old man. I think it belonged to him.

Jet healed up and we let him out often. He always came back but never with a mate. I had him for two or three years and he went everywhere with me. Even followed me and my horse when I went riding.

Jet became slower with age and eventually was tagged by a hawk. I found his feathers under a tree branch near the chicken yard and cried.

All these years later we still share stories of Grandma sending us up on the roof to get the birds and laugh about getting swarmed when we walked out with seed buckets.

I have been debating on more and these showed up. Couldn’t pass them up.

Husband is out of town the rest of this week SO I’ll be working on the loft while I can. I have a newborn so I get short spurts to get things done that are out of his schedule.

I’m sure he’ll be sharing horror stories of plucking chickens and culling rabbits in 30 years with his brothers just as mine and I still do.

awesome stories.
Those birds are gorgeous, I can’t wait to follow along and see how they do.
What breeds of chickens do you show?

 

[CacklingRanch]

@WVduckchick

Bantams:
Wyandotte
Dutch
RIR SCCL
Serama

Large Fowl:
Dominique
Java
BA

We have about 150-200 birds year round.

 

[WVduckchick]

@WVduckchick

Bantams:
Wyandotte
Dutch
RIR SCCL
Serama

Large Fowl:
Dominique
Java
BA

We have about 150-200 birds year round.

Lovely breeds.

 

[CacklingRanch]

I have more breeds in backyard standards but that’s my show flock

 

[dpenning]

@dpenning

These four will not be released. They’re adults. They’ll have the run of the aviary but they won’t be free flown.

Their offspring will be.

Never fly birds you can’t stand to lose.

BUt. Pigeons are very friendly and super personable. They’re easy to train with food.

Do they step up like parrots? Do they get tame enough to handle?

 

[CacklingRanch]

Do they step up like parrots? Do they get tame enough to handle?

With training, as with any animal, they can do lots of things.

 

[CacklingRanch]

Well they’re here! I got the call this morning.

When I went to pick them up the lady at the post office was curious what was in the box because normally when I have birds shipped, it’s chickens. Chickens crow. Loudly. All. Day. Long.

She then got a brief history lesson on pigeons and took a business card from me. She’s new. She’ll learn me soon, I shop a lot of eggs and birds.

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

Well they’re here! I got the call this morning.

When I went to pick them up the lady at the post office was curious what was in the box because normally when I have birds shipped, it’s chickens. Chickens crow. Loudly. All. Day. Long.

She then got a brief history lesson on pigeons and took a business card from me. She’s new. She’ll learn me soon, I shop a lot of eggs and birds.

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Oh they are beautiful! Congratulations! Im glad they made it safe and sound..

 

[biophiliac]

Well they’re here! I got the call this morning.

When I went to pick them up the lady at the post office was curious what was in the box because normally when I have birds shipped, it’s chickens. Chickens crow. Loudly. All. Day. Long.

She then got a brief history lesson on pigeons and took a business card from me. She’s new. She’ll learn me soon, I shop a lot of eggs and birds.

View attachment 1685695 View attachment 1685696 View attachment 1685699

Exciting day for you and for the birds! They are very pretty!

 

[CacklingRanch]

I’ve checked on them twice now. They seem to be settling in nicely. The black grizzles are already heeing and sheeing.