Pigeon Talk

[biophiliac]

Mixing up formulas and using syringes wasn't my thing haha (

The first time I hand raised one I was totally into it. Now it's getting old. Lol

 

[Hokum Coco]

Do you think it's better to mix grit with the seeds, or give it separate?

I do both in my loft. I mix layer pellets (which contains calcium in the pellet) in with my feed mixture. I also have 2 extra feeders one filled with grit and one with calcium. It may take a year or more for the two extra feeders to become empty but they eventually do.

 

[Serin]

Rosie's cere also looks pretty white in life (but dry and flaked), but flash is showing differently.

Rosie and Olive have had a turbulent love-hate relationship today. Olive preened Rosie for the first time this morning, and while both were sitting together I was able to pet both of them and Rosie didn't move away, she may have thought Olive was still doing it. But this afternoon Olive went after Rosie a bit, pulled the feathers on her neck and chased her away from her bed, and then later, from the food bowl while she ate. The cage is not large enough IMO for both birds but I don't have anything else really appropriate except the broken playpen that the cat has adopted as her little hidey house since I put it in the basement.

I have to admit now that Rosie is extremely messy in comparison to Olive, sometimes to an exhausting degree. Olive is tidy, usually poops over the edge of her nest and shelves so everything stays clean, and doesn't poop really anywhere but her cage except for very occasionally tiny spots. Rosie just goes everywhere, and about three times as often, and about three times as much each time. The cage this morning was shockingly dirty considering I cleaned it the night before. She's just being a pigeon, but now I see what y'all meant about them being dirty. Olive is quite tidy (for a bird) but Rosie... well I think she isn't quite as suited to being a house bird but we are making it work for now because she needs me. However, the more healthy and settled she gets, the harder it is becoming to care for her in the house. I am starting to consider putting out feelers to find her a more conventional outdoor home, with other pigeons, now that she seems to be feeling so much better. The main hurdle is finding one where she will have some room to fly, but will not be let out loose, because she will probably try to fly back to her old loft and end up in the exact same circumstance.

I hope that @Ninjasquirrel wouldn't be upset if I was only one leg of little Rosie's journey to a happy ending, if I could find her a place where she would have an even better life.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Rosie's cere also looks pretty white in life (but dry and flaked), but flash is showing differently.

Rosie and Olive have had a turbulent love-hate relationship today. Olive preened Rosie for the first time this morning, and while both were sitting together I was able to pet both of them and Rosie didn't move away, she may have thought Olive was still doing it. But this afternoon Olive went after Rosie a bit, pulled the feathers on her neck and chased her away from her bed, and then later, from the food bowl while she ate. The cage is not large enough IMO for both birds but I don't have anything else really appropriate except the broken playpen that the cat has adopted as her little hidey house since I put it in the basement.

I have to admit now that Rosie is extremely messy in comparison to Olive, sometimes to an exhausting degree. Olive is tidy, usually poops over the edge of her nest and shelves so everything stays clean, and doesn't poop really anywhere but her cage except for very occasionally tiny spots. Rosie just goes everywhere, and about three times as often, and about three times as much each time. The cage this morning was shockingly dirty considering I cleaned it the night before. She's just being a pigeon, but now I see what y'all meant about them being dirty. Olive is quite tidy (for a bird) but Rosie... well I think she isn't quite as suited to being a house bird but we are making it work for now because she needs me. However, the more healthy and settled she gets, the harder it is becoming to care for her in the house. I am starting to consider putting out feelers to find her a more conventional outdoor home, with other pigeons, now that she seems to be feeling so much better. The main hurdle is finding one where she will have some room to fly, but will not be let out loose, because she will probably try to fly back to her old loft and end up in the exact same circumstance.

I hope that @Ninja Squirrel wouldn't be upset if I was only one leg of little Rosie's journey to a happy ending, if I could find her a place where she would have an even better life.

I wouldnt be too upset. You would know better what is best for her better than we would. I just hope you find her a loving kill free home where she can be taken care of.

 

[Serin]

Rosie just spent about 5 minutes doing some very suspiciously male looking-and-sounding bowing and cooing and dancing around Olive and Olive was much more interested than before.

Folks with homers, these seem like a more aggressive breed in general so I would not be surprised if the hens act more masculine than owl pigeon hens, but do you ever see the hens act like cocks? Rosie just did everything except actually mount Olive, including spinning around in a full circle while doing the full loud bubbly coo for her, she then drove her into her bed and then sat on the bed flicking her wings, but Olive lost interest at that point and went to eat. They're eating together now, no fighting this time.

 

[cavemanrich]

Rosie just goes everywhere, and about three times as often, and about three times as much each time.

I think once Rosie gets back to her Ideal weight, she will eat less, and poo less. Now she is eating and gaining.
As per you last message,,,,,, maybe you have Pete Rose, and not Rosie

 

[Serin]

I think once Rosie gets back to her Ideal weight, she will eat less, and poo less. Now she is eating and gaining.
As per you last message,,,,,, maybe you have Pete Rose, and not Rosie

I hope so lol.. when I got Rosie, and she was in that little box she was brought to me in and she was so thin and so scared that she kept her feathers tight against her body she looked Olive's size. Now, comfy and fluffy, she can look double, so I think she will always... produce.. a bit more.

And... well.... wonder what owl x homer squeakers would come out like lol. Intermediate bill length, little tuft on the head? Not sure how the pied marking inherits... probably would have much less white at least, and I believe ash red is dominant to blue but bar is dominant to spread?

 

[Serin]

"She" just drove Olive to the nest with the expected aggression, biting her on the neck and is now standing over her preening her head all over, Olive seems to be happy with it whatever Rosie is and is making her love noises, I have probably been replaced in either case.

And I don't think I can consider separating them anymore.

 

[cavemanrich]

Cant help you with the genetics,,,,,,,,,,,, I know less about that than Olive and Rosie put together.
On larger housing for the duo,,,, Have you considered making a wood frame and chicken wire for the walls? This way you could use the floor-space higher up towards the ceiling. Just an IDEA.

I have probably been replaced

This just came across my hard-drive in my head.

The Angel is the Duo. You are being expelled from Paradise. I did not want to crop off Eve, because it is such a nice pix
And that bird next to Eves' head,,,, maybe its your canary, also chased out

 

[Serin]

I looked into it and found a photo of this bird which is half racing homer and half capuchine. It's also spread (which is actually apparently dominate, not recessive) and ash red.

An owl cross may be similar, but if a capuchine's huge crest is reduced that much in a cross I'm not sure what would be left of an owl's little neck tuft in the crossbreed. Pretty though.