Got my homing pigeons today!

[MRetriever]

I found a local guy who was super duper nice and he sold me 6. Supposed to be 3 pairs.

Obviously I would have maybe preferred squeakers. H told me if provided with the right environment they should nest quickly.
Once they nest and have eggs will they stay in my loft or still try to return home?

Am I better off keeping them caged forever and flying the offspring? they do have a nice loft and 10x10 welded wire (with welded wire roof) pen to fly in that’s also coated in chicken wire....so they have room to be happy I hope... if they can never be released.

 

[sourland]

Congratulations on your new birds. Keep them confined or , if they have been flown and are of any quality, they will return to their old loft. Fly their young, and enjoy them.

 

[MRetriever]

I have been checking out clubs. Might be a possibility one day. But right now it’s mostly just for fun.

I am supposed to be getting a pair of Blue Bar Saddle Janssen Racers and a pair of Bandit Racers.

My pigeons got to enjoy the outside today for the first time

I have on order leg bands. I plan to band them one color and the offspring another and so forth so I can telL who’s original and who’s been born here and what not. But I’m open to suggestions if there is a better way!

Also I read on another thread that pigeons like baths. Do I just get a regular bird bath for them?

 

[biophiliac]

I have been checking out clubs. Might be a possibility one day. But right now it’s mostly just for fun.

I am supposed to be getting a pair of Blue Bar Saddle Janssen Racers and a pair Bandit Racers.

My pigeons enjoy the outside today for the first time

I have on order leg bands. I plan to pm band them one color and the offspring another and so forth so I can tel who’s original and who’s been born here and what not. But I’m open to suggestions if there is a better way!

Also I ready on another thread that pigeons like baths. Do I just get a regular bird bath for them?

I do believe those birds are enjoying themselves already in that aviary! For baths I use a plastic or rubber pan with sides about 6 inches high, like a cat litter pan, or something larger. If you have many birds you can put out more than one. Some like to add a couple Tablespoons of borax(20 mule team brand) to the bath water to deter parasites. I recall you said how clean and pretty - their proud owner probably did this.
So anyway - just put water out for a bath and dump it out when they finish bathing. The water surface will be covered with white powder from their feathers. This is normal.

 

[biophiliac]

The water can be placed wherever they have access to it all day. [in winter when water freezes quickly I take out fresh water twice a day with the am and pm feed] They should get fresh water daily and the drinkers should be kept clean. I add about 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar per gallon water. This slightly acidifies the water to discourage microbial growth and helps the birds' digestive health.

 

[backyard pigeons]

super cool! glad you got some.

Once they nest and have eggs will they stay in my loft or still try to return home?

I would give let them have atleast three clutches each, if they are good birds. Then begin flying them. the young birds will also encourage the parents to resettle. Remember, never fly a bird you can't bear to lose!

Am I better off keeping them caged forever and flying the offspring?

no. Give them 4 months or three clutches. Even then, it is risky. do you hope to race, or just fly for fun? you won't regret having them, especially when you begin flying them. It's so marvelous.

 

[MRetriever]

no. Give them 4 months or three clutches. Even then, it is risky. do you hope to race, or just fly for fun? you won't regret having them, especially when you begin flying them. It's so marvelous.

So... some will be used to toss for pointing dog training (ideally no harm done to the bird).

But my son and I plan to get super attached to them too then race our favorites against each other. For fun

I understand the risks of flying birds... and that said I am also ready to risk that as that’s what these birds are bred for us to do.

However THESE birds I purchased realizing they are young adults likely established to a loft already (according to the nice man I bought them from who told me not to fly them or they will just come home lol).

my plan for this group was to love them and give them the best life I can while they produce my actual “team” .

I do have more fancy colored homing/racing squeakers on order. I ordered 2 pair. No idea when they might come.

My plan was to make a few more pigeonsto where I won’t mind if the parents fly home or I loose a few... then train and fly them.

I realize this won’t be happening anytime soon. And I went into this as a long term business plan for my pointing dog training.

 

[MRetriever]

So... some will be used to toss for pointing dog training (ideally no harm done to the bird).

But my son and I plan to get super attached to them too then race our favorites against each other. For fun

I understand the risks of flying birds... and that said I am also ready to risk that as that’s what these birds are bred for us to do.

However THESE birds I purchased realizing they are young adults likely established to a loft already (according to the nice man I bought them from who told me not to fly them or they will just come home lol).

my plan for this group was to love them and give them the best life I can while they produce my actual “team” .

I do have more fancy colored homing/racing squeakers on order. I ordered 2 pair. No idea when they might come.

My plan was to make a few more pigeonsto where I won’t mind if the parents fly home or I loose a few... then train and fly them.

I realize this won’t be happening anytime soon. And I went into this as a long term business plan for my pointing dog training.

But I still feel a little bad keeping them caged . And I am slightly excited to see the birds in flight.... obviously I will be holding off!

 

[biophiliac]

But I still feel a little bad keeping them caged . And I am slightly excited to see the birds in flight.... obviously I will be holding off!

Congratulations on your foundation birds! They look good.
I agree with prev advice. Don't fly these birds until you have a small flock of their offspring flying. I think pigeons enjoy two things most, flying and making babies. If you give them some nice nest boxes they should be happy to devote themselves to the baby-making. Honestly, with a 10 x 10 pen they won't even miss flying much.

After the offspring are flying well you can experiment letting one or two of the adults out with them, using the flocking drive to try and re-settle them to your loft.

 

[biophiliac]

Thank you. I was most impressed with how proud the owner was. Explaining things to me and showing the birds off. The birds are well fed and much cleaner and prettier than all the dog folks make them sound. I instantly fell in love with them. I love the soft coos and how easy they are to handle!

I was a bit ashamed when he saw my dog decals and asked if I had dogs. But he himself imported some fine pointing dogs back in his day... though he no longer pursues that.

IMO you don't need to feel bad about dog training, as long as pigeons are treated well and protected from harm. Another member of this forum, @LamarshFish got into pigeons like you for training his dog. It wasn't long before the pigeon thing grew to a major hobby for him too! Lol Pigeons have been helping humans accomplish tasks, even dangerous ones for at least 5000 years.