Pigeon Talk

[Qwerty3159]

Since fancy pigeons are more vulnerable to hawk attacks, do people who own them keep them in the loft and do not let them fly free?

It can certainly be done because all situations and loft locations are different but I think it is generally not a good idea. Another problem with letting the fancy pigeons fly is that they generally have very poor homing ability. If they get chased off by a hawk they might escape, but might not find their way back home. I believe this happens with roller pigeons often. I try to help out local rehabbers with lost domestic pigeons when I can. About 50% are lost race birds and the other 50% are fancy pigeons that flew too far from home and got lost.

I had never even seen a Cooper’s hawk in my entire life and I distinctly recall seeing one land on the loft on the second or third day I had pigeons.

Number one rule of pigeons is never free fly a pigeon you are not prepared to lose!

 

[WVduckchick]

My Satinettes have quite a bit of flying room in their regular area (fully metal roofed), but I also have a trap door that I can let them out into my net-covered duck pen. It’s probably 5 times the area that they normally stay in. They get a longer flight, and enjoy the extra exercise.

I have never intentionally let them free-fly, though a few got out through the duck gate a year or so ago, and a couple got out the regular gate, just a couple weeks ago. The first time they got out, they flew on top of my shop building and hung out there for a couple hours. I had to remove a section of netting above their trap door to get them back in.

A couple weeks ago, a squirrel had gotten into their aviary and somehow bounced the door open. I’m honestly not sure how many got out, I saw 3, at least, on my camera replay. They could have gone back in, or they could be gone. I have too many to get a good count now. One appeared on my back fence several hours later, and I lured her back in thru the gate.

I have way too many hawks, they would be picked off easily.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

When I first got into pigeons I let them all out to fly around together. The Turbits never left the yard & that's when I only had 1/4 acre in a neighborhood. The Rollers never flew far either. They'd fly circles along with the Homers, doing summersaults, but when the Homers went off ranging, the Turbits and Rollers stuck close to the loft. One day a young hawk zoomed in, I had some younsters on the deck, it had a trellis covered roof, they were just enjoying the dappled sunshine. I was sweeping off the deck steps. The hawk zoomed in, focused on catching a youngster, but he was a young hawk. When he went to grab a pigeon, she moved, the hawk hit the deck, was skidding while spinning around on his tush, & skidded with momentum, right into my broom! I don't know who was more startled, me or the hawk. I wish I had a photo of our expressions, he was as wide eyed as I was. He got his legs under him & was doing a burn out on the top step, unsuccessfully trying to get traction, so I swiftly "swept" him the the direction he wanted to go, off of the deck, away from my pigeons & he flew shakily off into the wild blue yonder. The whole thing lasted seconds. The pigeons that had been out flying around, dove under shrubs & were peeking out to see if the big bad hawk was gone. I scooped them all up & took them to the loft. After that, I built huge flight pens for them. Certain times of year are more hawkish, & I learned that pretty fast. Forget free flying late summer, fall & winter, at least for my fancy pigeons. Sad but true, hawks gotta eat too, & if a fancy pigeon is easier to catch than a rodent or rabbit, then a fancy pigeon will do.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Some neat colors of pigeons

 

[Qwerty3159]

Awesome! I love any and all color homers.

The red tiger grizzle cock, I think, in the second and third photo is particularly nice.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

More interesting reading
https://www.pigeoncontrolresourcecentre.org/html/about-pigeons.html

 

[Liz Birdlover]

More of my "baby pics"

(instead of baby pics in wallets we have Galleries in our phones)

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

More of my "baby pics"

(instead of baby pics in wallets we have Galleries in our phones)

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Your birds are beautiful! I'm curious, though, why do some of the pigeons have puffy nares?

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Your birds are beautiful! I'm curious, though, why do some of the pigeons have puffy nares?

Often, the older they get, the more interesting the ceres or wattles become, or sometimes just particular breeds or strains, or more of the males will have gnarly looks to them. We Old humans get a certain look about us, too, warts, moles, wrinkles, etc.

My older pigeons, nearly 20 yrs old. This 1st guy even has cataracts.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Often, the older they get, the more interesting the ceres or wattles become, or sometimes just particular breeds or strains, or more of the males will have gnarly looks to them. We Old humans get a certain look about us, too, warts, moles, wrinkles, etc.

My older pigeons, nearly 20 yrs old. This 1st guy even has cataracts.

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I figured that is what was making them look like that－they appeared more elderly than the others when I first saw them. How long do pigeons usually live?