Noob here!

[h4farms]

Hi I'm reading and learning about raising a couple of pigeons just for fun and see if I can train them also. If anyone could help me with ideas of what breed, coop, cage, feed, or anything else, it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Hokum Coco]

I personally have white homing pigeons. I feed mine strictly chicken pellets. Egg laying pellets when not with squabs and meat builder when they are with squabs. (works for me).

There are as many diets and regiments as their are pigeon fanciers. I also feed extra corn and a splash of rabbit pellets during the winter months. I also feed extra grit during the winter months. Fresh water daily.



















To tame my birds I feed shelled unsalted peanuts as a treat and hand feed only. Some of my birds do not realize they are all supposed to be pure white.

I also have a pair of pouters I use for drop birds and foster parents.


This is my pigeon bob trap it is not quite finished in this photo it has a hinged floor (for easy cleaning) and window which closes during in-climate weather.

My birds can home 300 and more miles (Belgium blood line) and I also do white dove releases at weddings and funerals and the like.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Hand Raised Orphaned Pigeon on Eggs

My grand daughter hand raised orphaned homer failed to return on a 20 mile toss. It was one of the few times she did not accompany me on a release. She suffered tears and heart ach when I told her of the loss.

Amazingly when I went to close up the loft at dusk what should come flying in but Piper (her pigeon).

I checked him over and he was tore open from his neck to his tail feathers.

My first instinct was to put him out of his misery. I however brought him into the house for a better look. My wife flushed out the wound with a saline solution and we glue him back together with crazy glue.He was good to go in about 5 days

This is him incubating eggs. .

My grand daughter was on the MOON when I told her of Pipers return. Grand daughter has experienced love, loss, heartache. first aid, joy, responsibility, and kinship with yours truly.

It has given her a good subject for presentations at school as well.

We also are starting up a small enterprise with white dove releases (Pipers parents were both solid snow white just for the record).

Grand daughter did her first dove release at a wedding last fall also another release for an anti bulling campaign at her grade school.

She would rather hang out with Hokum (her name for me since she was one) then any of her friends or parents for that matter. However she will be entering her teens next year (make-up and boys will probably soon shove me aside).

I know however that these birds have made her a better person regardless what comes in the future.

Plus I have another grand daughter who is only turned 3 and calls me Coco (since she was one).

 

[fowlsessed]

Good stuff, Hokum Coco (I feel weird using that now
The least ornaments they have, the better. i.e. muffed, heavily crested, too short beaks etc. Homers are an excellent choice if you want to breed adults and fly their young, or find young, un-flown birds to start with. Rollers and Highfliers are some good, and usually readily available, fliers too. Dry, draft proof pen, lot's of sun and exercise, good, clean feed and water. One nest and/or roost per pair/bird. They are very adaptable.