Pigeon Talk

[backyard pigeons]

I can't stop taking pictures of these pigeons. New favorite animal to photograph, right up there with rabbits.
There's two that are younger than everyone else. In the outside aviary, we found them sitting together on one of the branches. Inside, we're currently keeping them separated because the older birds incessantly pick on them.
But there mine and my boyfriend's favorites. They sit very nicely in your hand and let you come up and pet them. I'm hoping they're a boy and a girl.

Currently calling the red one a "he" and the silver one a "she." Obviously I have no idea if that's their genders, but that's what they feel like to me. I've gotten good at sexing all other birds, but this is so new.

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He was posing every which way for this photo.

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Perfect pair. Haha.

those are great looking! Congrats!

So this guy looks like hes got some beautiful birds all homers. DH still hasnt made any decision toward type.

https://batonrouge.craigslist.org/grd/d/breaux-bridge-racing-homer-pigeons-rare/6945481799.html

This lady i have known for years, not close at all, but still because i know she takes good care of them, a strong consideration. Satinettes.
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oh my goodness!! Those homers are the prettiest thing I've ever seen! white bars? Grizzles? Saddles? Almonds? Go with the homers please! I would defiantly buy a pair of they were near me. let me know if you get any extras!

I was away for the weekend and returned to see Olive and Rowan have two new eggs. She was really aggressive today I'm not sure if this is how she'll be now as she incubated or if my absence just had her more wary when I got back tonight.

And Nemo is doing great with his friend.

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congrats! Are you gonna let them sit and hatch them?

I'm jealous! Someday I may try to get ahold of some archangels to play around with getting the coloration onto frillbacks.

Also, I kiiiinda want to see what a naked neck frillback would be like, so I might make that happen at some point, lol.

you go for it! One thing that is highly discouraged it seems, is crossing birds. I don't like it if they are just careless about it, bit, if they will work hard on it, I'm all for it! After all, how did we get the breeds we have today?

 

[WVduckchick]

@mixedUPturk
Would DH want to fly them or no? I think that has to be part of the decision-making. My Satinettes fly short distances, but even since I've given them the opportunity to fly around the duck pen, they don't really seem to be all that interested in fully "flying". They hop around and fly back and forth, but I don't think they are missing out by being contained. Heck, I'm even thinking of letting a couple of them out in the open yard. I don't think they would even go very far.


@backyard pigeons did the feral pigeon ever come back?


@Serin Nemo is so cute! Pretty budgie too.


@CCUK kudos on the build!! Very nice!!!

 

[WVduckchick]

Lost half of my post!

@mixedUPturk I really like those homers, even though I'm partial to the Satinettes. That homer seller has some gorgeous colors. I think it will depend a lot on what he plans to do with them. There are so many varieties, with different purposes and personalities. The choice should match his intentions, imo.

 

[Serin]

congrats! Are you gonna let them sit and hatch them?

I was considering it but today Olive's behavior is extremely aberrant. I saw she was not letting Rowan sit yesterday. Today she is being extremely aggressive, not letting him by the nest whatsoever and pulling feathers out of his cheeks! Meanwhile she is being very affectionate towards me and when I put my hand in the nest she gets up and takes a break. Since we got Rowan she has acted like she is conflicted whether to bond to him or me but it has never been this dramatic, and I don't know what would cause her to shift again toward me so suddenly.

 

[biophiliac]

Squeakers! These 2 are now integrated to the flock after hand feeding the final 2 weeks before weaning. Very tame.

 

[biophiliac]

Meanwhile she is being very affectionate towards me and when I put my hand in the nest she gets up and takes a break. Since

I'm worried she thinks you will take a turn incubating.... What if you stay away from the nest, forcing her to reconsider Rowan? Or possibly she blames Rowan for the breakage of the earlier clutch, although I think less likely.

I do so want to see their babies!!!!

 

[backyard pigeons]

@mixedUPturk
Would DH want to fly them or no? I think that has to be part of the decision-making. My Satinettes fly short distances, but even since I've given them the opportunity to fly around the duck pen, they don't really seem to be all that interested in fully "flying". They hop around and fly back and forth, but I don't think they are missing out by being contained. Heck, I'm even thinking of letting a couple of them out in the open yard. I don't think they would even go very far.


@backyard pigeons did the feral pigeon ever come back?


@Serin Nemo is so cute! Pretty budgie too.


@CCUK kudos on the build!! Very nice!!!

very good points.

and yes!! The feral showed up this morning! I'm so happy! I'm nervous letting him out again, but that's no life for a feral being locked up. thanks for asking btw!

I was gonna tell y'all in a bit,along with another update (kinda?) , but I'll post pics of the next update shortly.

Squeakers! These 2 are now integrated to the flock after hand feeding the final 2 weeks before weaning. Very tame.
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they look awesome! what's your flock at now?

 

[Serin]

I'm worried she thinks you will take a turn incubating.... What if you stay away from the nest, forcing her to reconsider Rowan? Or possibly she blames Rowan for the breakage of the earlier clutch, although I think less likely.

I do so want to see their babies!!!!

They'd be cute babies! But I'm getting so tired of how complicated it's gotten with both birds. If they were just happy together and wanted to be left alone, I'd be sad but I'd deal with it, but now she's being downright nasty to poor Rowan. And in a couple days or tomorrow or in an hour, she'll probably be nice to him and attack me again. Sometimes she preens me very gently for a bit and then changes instantly to attack mode. Now she's doing that to Rowan. She preens him for a second and then wing boxes him and bites him in the face! The good days where she's nice to both of us are few and far between the last few weeks. I think it's really an issue in her little bird bird brain that she knows she's supposed to have one mate but can't decide which of us to accept. And most of the time she only allows one or the other to be around her.

Rowan is another pigeon and they clearly can communicate better than her and I, but at the same time he's proven that he's pretty shy, very quiet, not that great at anything regarding nesting so far... even when he tries to feed her I think because her beak is so small, she never actually gets any food... and Olive was alone for long enough from a young enough age that she formed a strong attachment to people that probably altered what she finds attractive in a mate. My being a person means that, in comparison to Rowan, she probably perceives me as much stronger and more capable of defending her and her babies than him, and being aggressive and strong is a very sexy thing to pigeons it seems with how their mates normally drive them so fiercely in courtship. And Rowan just doesn't do that or show he is a good protector/provider at all. I thought Olive just didn't mind but maybe she does now that the eggs are here.

I'll tell you what, I didn't expect the dynamic to be this messy and I do miss when she was a carefree little companion bird. I no longer can tell what situation she was happier in, but today she just seems stressed..

 

[mixedUPturk]

those are great looking! Congrats!

oh my goodness!! Those homers are the prettiest thing I've ever seen! white bars? Grizzles? Saddles? Almonds? Go with the homers please! I would defiantly buy a pair of they were near me. let me know if you get any extras!

congrats! Are you gonna let them sit and hatch them?

you go for it! One thing that is highly discouraged it seems, is crossing birds. I don't like it if they are just careless about it, bit, if they will work hard on it, I'm all for it! After all, how did we get the breeds we have today?

I really think those almonds are my pick. We would like to fly them eventually if theyd come home and not go back to his house.

@mixedUPturk
Would DH want to fly them or no? I think that has to be part of the decision-making. My Satinettes fly short distances, but even since I've given them the opportunity to fly around the duck pen, they don't really seem to be all that interested in fully "flying". They hop around and fly back and forth, but I don't think they are missing out by being contained. Heck, I'm even thinking of letting a couple of them out in the open yard. I don't think they would even go very far.


@backyard pigeons did the feral pigeon ever come back?


@Serin Nemo is so cute! Pretty budgie too.


@CCUK kudos on the build!! Very nice!!!

Thats really interesting i dont know if we will be able to fly them for a long time. Were only in this place until the rebuild is done and would they train to three dif homes like that? First his place, then this rental, then home? Would i just need to wait until they have offspring and train them that way to make them reliable?

Lost half of my post!

@mixedUPturk I really like those homers, even though I'm partial to the Satinettes. That homer seller has some gorgeous colors. I think it will depend a lot on what he plans to do with them. There are so many varieties, with different purposes and personalities. The choice should match his intentions, imo.

Right theyre so pretty! that calico lookin Almond kinda took my breath away and i showed him all of them he liked that too. I contacted him a month ago asked if he was certified he is not and so i dismissed it. Now to make him collect those pallets.

 

[CCUK]

Squeakers! These 2 are now integrated to the flock after hand feeding the final 2 weeks before weaning. Very tame.
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They are lovely! They look like they're gonna be cheeky little buggers!