Pigeon Advice Needed

[Chic-n-farmer]

I need advice from you pigeon owners, please.

I have 8 adult pigeons and 2 squeakers just 16 days old. Can they all be moved to new housing and mom and dad still care for the babies or is it too risky? They've been handled before, I'm just not confidant about moving them entirely.

If they should not be moved right now when can they?

They are currently located in my small (4x8) chicken house and I need it desperately!!! I can not stress how badly I need it!

I currently have six different brooders going. I am running out of space. I figured to relocate the pigeons to a smaller building with a fly area. Then the small chicken house can serve as a brooder house.

Please help.......

 

[Omniskies]

It'd be better to wait until the squab are another week or two old before moving them. If you're in a dire situation then you can always give it a shot by moving them at night, but only do that if you're ready to risk the parents abandoning the offspring and try to at least keep the nestbox and bedding the same.

The closer the second pen looks to their old home the better, including where the food and water go, where the roosts were, etc. When they move the pigeons will duke it out to establish who gets the new roosts, which could take away from their care of the offspring.

If you're really concerned and are in a jam, you may be able to move the other six pigeons and leave the pair there for another couple of weeks. Or try to move the pair into a cage on their own so they aren't as distracted by the other pigeons bickering.

Good luck. If you do try it I'd love to know how it turned out for you

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Wow!
Thanks for the great information. I have made my decision....
the pigeons stay put! At least until the babies are 4 weeks old, and are feeding themselves.

They ARE feeding themselves at 4 weeks, right?

Thanks again for the help!

 

[QuailHollow]

Don't baby Pigeons look like deranged cartoon characters?

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Little infor. Squabs are young pigeon for eating(meat pigeon)

Best to wait if you can,but homer will feed them. when moved

Squeakers are young pigeon,of the homers and show birds

 

[QuailHollow]

.

 

[deerman]

Yes , but racers of homers flip out calling their birds Squabs. I know these guy paying lots more than 30,000.00 per bird.

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
wow....i might pay that for my dream horse but a pigeon that could get killed easily by hawk or a person? Nahhh! LOL! I guess to each their own though!

 

[deerman]

True, but money get into the hobby. Some races pay 500,000.00.

 

[Omniskies]

I've never heard of a baby pigeon being called a squeaker, thanks for letting me know. I would have wondered what in the world someone was raising if they boasted about their new squeakers (mice?).

Still, hat sounds suspiciously like show breeders struggling to come up with a name that isn't on the menu in classy restaurants. I raise squab. They taste better than squeakers