How (and why) raise pigeons

[Knives26]

I raised pigeons when I was younger they really do need some space to fly I wouldn't keep them in a cage long term, only for overnight sleeping and when you're away. I used to let mine out all the time and they always came back and went into their home to sleep at night. I had 6 to start with all couples, the couples all had around 3 to 4 chicks. They like to live up high so when you build them a nest make them much higher than you would chickens. As long as they have babies the older pigeons will stay with you, if you let them out before that they might just take off and head back to their last home and you'll never see them again. (I had homing pigeons) I trained my birds to fly in patterns and to deliver messages to my friends 2 miles away. They are very fun to own and very interesting to watch fly.

 

[shethang81]

That's really awesome. How did you teach them to go back and forth from your house to your friends?

Our nest boxes and roosts for the pigeons are in the tip top of our coup which is 14 ft tall. So they have space away from the chickens to escape the chicken pecking order. Our run is open top and our birds free range daily also. So the pigeons come go and take flights together as they wish. They fly over half this little town then come back..... so majestic.

 

[Hokum Coco]

How did you teach them to go back and forth from your house to your friends?

I know it is possible to do by having two lofts one for nesting and one for feeding. The feeding loft is a trailer and is moved in steps to the second location. I never personally did this but I heard of fanciers who have.

 

[WhisperingOaks]

I kept homers in the past and due to overpopulation/fast reproduction I learned they were tasty too. I plan to get more in the future & keep them with my chickens.

 

[firestomp]

Hi, my name is fire stomp and new to this site as well as doing this kind of stuff, I am an old dog learning new tricks. I had homers and one roller as a kid, My dad would take them to different and farther away places as he worked for a vault company and buried folks. Lots of cemeteries in Indiana. I am looking at getting some more rollers or tumblers I have seen them called. Any help would be great from anyone. I have chickens, quail, ducks, meat rabbits, may as well enjoy the rollers again. I lnow for a fact I have coopers hawks. They kill doves at my feeder all the time. So, I may need to keep them caged until I can get enough stock to let out. It may be foolish to even try with known predators at my door. Thanks for any advice. Firestomp

 

[firestomp]

I would like to raise rollers or tumblers I have heard them called, is there a difference? I want the ones that tumble down then zip back up. I just thought of this, I could get eggs from someone and hatch them myself. This may all be foolish since I have known coopers hawks that pray on the doves at the feeders. I would love to try this anyway, and it is simpler to ship eggs than birds. If the losses are to great I will have to abandon my hopes. Had one and homers as a child. Any help would be great. send me a reply or personal message. I will give you my number and we can talk or text. I even have quail egg shipping package I can send you to ship eggs to me. Thanks for anyone's help. FireStomp

 

[lgalardi]

Thanks for all of the great information! I appreciate the pictures, especially the pigeons feeding with the chickens. Are they big pigeons or little chickens?

I've been looking into Turkish Tumblers. Very fun to watch their antics.

 

[03passat]

If anybody out there is breeding rollers Turkish kind I am interested in finding a young Smokey yellow thx

 

[laughingdog]

Tumblers roll just few times, or only once. Rollers generally good ones roll continuously for ten to thirty feet in competition standard, deep rollers continuously for over thirty to hundred or more feet.
All rollers are in tumbler family.

 

[UtePassChickens]

love the detail! we have recently started a small chicken flock of 5, just adding more coop to increase flock size this spring to 8-10. I found your write up on pigeons and has me wondering...with 5- kids we are looking to maximize our offsets if you know what I mean.... we all fell in love with the chickens and I want to expand our farming a little, while making it financially beneficial if possible. we live up in the mountains and yes lots a eagles, hawks....but they come and go so not here everyday....being just outside woodland park, co we have lots of wedding tourism here...and was thinking if we can get just a few weddings a year -worse case scenario - they would at least pay for themselves....pipe dream? or am i on to something????? opinions needed lol