New to all things Pigeons!

[Marivaal]

Hi everyone! I've been interested in raising pigeons for a while now, so I thought I would ask some questions to the experts! I'm not new to birds in general, I have grown up with parrots and I'm a huge bird lover, but my knowledge is mostly on parrots. I'm thinking about breeding pigeons too, but I'm not really sure what to do with them after and I don't think my husband would appreciate a giant flock of birds. The only thing I've found online is selling them for meat but I don't want to do that. Is there a big market for selling pigeons or is it more just a hobby? There's only one pigeon breeder I found that's a few hours away in my state so I figured there wasn't a huge demand for them.

I'm also wondering about leaving them outside (with the proper and safe outdoor loft) it gets pretty cold in North Carolina and I would feel kind of bad leaving my bird babies out in the winter. I have three different places outside I can build a loft for the and I also have an attached garage/unfinished basement in my house where I could give them a big setup but it gets pretty cold in there too. If i decide against breeding I found a cute little chicken coop type thing that would fit in my house so I can keep a pair indoors.

So what do you all think? Should I go the breeding route or should this be more of a few bird indoor situation?

 

[backyard pigeons]

Hi everyone! I've been interested in raising pigeons for a while now, so I thought I would ask some questions to the experts! I'm not new to birds in general, I have grown up with parrots and I'm a huge bird lover, but my knowledge is mostly on parrots. I'm thinking about breeding pigeons too, but I'm not really sure what to do with them after and I don't think my husband would appreciate a giant flock of birds. The only thing I've found online is selling them for meat but I don't want to do that. Is there a big market for selling pigeons or is it more just a hobby? There's only one pigeon breeder I found that's a few hours away in my state so I figured there wasn't a huge demand for them.

I'm also wondering about leaving them outside (with the proper and safe outdoor loft) it gets pretty cold in North Carolina and I would feel kind of bad leaving my bird babies out in the winter. I have three different places outside I can build a loft for the and I also have an attached garage/unfinished basement in my house where I could give them a big setup but it gets pretty cold in there too. If i decide against breeding I found a cute little chicken coop type thing that would fit in my house so I can keep a pair indoors.

So what do you all think? Should I go the breeding route or should this be more of a few bird indoor situation?

hello! Welcome to BYC! Pigeons are wonderful pets. Weather they are for companionship, or sport, they are enjoyable. So what do you want pigeons for? That will be the answer to if you should breed them. What breed are you looking at? There are tons of breeds! They will not need any heat at all to live outside, they can fare just fine in the negatives as long as there blocked from drafts. You could have a house pigeon if you wanted though. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask, and you can hang out here, https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pigeon-talk.1276029/ where many pigeon fancier hang out at.

 

[cavemanrich]

BP pretty much summed it up well.
All I wanted to add is this. Pigeons for human consumption is an accepted reality. (not a choice for me) The breed raised is the King Pigeons. They can be just as well raised for pets.
Most pigeon fanciers raise pigeons as pets, or for show, or racing.
The easiest is for pets. We do it as a hobby.
The further steps of Showing, and Racing, do get somewhat more intense, and involved. Lets call that a SUPER HOBBY.
My suggestion to you, since you are just starting is;
Get a pair of whatever breed you like(I would personally start with 4 pigeons), and keep them in an outdoor loft. After a while,,,,,,, you will know what your desires are. Have no fear/concerns about cold weather, especially in your location.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and