Just Hello from another Pigeon Lover

[Cinnamon11]

No bother! Talking Pigeons...I think you'll see it's our fav topic, we love them!

When I got into Pigeons, I looked up what local Pigeon clubs were nearby, called the club secretary & found out when there was an upcoming meeting I could attend. Right now due to covid no one is meeting, so you may need to wait awhile.

Anyway, when I started going to meetings & learned about the many types of pigeons there are & met many club members, they were the ones I learned a lot from...everything from types of pigeons, how to build the right loft, things I'd need & what exactly was required, what types of things I need to do & when, daily responsibilities, weekly chores, etc.

There are racing pigeons, rollers or tumblers, high flyers, other Fancy types, so sometimes people are drawn to one aspect more than others...some people specialize in show birds that will be judged at shows for best in breed, etc., some love high flyers where they spend a lot of time right in their own yard, or racing where there can be driving a lot of miles especially during training young birds. I'd suggest first looking up what kinds of clubs may be close, you can probably talk to some people on the phone for now & ask questions. By learning everything involved & what kind of commitments & responsibilities the various types of pigeons require, & eventually visiting the clubs, people's lofts & getting to spend some time with types of pigeons, you can make a better decision. There are also huge Pigeon shows, there is a yearly one in Lancaster, PA, there are several around the USA & throughout the world, they're pretty awesome, so many various types of Pigeons! Covid canceled most this year but hopefully they can resume at some point. Walking around these types of shows is so cool & you get to talk to people about their pigeons. I remember seeing the pretty Fantail & chunky Modena breeds for the 1st time, the next year I took my Dad, he got hooked on Pigeons too!

When I 1st got started with Homers, I was covering 3 states in my career, driving hundreds of miles 4 days a week, so taking pigeons on a training release was no problem at all. Now however, I have a different career that is more local, when I'm off work I am more of a homebody, so if I was to get involved with pigeons now for the 1st time, I'd probably get rollers, tumblers or high flyers, just because it would make more sense. So there are many things to consider, what you enjoy, how you like to spend your time and what your willing to commit to. Racing pigeons will require training flights, it's just like if you wanted to run a marathon you would have to train up for it to build your body up, the same with the pigeons, you have to take them on distance flights so by the time the race arrives they are in good shape able to fly it. Weather permitting I would fly them every other day, gradually getting up to 50 miles, 2-3 months prior to start of the races. That's a lot of gas & miles on the vehicle, and your time, all in the morning or by noon, you need time to crate them up, drive to release point & allow them plenty of daylight time to fly & arrive back home, then eat dinner, all this well before sunset.

If you just want pigeons for your own enjoyment that's different but when you're talking about racing & competition, it's a serious commitment and buying good pigeons can be expensive, Especially if you're buying youngsters from pigeons that have won previous races, Club members may give you some pigeons just to get started, or you can pay $20 to $50 per bird or some birds with pedigrees can go for thousands, it just depends who you are buying from and what kind of pedigree or race history that pigeon's family has. So I don't mean to overwhelm you but there is a lot to consider, but the 1st thing is to figure how do you want to enjoy your pigeons, how much time can you devote, are you more of a homebody or do you like camaraderie of a sport & how do you envision or plan on enjoying your time with your pigeons. You might just love the company of Pigeons, I find it very soothing to hear them coo & love watching them bow to eachother & do their little dances. Even the years I have not raced, I look forward to my time in the loft or in the yard as they fly over me, they're part my life, my family.

Here are a few links to check out

https://www.pigeonracingpigeon.com/whats-new/american-racing-pigeon-union-au-arpu/

http://www.npausa.com/

https://nbrc.us/

https://ftsofusa.tipplers.com/

https://www.pigeoncote.com/clubs/clubs.html

https://www.theamericanpigeonmuseum.org/pigeon-breed-gallery

Thank you! You guys are so helpful! If I do get pigeons I would do it for fun I don’t have the time to drive all over because horses and other livestock take a lot of my time right now but I do want pigeons to keep more as pets!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Thank you! You guys are so helpful! If I do get pigeons I would do it for fun I don’t have the time to drive all over because horses and other livestock take a lot of my time right now but I do want pigeons to keep more as pets!

They make wonderful pets, too. I love nice weather days when I'm working in the yard either gardening or the latest DIY & the chickens are digging & scratching for bugs & my pigeons are flying overhead, they flock up & fly, often down low buzzing over me!

One year when I was raising young, 1 seemed to be running around on the floor in the loft a lot longer than the other youngsters, and I thought that is the biggest baby in pin feathers I've ever seen, so I scooped her up to check her out...they were deformed feathers. Now I knew why she flapped wings yet never got lift off! She'd never be happy in the loft...so, I brought her in the house. As I didn't have a dog or cat in the house during that time, she had full run of the house. I set up little cushions at her favorite spots, in front of the sliding glass door (we never used that door), under my dad's bed, by the sofa, etc., set up her food & water, a bath bowl in a pan to catch what splashed, her poo area was on newspaper in a spare bathroom. What's amazing is I didn't potty train her, I had thrown some junk mail in the door on the floor one day & resumed my outside chores, once back inside I glanced at the junk mail & noticed she had "christened" it, so from then on I spread the circulars on the floor in the spare bathroom & TBird's personal litter area was established, like a bunch of marbles on the paper. I can't even tell you in words just how much joy & love that little bird brought into our lives. She'd come running when called, if we asked " TBird where are you?" she'd coo loudly to answer, she loved being scooped up & snuggled. Whenever I dried my hair she'd coo & jump on my foot looking up at me, she wanted to "be dried" too, so on low I'd dry her & she'd preen, it was a funny routine. She loved time with my dad, if he was watching TV she'd coo for him to pick her up so she could nestle down on his chest & watch TV with him. He loved her so much, too, she was 1 in a million.

The Pigeons living in the loft are also very wonderful, they all have unique personalities. Some are very friendly & land on me, they are not ones I would race as the best racing birds are ones that will be naturally more energetic & fast to be able to escape the occasional hawk chase. The very tame or slow pigeons, like Fantails, etc. do not typically escape predators. I have 4 sections in my loft. The Fancy/Friendly & senior sections do not free fly Fall or Winter with the rest, due to hawk attacks. For their safety they do have large flight pens to fly in at those times. When I relocated here I had no idea hawks & falcons were so numerous.

Whatever types of pigeons you decide on, you'll love them, they are so awesome.

Here's the few pics I saved from emails after the Verizon phone disaster. My sweet TBird, she'd visit with this statue & my Canary & Cockatiels. Here's my Dad doing a White Dove release with a young Homer at the cemetery. When you love Pigeons, odds are your family & friends will love them, too.

 

[Cinnamon11]

They make wonderful pets, too. I love nice weather days when I'm working in the yard either gardening or the latest DIY & the chickens are digging & scratching for bugs & my pigeons are flying overhead, they flock up & fly, often down low buzzing over me!

One year when I was raising young, 1 seemed to be running around on the floor in the loft a lot longer than the other youngsters, and I thought that is the biggest baby in pin feathers I've ever seen, so I scooped her up to check her out...they were deformed feathers. Now I knew why she flapped wings yet never got lift off! She'd never be happy in the loft...so, I brought her in the house. As I didn't have a dog or cat in the house during that time, she had full run of the house. I set up little cushions at her favorite spots, in front of the sliding glass door (we never used that door), under my dad's bed, by the sofa, etc., set up her food & water, a bath bowl in a pan to catch what splashed, her poo area was on newspaper in a spare bathroom. What's amazing is I didn't potty train her, I had thrown some junk mail in the door on the floor one day & resumed my outside chores, once back inside I glanced at the junk mail & noticed she had "christened" it, so from then on I spread the circulars on the floor in the spare bathroom & TBird's personal litter area was established, like a bunch of marbles on the paper. I can't even tell you in words just how much joy & love that little bird brought into our lives. She'd come running when called, if we asked " TBird where are you?" she'd coo loudly to answer, she loved being scooped up & snuggled. Whenever I dried my hair she'd coo & jump on my foot looking up at me, she wanted to "be dried" too, so on low I'd dry her & she'd preen, it was a funny routine. She loved time with my dad, if he was watching TV she'd coo for him to pick her up so she could nestle down on his chest & watch TV with him. He loved her so much, too, she was 1 in a million.

The Pigeons living in the loft are also very wonderful, they all have unique personalities. Some are very friendly & land on me, they are not ones I would race as the best racing birds are ones that will be naturally more energetic & fast to be able to escape the occasional hawk chase. The very tame or slow pigeons, like Fantails, etc. do not typically escape predators. I have 4 sections in my loft. The Fancy/Friendly & senior sections do not free fly Fall or Winter with the rest, due to hawk attacks. For their safety they do have large flight pens to fly in at those times. When I relocated here I had no idea hawks & falcons were so numerous.

Whatever types of pigeons you decide on, you'll love them, they are so awesome.

Here's the few pics I saved from emails after the Verizon phone disaster. My sweet TBird, she'd visit with this statue & my Canary & Cockatiels. Here's my Dad doing a White Dove release with a young Homer at the cemetery. When you love Pigeons, odds are your family & friends will love them, too.

They look and sound like wonderful pets! I want them even more now

 

[backyard pigeons]

They look and sound like wonderful pets! I want them even more now

Do it!!

 

[backyard pigeons]

Have you noticed they eat certain grains 1st, according to what time of year it is?

yes!!! So cool! Corn is a favorite until it hits about 70 degrees.

Get the pigeon bath salts to add to their bath occasionally, it does wonders for their feathers. Drinking water bowls should be cleaned daily

how much bath salts per gallon? I haven't tried this yet.

When you say cleaned daily, what does this mean? Bleached? Rinsed? Dryed?

1 teasp minced garlic per gal

I have never tried this. I am partial to ACV though! What does garlic do?

So far so good, rarely have heath issues & have seniors in 20s,

woah! Nice! Any pics of your OBs?

Your birds are beautiful! You take good care of them, they are the picture of good health.

thanks! You know how pigeon people are... So here you go!

Have a good day!

you to!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

how much bath salts per gallon?

I've used Global Pigeon in NY, Foy's in PA or Jedd's in CA

https://www.jedds.com/product-categ...care-pigeons/bath-salts-feather-care-pigeons/

https://globalpigeonsupply.com/search?type=article,page,product&q=Bath*+salts*

https://foyspetsupplies.com/pigeon/feather-care/


When you say cleaned daily, what does this mean? Bleached?

I have used bullet waterers & the thick green bowls. I'm partial to the green bowls, they really last & do not get as nasty as fast. I have a 5 gal bucket filled halfway with water & some bleach, another 5 gal bucket just water, so every morning I dump the bowls, clean with my hand (sometimes molt feathers) then dunk into the bleach bucket, then rinse in the water bucket. Sounds like a lot but literally just adds a few minutes, it's worth it to keep their bowls clean. I've done the same with bullet waterers. 5 gallon buckets are just awesome for many things, I have the 2 orange Home Depot dedicated only to their water, & a bunch of grey ones dedicated to cleaning loft poop duty.

. I am partial to ACV though! What does garlic do?

Garlic boosts immune system, helps with circulatory, heart, blood pressure, also naturally helps repel pests & parasites, you'll notice less lice or mites. Fed to dogs repels fleas & worms. Fed to chickens repels all of those nasty things.

I mix 1 teasp ACV, 1 teasp minced garlic, 1 teasp of oregano, all in 1 gal of water. It smells amazing (you'll suddenly crave Italian food lol) & works good, I do this definitely once a week, or will increase to twice a week if I see anyone with lice.

woah! Nice! Any pics of your OBs?

I will have to go out there before dark to get some individual pics of my seniors. It's night now, I'm already in bed at 7pm lol, it was cold out there today!

Actually here is 1 I know is older, this Saddle hen was hatched early 2005 & 1 day in June a hawk attacked my poor young hen, she broke her leg & her crop was torn, I stitched her up & had to cut her leg band off & made a leg splint for her, using metal thumb splint & cushioned with gauze. I made a "hammock" from an old Tshirt, support her body so her legs were dangling & she could just relax, the other side of shirt was folded over top her to keep her from struggling & food & water were right in reach, so all you saw was her head & neck. She healed so well, so amazing, took the stitches out on crop area after 12 days, took "cast" off to clean & check but put back on, she wore it 4 weeks, then just wrapped leg with the sticky wrap, you know it sticks to itself, but kept her in hammock 2 more weeks, then in a cage 1 week with leg still wrapped, then 1 week in cage leg unwrapped, to make sure her leg was ready for the loft. She was a wonderful patient & healed so well, that leg was bad, compound fracture, she is my Super Girl! I renamed her, Miracle. I had lots of photos, all lost in the Verizon fiasco, damn shame. She's not my only crop stitched up, or broken leg splinted, but she is the only one that had both!

I know some of my Black, Red, Blue Bars & Blue Checks are up there, too.

 

[drmolarmagic]

Hello back !! beautiful birds.......

 

[biophiliac]

how much bath salts per gallon?

I've used Global Pigeon in NY, Foy's in PA or Jedd's in CA

https://www.jedds.com/product-categ...care-pigeons/bath-salts-feather-care-pigeons/

https://globalpigeonsupply.com/search?type=article,page,product&q=Bath*+salts*

https://foyspetsupplies.com/pigeon/feather-care/


When you say cleaned daily, what does this mean? Bleached?

I have used bullet waterers & the thick green bowls. I'm partial to the green bowls, they really last & do not get as nasty as fast. I have a 5 gal bucket filled halfway with water & some bleach, another 5 gal bucket just water, so every morning I dump the bowls, clean with my hand (sometimes molt feathers) then dunk into the bleach bucket, then rinse in the water bucket. Sounds like a lot but literally just adds a few minutes, it's worth it to keep their bowls clean. I've done the same with bullet waterers. 5 gallon buckets are just awesome for many things, I have the 2 orange Home Depot dedicated only to their water, & a bunch of grey ones dedicated to cleaning loft poop duty.

. I am partial to ACV though! What does garlic do?

Garlic boosts immune system, helps with circulatory, heart, blood pressure, also naturally helps repel pests & parasites, you'll notice less lice or mites. Fed to dogs repels fleas & worms. Fed to chickens repels all of those nasty things.

I mix 1 teasp ACV, 1 teasp minced garlic, 1 teasp of oregano, all in 1 gal of water. It smells amazing (you'll suddenly crave Italian food lol) & works good, I do this definitely once a week, or will increase to twice a week if I see anyone with lice.

woah! Nice! Any pics of your OBs?

I will have to go out there before dark to get some individual pics of my seniors. It's night now, I'm already in bed at 7pm lol, it was cold out there today!

Actually here is 1 I know is older, this Saddle hen was hatched early 2005 & 1 day in June a hawk attacked my poor young hen, she broke her leg & her crop was torn, I stitched her up & had to cut her leg band off & made a leg splint for her, using metal thumb splint & cushioned with gauze. I made a "hammock" from an old Tshirt, support her body so her legs were dangling & she could just relax, the other side of shirt was folded over top her to keep her from struggling & food & water were right in reach, so all you saw was her head & neck. She healed so well, so amazing, took the stitches out on crop area after 12 days, took "cast" off to clean & check but put back on, she wore it 4 weeks, then just wrapped leg with the sticky wrap, you know it sticks to itself, but kept her in hammock 2 more weeks, then in a cage 1 week with leg still wrapped, then 1 week in cage leg unwrapped, to make sure her leg was ready for the loft. She was a wonderful patient & healed so well, that leg was bad, compound fracture, she is my Super Girl! I renamed her, Miracle. I had lots of photos, all lost in the Verizon fiasco, damn shame. She's not my only crop stitched up, or broken leg splinted, but she is the only one that had both!

I know some of my Black, Red, Blue Bars & Blue Checks are up there, too.

That's a great story!
I also love it when my birds land on me.

 

[backyard pigeons]

How are your birds @Liz Birdlover ?

 

[Liz Birdlover]

How are your birds @Liz Birdlover ?

We're hunkered down pretty much these winter days, temperatures in the 20s & 30s, today it was cold & drizzled all day but my loft is nice & dry. Going down to the teens Thurs. Jan Feb & Mar, sometimes April can be nasty here. My chickens don't like it either, some days won't go out unless their dustbowls are dry so they can take a nice dustbath. Winter just makes me look forward to spring! I'm keeping busy, work, taking a night class on zoom & perusing the gardening catalog. Last year I started composting and tilling in a nice section that gets full sun. I'll be planting asparagus, wildflowers & I grow a bit of the pigeon grains which both chickens & pigeons enjoy sprouts. I set a few of my senior pigeons up indoors, in another area for the winter, it's at least 50 degrees in there.

How are you?
How is everyone doing this winter?