Newbee has a couple of questions please... (pics addded)

[peewee]

To be honest I never really gave much thought to pigeons so I know nothing about them. I never thought I would have any as pets but I was at the farmers market and saw these guys and fell in love. I was told that they were Pouters. Is this correct? I was also told to feed them pigeon feed. The one bag of pigeon feed I found must have been made of gold for the price that they wanted for it so I have been giving them wild game bird feed mixed with 3 grain scratch. Is this going to be o.k. for them? Also I have them in a 8' x8'x 8' pen that I was going to use to raise up some pheasant chicks in a couple of months. Can the two different birds be housed together? I was also going to make something of a roosting box for them. What size should I make it? How do you tell the difference between male and female? I normally don't buy any animal with out at least knowing the basics of proper care but I just love the look of these two birds and had to have them so any help that you can give me would be very appreciated.

 

[seismic wonder2]

Pouters stand up tall and put oout their crop like a big baloon. really cool.

The Pigeon feed is formulated with all the different grains to give them a balanced diet. I HIGHLY recommend it. along with a good qulaity grit.

You can use your mix for a few days if you run out of the good stuff but be careful about changeing their food around too much. When they get used to a certain type of food they may not recognize other food as "food" and in extreme cases starve to death with a full bowl right in front of them.

I have Homing pigeons, I changed their food AND gave them a brand new waterer the same day, The next day I noticed they hadn't eaten or drank ANYTHING...
I gave them their old food and the old water dish and they were all over it like pirhannas!

 

[truecolorsloft]

sounds like you've got a good start to your hobby. we feel our rollers and giants, crasked corn, and "generic wild bird mix", they won't touch "pigeon mix." Having said that they will eat grit mixed with a general multi vitamin, so I'm not to worry that they are beung under nurished. Having said that, everyone has "their own mix or blend, but make sure they are getting their balanced diet. Others here will be better in answering your question about pheasants, but we've kept out birds with chickens, doves, and turkeys without a problem. The key thing is to make sure everyone is being fed the right food, everyone has water, and everyone has their "time out/alone space.

 

[peewee]

Thank you both for your information. These guys are really starting to grow on me. Very friendly birds that meet me at the door for their treats.

 

[Teach97]

I do not feed pigeon specific feed either. I make my own mix. as long as you have a place for the pigeons to get up and roost you should be okay. I like to use old dog dishes for a place for them to nest....lots of different ideas and such on this. you can't tell male from female like with chickens...you will need to observe them more...of course you could always use the ring method but I don't! lol with pouters the male will tend to have a larger globe than the females but I have a female that really struts her stuff

 

[sydney13]

yes those are pouters. Pouters have a big ballon like frogs and they love to strut around showing off. They can be fed game bird mix. You should be able to house them with the pheasants but they can spread diseases so be careful. also in some cases the pheasants peck at the pigeons but most of the time pigeons are fine with other birds

 

[larrylofts]

Those Are Bohemian Pouters Not Many Shown But Very Easy To Raise Most Tend To Be A Little On The Wild Side Glad You Have Some That Someone Worked With

 

[darkfur]

those have the nicest markings

 

[sourland]

Pigeon feed is definately pricey, but you can buy different types for different needs. 12%-14% protein is good for maintenance. 16% or higher protein is better for nesting and raising young. All that being said, they should survive fine on a mix of wild bird seed and gamebird pellets or feed.

 

[ThiefPouter06]

Quote:
Bohemian for sure. Pouters do not do well on pellets (lends to sour crop). SOme tend to get sour crop(when food spoils in the crop) in the summer when feeding babies. If they mope around and the crop is dragging the floor, flush it out with water and they perk up soon. They usually are very driven sexually. The male will strut often. They can be great or horrible parents depending on the individual. Some pouters are so consumed with breeding, strutting and wooing hens that eggs and babies arent that important. They fly great, blowing their crops while in flight, clapping their wings and gluiding often. They can tame very easy.