Pigeon Adventures

[RoostersAreAwesome]

It’s about time I made a general thread about my pigeons!

Neet Neet, male roller pigeon:

Kasper, rescued “release dove” (actually a white homing pigeon):

Wraith another “release dove” rescue (I believe he’s male):

Rubber band, a feral pigeon who I found with a rubber band wrapped around her leg (sadly, she’s going to lose her foot, so can’t be released):

Rubber band’s thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rubber-band-wrapped-around-leg-of-pigeon.1494608/.

Thought they live outside, I sometimes bring Neet Neet inside, he’s super friendly and enjoys the company of people. My other birds aren’t too tame because I haven’t had them for long.

I don’t free fly my pigeons. Where I live, it’s more dangerous than free ranging chickens, and I’ve lost two pigeons that way. I am going to expand their pen soon, which I’m sure the pigeons will appreciate!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

If anyone has ever wondered why you see pigeons limping and with missing toes, I’ll tell you why- they get hair and string wrapped around their feet! This is a product of them foraging mostly on the ground in cities. They are unable to get the strings off themselves, so, when I’m able, I go out and try to catch pigeons with “stringfoot” to cut the strings off. This is how I found Rubber Band and the “dove release” birds. Sometimes I find ones with injuries, so I catch those and take them to a local wildlife rehabilitation center. (If this ever happens to you, make sure the rehab accepts pigeons, since a lot of them don’t and will just euthanize them.)
Here are a few of the ferals I’ve caught and released (or taken to the rehab) so far:

(These are ones with stringfoot, sometimes I have to bring them home so they can heal a bit before release.)

These two had broken legs, so were taken to the rehab center.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Wow! You do so much work with the feral pigeons!
Is Casper male or female or do you not know yet? Also, Neet looks so cool chilling in his jacuzzi. Are you going to breed any of them? Which of the two homers is the original?
@Kessel23 check it out

Thanks! I’ve gotten very good at catching pigeons.
I think Casper is a male, but I really have no idea. I’m unsure about Wraith and RB, too. They all dance and coo at each other.

Since I keep rescuing new ones, I’m not going to breed them, or I’d end up with an obscene number of pigeons. Neet would have such cute offspring though.

Casper is the original homer. Honestly I don’t think either of them are bred well since they don’t have homer-looking faces and obviously didn’t return home as they’re supposed to.


I just caught a new pigeon, a lost fantail mix! I hope she’s a female, I did see a feral dance for her. (Since fantails are a domestic breed, she wouldn’t have been able to survive long in the wild.)

I’m excited to get to know her, she’s already tamer than my homers!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Most of the pigeons I see are the typical gray ones (I’ve only actually saw a red one once and that was years ago). XD That pied one I posted is one of the two heavily pieds I've seen, most of the other pied pigeons around here have just a few white feathers.
In big cities, though, there’s so much genetic variation, which means you get all kinds of colors and traits in the ferals.

Also, I will gladly teach you how to differentiate specific gray ones. Here are the three most common patterns:

Blue bar
View attachment 2893064

Blue check/checker (this is what my fantail mix and Rubber Band are)
View attachment 2893065

Blue t-checkView attachment 2893074

Here are some of the less common colors (more common in domestic pigeons than ferals):

Pied, which can vary from a single white feather to completely white (this one is a pied blue check).

Bronzing, which shows up as brown coloring on a gray/blue pigeon (this is a pied blue t-check with bronzing).

(Pied) blue barless- lacks a dark gray bar on the wings.

An (ash) red bar (not my picture). There are also red checks, red t-checks, brown bars, brown checks, and brown t-checks.

Brown bar (not my picture).

Spread, something that is basically the color of the tail band spread across the entire pigeon. There are brown spreads, blue spreads, and (ash) red spreads.
Blue spread (black without gray):

Ash red spread (you can also see little Neet in this picture):

Neet Neet is a grizzled recessive red. Recessive red makes a pigeon completely red and grizzling adds the white feathers (grizzling is more like speckles while pied is more like patches).

The same feral from a couple posts ago, who is a pied blue t-check with bronzing.

 

[Yowza Wowza]

I’m only here for the one and almighty Neet
jk I love all your birds, Roo

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I’m only here for the one and almighty Neet
jk I love all your birds, Roo

Neet will always be supreme.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

That's awesome you are able to save so many. I don't live near any large cities so never really get to see feral pigeons up close. Usually just see them around farm silos sometimes. I'm surprised how many get string caught on their foot.

I’m actually grateful that the stringfoot problem isn’t worst, in places such as New York City there’s a lot more with string and hair wrapped around their feet which results in some pretty horrific wounds.
I’m only able to get close to the ferals because I bribe them with seed.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

My rescued fantail mix. I wonder why her former owner didn’t put a leg band on her.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Been recently eyeing my neighbors roof pigeons they’ve been there for a couple years, just straight chilling and soaking in the rays alhdkahsjs.

I live in a suburban neighborhood and they like making their nests underneath the solar panels except for my house.

Since seeing Roo’s pigeons I really want to see ones similar to theirs but the ones we’ve got are just the typical grey ones then again I can’t differentiate what specific grey ones are out there because they all look the same to me.

Most of the pigeons I see are the typical gray ones (I’ve only actually saw a red one once and that was years ago). XD That pied one I posted is one of the two heavily pieds I've seen, most of the other pied pigeons around here have just a few white feathers.
In big cities, though, there’s so much genetic variation, which means you get all kinds of colors and traits in the ferals.

Also, I will gladly teach you how to differentiate specific gray ones. Here are the three most common patterns:

Blue bar

Blue check/checker (this is what my fantail mix and Rubber Band are)

Blue t-check

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I caught a lost homer and a feral with something up with its leg.

The feral is actually the one and only barless pigeon in the flock- I’m very glad I was able to catch them! The homer, which probably got lost during a race, has bands but they don’t have much info on them.
Oh, and a little while ago I also got another injured one and one with a necrotic toe. Took those to the rehab.