German Owls?

[cheyfrie26]

Do people fly them? I've had mine 3 weeks in a rabbit cage. If I let them out would they stay around? I have about 8 free flying homers and rollers.

 

[Print Tippler]

All pigeons can be let outside. Every single breed of pigeon. Owls can fly better than most fancy breeds but you must understand that they are not a flying breed. If you have hawk problems then they could get killed or chased off and not return. These birds can get lost very easily. Flying breeds, well fly and when they are up in the sky or in the pins (way of up in the cloud) they can learn the area much better. I had a tippler i gave to a friend and he forgot he took the bird and and let it out the next day and it came right back. I would not except a german owl to be that smart. They may, stress the may, come back but it would most likely be by a chance fly by.

 

[cheyfrie26]

Woops their Chinese owls. Which they are pretty much the same thing. But I haven't had one die to a hawk.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

German owls fly-ish...but they are still a popular dropper breed, ie. hawk bait and home-bodies. I personally like the look of the bluette Oriental frills better, but they are horrendous fliers. Our Classic Frill never learned how to perch let alone fly. He tries, he really does. He bunches himself up, gauges the distance, puffs up, and explodes into an upwards burst of flashing wings.....only to spiral pathetically right back down to where he started. OGOs can get up there in the air, and are known for their quirky temperament. Some people do free fly Chinese owls, but they mainly flap around just a bit, and look pretty hawk-tasty to me. They definitely aren't homing birds, but seem to stay around unless they get scared off or otherwise distracted to go a ways off.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

What ae dropper breeds used for?

 

[Print Tippler]

Well many breeds can be considered dropper breeds. The birds are normally mostly white. They are for homers and tipplers. When the race bird comes home you have to toss out a dropper like an OGO who then flys right into the loft which makes the homer chase after him and drop fast. So in racing they are just used to speed things up. In tipplers its to get your birds to drop, in competition you must declare when your birds are done flying and you have one hour from then to have them trap in the loft. They like to use more a short good flyer. Like a tumbler. Theres only 3-7 tipplers in the during a competition. You can send up a whole group of tumblers who then kit up with your birds then fly back down to trap. Thats only good if you day flying. if it goes into the the night then you have to just hold a dropper and flutter it in the light if lights are permitted.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

Quote:
Thanks for the info, very helpful

 

[punk-a-doodle]

What Print said about getting birds to land and trap, so mainly they are living decoys. But, in addition, if a hawk is around the loft (especially when flying rollers it seems), sometimes the dropper is thrown at it to help ensure a racer or performing bird isn't killed instead.