Homer pigeon ?

[lkilhafner]

What are some good ages to try to find for homer pigeons and what should I know about these birds?

 

[cavemanrich]

What are some good ages to try to find for homer pigeons and what should I know about these birds?

You have to understand that if you purchase adult pigeons, Chances are that they will fly away when released to their previous loft. That said, here are your options.
Purchase squeekers. Young pigeons that have been weaned, but not really developed as adults. Those will have to be homeset trained to return to your loft. Usually successful but not 100% guaranteed.
Other way is to have parents in your loft. You start letting junior out when about 4 weeks old. Junior will not venture far since he still returns to papa for his feeding. Mama stops feeding at about day 20. Job left for papa. Once junior knows his way in and out of loft, is then considered homeset. Mama and Papa may become homeset after raising about 3 sets of young. OR NOT, AND RETURN TO THEIR ORIGINAL LOFT. Your young ones will stay at your loft rather than follow mom and dad as they fly away into the sunset.

 

[biophiliac]

What are some good ages to try to find for homer pigeons and what should I know about these birds?

A good age to acquire squeakers is under 2 months old imo. They should not have been outside their loft yet.
I found this image showing a squeaker with the few wisps of down still showing. Also their eyes are dark when they are young. The leg band will show the year of hatch as they are banded about 5 days old. An unbanded racing homer is worth less than a banded one, given the same quality bird.

You can find almost anything about pigeons online/youtube ...

Do you live in the US? Your climate may affect your loft design. You could google 'pigeon racing clubs' in your county and if you contact them you could probably get some nice birds and even a mentor!

If you give a general location in your profile it is helpful in answering your questions.

And please update on your progress with pics of your birds when you get them.

 

[LamarshFish]

What are some good ages to try to find for homer pigeons and what should I know about these birds?

35 days old, which is pretty much the youngest age they can leave their parents. IMO as they get older it just gets harder to settle them and train them to a new loft, but it is certainly doable if you get 3-4 month old young birds. The reason I would simply stress getting them at the 35 day old mark (or under 2 months) is, why not? If you find a fancier that is willing to give you birds, why not ask if you can wait for a 35-60 day old squeaker?

As biofiliac said above, good indicators of this age mark is that they should still have some down whispy feathers on their head and neck. Their eyes should still be dark as well, and little to no iridescent coloring on their neck yet. Once those yellow down feathers disappear, their eyes start showing yellow/red (in the case of many pigments, but not all) and they start showing iridescence on their neck, they are likely over 2 months of age.

 

[biophiliac]

@LamarshFish ... Do you remember how old yours were when they got the iridescent neck feathers??

Btw - Bath time today! It's supposed to reach 47F

 

[happyfrenchman]

That is a nice little setup... better than I had when I started. (I had a small stereo cabinet with a screen attached.) Homing pigeons are more of a challenge to re-home. Unless you get them young, good homing pigeons will not want to stay. They will want to return to their "home". The quickest way I can think to do it self sufficiently, is if you can get a couple of good homers and get them started breeding young birds... keep the adults as "prisoners" and fly the youngsters as they come up. Or, as someone said earlier, get young birds that are still "wet" under the wings... (this refers to the fact that they are not fully feathered in under their wings.). They cannot yet fly and can be placed out in the settling cage. It is very important they know how to get in and out first of all. When they are out, they need to know how to get in. Need to know what the coop looks like from the outside... I would leave the traps open and just get the youngsters used to coming through them. Then you can close the bobs and let them push through. It is a process and I wish you well. Good luck.

 

[LamarshFish]

@LamarshFish ... Do you remember how old yours were when they got the iridescent neck feathers??

Btw - Bath time today! It's supposed to reach 47F

The birds I started my loft with last spring, it took them at least 3-4 months..... but my first squab born in my loft, Frost, who was bred from two of those birds, he started getting it around 2 months of age, maybe even younger. He's already cooing at me and bossing other cock birds around. Ahead of his time.

• Frost's parents have two more squabs who are about 2 weeks old today, and that Bekaert hen I got from Adrian is paired up with one of my Janssen cocks and they are sitting on eggs now, due March 12 I think. Two of my other Janssens have a nest and will lay any day. It's definitely baby time in my loft, things are moving really fast, lots of life! 3 or 4 of these youngins will be going to the races though, and I won't start keeping birds born in my loft (with the exception of Frost, he's not going anywhere).

 

[biophiliac]

The birds I started my loft with last spring, it took them at least 3-4 months..... but my first squab born in my loft, Frost, who was bred from two of those birds, he started getting it around 2 months of age, maybe even younger. He's already cooing at me and bossing other cock birds around. Ahead of his time.

• Frost's parents have two more squabs who are about 2 weeks old today, and that Bekaert hen I got from Adrian is paired up with one of my Janssen cocks and they are sitting on eggs now, due March 12 I think. Two of my other Janssens have a nest and will lay any day. It's definitely baby time in my loft, things are moving really fast, lots of life! 3 or 4 of these youngins will be going to the races though, and I won't start keeping birds born in my loft (with the exception of Frost, he's not going anywhere).

That's very exciting! I saw 2 of mine billing/kissing last week so I got some plastic eggs, nest bowls and tobacco stems. How about some more photos of your couples and babies? Which cockbird won the Bekaert hen? ... the **shole or the good guy?

 

[biophiliac]

Hijacking alert.... fotos of bath time
At first the pool was too crowded...

Doba patiently awaited her chance....

 

[Sublight]

I miss my homing pigeons