friendly pigeons

[Kylo_Hen!]

hi i was wondering what breed of (dark colored) pigeons have been known to be friendly? are Archangels friendly? thanks!

 

[backyard pigeons]

If i remenber correctly archangels are slightly skittish, but if you spend lots of time with them they will come to trust you. All pigeons breed can come in darker colers, why do they need to be dark? Rollers are a very freindly breed, the one in my avatar comes to sit on me.

 

[Kylo_Hen!]

If i remenber correctly archangels are slightly skittish, but if you spend lots of time with them they will come to trust you. All pigeons breed can come in darker colers, why do they need to be dark? Rollers are a very freindly breed, the one in my avatar comes to sit on me.

oh um if they get away i don't want them to be white so the hawks don't get them

 

[Thepigeonguy]

I don't think that being white will affect the birds to much, if they're good flyers.
@hocumcoco could tell you more, he has lots of white racers.

 

[Thepigeonguy]

looks like I didn't set up the alert right.

 

[AnimalGeek23]

All pigeons are friendly if you spend time with them and care for them!
(In all seriousness though, I’m not a pigeon expert, but good luck!!!)

 

[Thepigeonguy]

Hokum Coco is, in my mind, an expert on white birds and other pigeon related things and has lots of experience with them.

 

[karissapaul]

Chinese owl pigeon

 

[thinkyesi]

Ive raised archangels by hand and they always end up being skittish birds. I dont breed them anymore for that reason. They are beautiful but i dont think they are the most tamed breed.
If you want a more tame or gentle bird, german owls or chinese owls are a good way to go. They are white birds though but have other colorings in them. But they are known to be the more submissive, docile breeds.
They are great starter birds!
If you prefer darker colored birds, rollers too are lots of fun and they are easy to handle. But they can be hard to come across because not all of them are proven rollers, many people lie about having rollers and end up being homers or tumblers. So get rollers from a reliable source.
Really any bird can be a friendly bird, it all depends on how much time and love you give it. Adults are harder to get them to like you, unlike raising it yourself then it imprints on you and you got a bestfriend for life instantly.
Ive bought many grown birds that now come and fly to my hand and love to be given attention and love, but it took lots of effort to get to that stage with them. They will learn to trust you.

Many people have lots of white birds and fly them with no problems from hawks. Most pigeons out fly hawks and falcons. Pigeons are very fast flyers.
As long as you give them the right amounth of protein in their feed, and fly them regularly, your birds will be tough as nails and be great flyers!

A hawk, owl, falcon, etc... will always go after your birds wether they are white or dark coloered birds. These predator type birds have such great eyesight and hunting skills that they will spot out your birds no matter the color. If they can spot a little brown mouse in a field, they will spot out your birds wether they are white, brown, black or multicolor.

If you feel nervous about flying them you can always just make a bigger flight pen for your birds. Or what i do is i just keep a pellet gun when i fly my birds and let my roosters out, my roosters alert me when a predator is flying and i will shoot the bird with the pellet/BB gun. It doesnt kill or injure the hawk, but it does give it a nice sting and scares it away. You can always use a sling shot too if you dont have a BB gun.

I hope all goes well and im excited for you wanting to get your loft started up and getting some birds! If you have any questions feel free to ask me anytime!

 

[Hokum Coco]

i don't want them to be white so the hawks don't get them

What you have stated is a true fact hawks will target white birds over others in a flock of pigeons.

That being said I do loose young bird to hawks especially. On the other hand given half a chance my Belgium blood line can leave most hawks in the wake.

Peregrine falcons are another story and no pigeon is safe in their territory.

Any pigeon fancier will give you the same advice when it comes to raising pigeons.

"NEVER FLY A BIRD YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO LOOSE".

Yes I have raised pigeons for many years and and my good judgement that I have attained has been given to me by bad judgement in most cases.
I have gain as much information on this site as I have given there are many new fanciers here who have good judgement without that much experience. They have gained knowledge through research and their opinions should be valued also.
I know @laughingdog and @sourland have as much or more experience in the pigeon game as I to name just two.

For the most part any pointed question can be answered by many on this site.

"Unsalted shelled peanuts is the secret to any pigeons heart"

hand fed to them as a treat only.