how long should i keep pigeons cooped up for before letting them out to fly

[laughingdog]

my parlors pretty much get on fine, except when left to get up high and they jump off and just roll down till they hit something, but then again they seem to have denser bones due to many hundreds or more generations of being bred to roll around on ground and not fly past months old. the one winger should be fine as long as it can have branches to gradually walk or hop down from every spot it could get up to, to ground. keeping it isolated inside for too long can produces similar bad behaviours like parrots get. maybe at least get it a friend to keep it company inside in 20' to 40" high 40" high length rabbit cage then.

 

[pugiosam]

But what about rock doves? I found an orphaned pigeon a few days ago. He is about 16 days old and I plan to keep him near my chicken coop in it's own nesting box and release him. I'm wondering if i t will come back after flying. And i f it finds a mate will it come back to nest there or find a new place?

 

[fowlsessed]

He should stick around once imprinted on the place. Will prob bring mate there.

 

[pugiosam]

And how long does it take for them to inpriny

 

[fowlsessed]

Just till he settles down/in. Probably a week or so if he likes the place and conditions. I just read your first post again, there is a good chance he could decide to stay with a flock he finds somewhere, considering he's alone. It could possibly go either way. And 16 days sounds kinda young, just make sure the chickens can't get to him.

 

[Duck Guy]

I also have a question relating this, I just bought 4,what I was told to be Birmingham rollers, a week ago and they were between 3 and 4 weeks old. I have one that is comfortable with my presence and have keep them in a smaller kit box for a week now and was thinking about letting them fly since they don't have adequate room to in their box. They can jump from perches and fly up to them but that is all the exercise they get. They originally came from a breeder in California. Will they still try to fly back there or is it safe to let them out?

 

[willygog]

they need to be trapped trained, to go out and come back, and you need to put a cage on top of there kitbox so they have an idea were they are.. on the front is good also, at 4 wks old is kinda young to just toss them out.. you gotta train them to come when called, its done with feeding amount. 1/2 tblsp of seed twice a day , every time you feed them shake a can, whistle or what ever you choose, but something that they will associate with food. then you can let them out a little hungry, when you call they will scramble back, and enter the coop if you teach them first that is what you want them to do.. when there back in feed and whisle or what ever you want, i shake a can with beans in it.. plain old dog food can, with a plastic lid.. and they come just like any other pet..

there is a little bit more to it than boxing them up and letting them out a month later,, and i'll add, this is rare , really really rare, but a month back i ordered a couple nice almonds,, year old birds.. the day arrived the box was opened and the cock bird flew away... i saw it go and felt sick i had lost that dang bird, but i swear it stuck around.. and in two days was hangin out at the loft, i used a string on a stick,

and some seed under a box.. lol yes sir i did.. and guess what i got that bird back. so you never know,,, then a month later i let out the female that came with it, and she flew up into a tree, sat all day, an in the evening was gone, and i have never seen her since, good news was i got two eggs and farmed them out.. LOL Point is they will stick or they wont, but feeding regime and training well improve your chances at them staying ... I usually just lock them down a week, and give them the option to go out inside a cage front.. once they respond to the call, i remvoe the cage.. and off they go, i would also say, do not flag them up or they will run for the hills, let them fly on there own accord.. after there well settled you can try to push them up , but again food is the controlling factor..
When young birds start to fly it takes a while for them to get it right.. patience is a good thing to have..

 

[Duck Guy]

Thank you for responding, I have now done more research and put a box outside their door for them to get used to the entrance. I have been associating a sound with feeding also but I fee them once a day and enough so they can eat all day, I only feed them a small amount though now. I took a chance and took the bird that Is comfortable with me and let him fly, he would only fly up to the nearest perch on my patio so I was comfortable that he wasn't a bird that wanted to escape and then brought him out into my yard to let him fly and like I thought went straight to his box. I did this a few more times so he could get some flying in but then he missed his landing spot and flew to the neighbors back fence, I was scared then that I would have to chase him and as I approached my fence and he flew to the fence behind me. As I grabbed my net and walked back to the fence he flew to me!!! I then picked him up and let him perch on my patio again. After a while I started to fly him again and back and back he flew to his cage and one the last flight he decided to fly to the neighbors at the end of the street. I walked down to her house tryed to grab him and he flew up ontop if her house. I couldn't grab him and tryed to call him down but he wouldn't come and then flew back towards my house. As I chased him down he flew behind a tree and I lost sight of him. I got back to my yard and couldn't find him anywhere. I thought he overshot the house and was gone, I looked around a bit and couldn't find him but by a miracle he landed back on my fence. I caught him and showed him back to the box. I let him sit in there for the rest of the day. I will let him

 

[willygog]

If you over feed it, what motivation is there for it to listen to you calling it,, its full, happy and free... it wont really come reliably till you get it's feeding schedule and amounts correct. rollers need one tablespoon a day, once or divided up.. over feeding will result in lost birds,
If there isn't some hunger involved they dont need you! and only come in when they want to .. and that can put them at risk of the airborne predators.. HMHO

 

[loftkeeper]

don't scare or make young birds fly trying to loft train if they want to fly they will if you scare them r make them fly you have a chance of loseing them young birds need to feel comfortable before flying free and they have to have the physical ability to do so a good trainer lets the birds decided its like a baby will walk when it can not before you will lose birds trying to make them fly now a person with different ages will that the older birds will lead the the younger ones