How much profit is there in fancy pigeon breeding?

[DaYooper_Duck]

I am going into my freshman year in the fall, and was looking to make some decent money to use in future. I have always loved doves and pigeons for their soft noises, grace, and friendliness. I have a medium size coop with 3 ducks, and alot of up-and-down space that I want to put to good use. So I wondered how much profit is there is in pigeon breeding, particularly performing rollers, fancy homers, and lucrene gold collars. Anyone have experience with this?

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

I'd say it depends on your area, if you're willing to ship, your quality and how much you're willing to spend.

In my area, rollers are everywhere, I'm lucky to sell them for $5-$10 even with nice rollers who can easily win first place at the local county Fair (had one of my birds place at state fair too! kept that one though haha)

Homers I feel like really need to be flown and raced to have value, just aviary homers around me go for $10 but proven racers, babies of racers, and birds in training can go for a lot of money depending on strain and ability (endurance, speed, etc) There are no gold neck Lucerenes or any other varieties of Lucerene near me, except for about 4 hours away into my state. They're gorgeous but rare here, I saw them being sold for $20 a bird at the last show (Dec 2019) I went to in that town but I guarantee prices will vary by state.

I personally wouldn't say keeping/raining/selling/showing fancy pigeons, at least maybe the way I do it, is very profitable in my area (WA). I have Birmingham Rollers, Oriental Rollers, Portuguese Tumblers, Damascene, Racing Homers, Chinese Owls and a few Ringneck Doves. I find at fair while people love the owls, they're drawn to other people's 'crazy' pigeons, notably the frillack and fantails. Which from my experience with my old 4H group who owns many of these guys, they can be big pains in the butt!

I've never know anyone who made money with pigeons, many people who broke even, the one guy who I believe made some money off of them did white pigeon releases in addition to racing his homers. I've been told you can win some nice prizes from showing but I've only got experience with my county and state fair prizes (which aren't bad, I made I think $100 one year off of entering 20 birds?)

If you're willing to put in the work to train and fly pigeons and buy really good breeding stock to do so I don't see why you couldn't probably pull some profit, but I'd see how your area is, some towns/cities don't have a strong pigeon-keeping presence! It'd suck to spend money to get birds from far away or shipped and then have to pay to ship them to someone who wants them :'( I like local cause it's easy and no shipping

Oh! And thought I should add too, I've got some pigeons who are Not quiet or soft in their coos! Almost as loud as some of our chickens! Generally pigeons can be quiet but just know some decide not to!

 

[DaYooper_Duck]

Thank you very much! I have thought about the snazzy, high demand birds like frillbacks and fantails, but I have dogs who have killed young doves and even a bluejay, so I need birds with good flight capabilities. I will continue looking into lucrenes, but may just stick with ducks... Also, do you know how much it costs to ship pigeons if I decided to go that route?

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

I think it can depend, I had a friend get a shipment of 6 homers for price + $45 shipping, I had another who bought from Florida and I think she was charged over $100, but I can't be sure ^^" sorry

 

[backyard pigeons]

particularly performing rollers, fancy homers, and lucrene gold collars. Anyone have experience with this?

I love your enthusiam, but to make money, you will need to be in The hobby for many years to see any return. Your initial investment will be alot if you want to sell good birds, not just $10 birds. The best if the best rollers will sell for $50. But no one will pay that for one that didn't win in an competition. Homers, to get good ones that people want, you will need to race them to prove that they are what you say they are. and racing is very expensive. So although it's fun, it isn't profitable. The people that sell a ton of birds are breaking even. plus, you wouldn't have a steady source of birds coming, as your would need ateast 10 pairs of each breed to have a steady supply. As you don't want to breed more than 4 clutches each year from each pair, as breeding take a a lot out of the birds. If you bred 4 clutches each from10 pairs, and don't lose a squab, you will have 80 birds. (Obviously you will lose a few, and you won't have them all at once) and you get lucky and sell all the birds for $10 each, that would be $800. Great job! But a good, healthy pair of pigeons that are breeding will eat 100 pounds of grain a year. If you get lucky and can get pigeon food for $20 for a 50 pound bag, (it's about $30 for most people.), So that mean you would have spent $400 in food, if your lucky! And let's say your birds get sick, you need to build a new coop, etc. So, I HIGHLY encourage you to get a pair of two of pigeons, but the truth is, there isn't a good market for pigeons, unless you get Armando the racing pigeon and breed from him. (Armando was sold last year for more than a million dollars).

Portuguese Tumblers,

let's talk! I have them too. How many do you have? Do you sell and ship? Any pics?

 

[DaYooper_Duck]

Yeah, I may jyst scrap the pigeon Idea...maybe I will get a breeding pair or two just for fun. Thanks for the help though!

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

Yeah, I may jyst scrap the pigeon Idea...maybe I will get a breeding pair or two just for fun. Thanks for the help though!

Get some pigeons!! they're super fun, maybe just not profitable haha!

I love your enthusiam, but to make money, you will need to be in The hobby for many years to see any return. Your initial investment will be alot if you want to sell good birds, not just $10 birds. The best if the best rollers will sell for $50. But no one will pay that for one that didn't win in an competition. Homers, to get good ones that people want, you will need to race them to prove that they are what you say they are. and racing is very expensive. So although it's fun, it isn't profitable. The people that sell a ton of birds are breaking even. plus, you wouldn't have a steady source of birds coming, as your would need ateast 10 pairs of each breed to have a steady supply. As you don't want to breed more than 4 clutches each year from each pair, as breeding take a a lot out of the birds. If you bred 4 clutches each from10 pairs, and don't lose a squab, you will have 80 birds. (Obviously you will lose a few, and you won't have them all at once) and you get lucky and sell all the birds for $10 each, that would be $800. Great job! But a good, healthy pair of pigeons that are breeding will eat 100 pounds of grain a year. If you get lucky and can get pigeon food for $20 for a 50 pound bag, (it's about $30 for most people.), So that mean you would have spent $400 in food, if your lucky! And let's say your birds get sick, you need to build a new coop, etc. So, I HIGHLY encourage you to get a pair of two of pigeons, but the truth is, there isn't a good market for pigeons, unless you get Armando the racing pigeon and breed from him. (Armando was sold last year for more than a million dollars).
let's talk! I have them too. How many do you have? Do you sell and ship? Any pics?

I've never shipped live things before, I've got 4 younger birds (technically old hens/cocks but born late last fall so they're not quite a year yet) I'm going to be pairing and up breeding them again in a week or so, took a break while figuring out quarantine and such, so they're currently just flying with the rest of the birds (ones been canoodling with an owl, uh oh!) I have old pictures but I can go take more today too

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

I don't mean to hijack a thread, just thought maybe Amie_rat might want to see them too

The four ports I have are pretty wild, I wish I had spent more time with them as babies but their parents had failed hatches and were skittish so I didn't want to scare them away from the nest : ( But I am glad to have these guys, even if I must stay at a distance <3 I hope to show them once shows open up again, parents came from a really good breeder in my state so I'm hoping the babies are decent, nobody besides her (and shes pretty far away) seems to have them near me, which I think is kind of cool

I've got one 'Tortoiseshell' (Bronze TChecker Pied) one whose just a really faint bronze with a little bit of piebald (front left in second picture) and my other two are both just solid T-Checkers, a bummer since both parents were bronze pied but hey, they're cuties so I dont mind

I sometimes forget how small they are but seeing tiny Kaiju next to my big Damascene cockbird, boy even though the ports can seem tall they are such tiny birds haha!

 

[DaYooper_Duck]

I don't mean to hijack a thread

I've got one 'Tortoiseshell' (Bronze TChecker Pied) one whose just a really faint bronze with a little bit of piebald (front left in second picture) and my other two are both just solid T-Checkers, a bummer since both parents were bronze pied but hey, they're cuties so I dont mind
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I sometimes forget how small they are but seeing tiny Kaiju next to my big Damascene cockbird, boy even though the ports can seem tall they are such tiny birds haha!

Holy cow! Your birds are gorgeous! I am especially in love with your Damascene...

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

Thank you! I'm rehoming two of mine but I really love the breed <3 They're pretty big and mine in particular are a little wild cause I didn't raise two of them myself but boy is the Ice color just unique and fun to look at <3 (I'll be left with one pair, that cockbird included <3 He's really good looking imo both just in general and also for show!)