Pigeon Talk

[WVduckchick]

That's an awesome avairy/flight pen. They have so much space and are very well protected.

Well the protection isn’t the best, but I only let them in there when I’m home. The chickens alert if anything is around. I’ve had hawks land on the main center beam and on top of the chicken pens, but <knock on wood> haven’t made it inside. I have had coons and possums get thru though. But they could easily get away from those rascals.

Here you go WV, this is kinda near me... Later in the p ics, there are some pretty sats!https://nashville.craigslist.org/grd/d/antioch-pigeons-birds/6936097457.html

Not bad!

 

[backyard pigeons]

Well the protection isn’t the best, but I only let them in there when I’m home. The chickens alert if anything is around. I’ve had hawks land on the main center beam and on top of the chicken pens, but <knock on wood> haven’t made it inside. I have had coons and possums get thru though. But they could easily get away from those rascals.



Not bad!

I'll get you some of you come to tn!

 

[Serin]

Olive continues to reject Rowan today and is doing basically 100% of the sitting on these eggs. He sits when she goes to eat, and just a couple of minutes later she returns and drives him out of the nest with pecks to the head and some angry grumbles to resume sitting herself. She doesn't want his help. She doesn't want him next to her anymore. She doesn't want to share the food with him anymore. Very strange.

Do pigeons ever divorce? That's what it looks like is happening. I feel bad for the poor guy. Rather than roosting in the nest with her or perched next to it, tonight he spent some time arranging strips of paper on the floor, and is sleeping on a sad little pile of it on the cage floor by himself.

 

[cavemanrich]

Do pigeons ever divorce?

Each pigeon has certain duties during raising of young. Female will do most of the sitting, but male takes over when she has to go off.
Don't compare pigeon actions to that of human actions.
The 50/50 shared responsibilities in child raising , is only in some developed countries, and not worldwide.
When the pigeons hatch, BOTH parents feed crop milk. Somewhere around day 20,,,, the female quits feeding the squabs, and it is left up to the male to feed until weaned.

 

[Serin]

Each pigeon has certain duties during raising of young. Female will do most of the sitting, but male takes over when she has to go off.
Don't compare pigeon actions to that of human actions.
The 50/50 shared responsibilities in child raising , is only in some developed countries, and not worldwide.
When the pigeons hatch, BOTH parents feed crop milk. Somewhere around day 20,,,, the female quits feeding the squabs, and it is left up to the male to feed until weaned.

Not comparing anything specifically to human actions. By divorce I mean has anyone else seen one member of a pair lose interest and start treating a former mate as an intruder like this?

I have been totally hands-off with her since yesterday but it hasn't gotten her to give up courting me and accept him again yet.

 

[cavemanrich]

Pigeons usually pair up for life, but there are always exceptions. In a large populated loft, it is not uncommon to have a male pigeon with more than one female. 2 male pairing mostly will happen when there is a shortage of females. Same with 2 female pairing. I would guess it is for companionship reasons.

 

[Serin]

With Olive being so back and forth like this I am going to have to consider again the option of placing Rowan with another home, ideally with a different female pigeon that is not so bonded to a person like this. Olive is clearly torn between the instinct to procreate and to maintain the established bond she had to me. Now that the honeymoon is over between them and the eggs are here she seems to have no use for the poor guy again.

I do think it will be more peaceful for all involved in this bird "love triangle" if one "husband" or the other were out of the picture. If she were consistently bonded to the male and had lost all interest in me I would consider finding both a new home in a loft where they can live a normal pigeon life. But since she has recently - and very strongly - shifted her affections back toward me as she was as a single bird I'd just as soon adopt out the male and go back to our old situation, which while different did seem to suit her well. Olive is an unusual pigeon who grew up in an unconventional setting and she is now showing some behavioral quirks related to that. As long as she is living indoors it will be impossible to totally leave her alone as she can always see me around and this seems to be a problem in her maintaining a healthy pigeon relationship. I don't know how old she was when I bought her, but she acts like she maybe imprinted to some extent on people as a result of being a single pet for so long.

I should probably switch the eggs with fakes regardless... I can't count on her letting Rowan help raise the chicks as it currently stands, though I guess if necessary I could assist feeding...

 

[cavemanrich]

I'm pretty sure she would let Rowan feed the lil ones, and then wean them. The predicament you will face then,,,, is you will have 4 pigeons. Do you have a plan/solution to that?
Only you can make the decision to relocate Rowan to a different loft.
In the meantime, I do suggest you get some plastics, so you don't have the pigeon population issue.
If you know someone that can use Rowan, I suggest you do some communication. If you make your mind up, than you know where is best for him.

 

[Serin]

I'm pretty sure she would let Rowan feed the lil ones, and then wean them. The predicament you will face then,,,, is you will have 4 pigeons. Do you have a plan/solution to that?
Only you can make the decision to relocate Rowan to a different loft.
In the meantime, I do suggest you get some plastics, so you don't have the pigeon population issue.
If you know someone that can use Rowan, I suggest you do some communication. If you make your mind up, than you know where is best for him.

I have some wooden eggs.

As far as your second point... I guess not. I was excited to see babies but I don't really have space longterm for when babies become adults.

Things have been slowly sliding down the slippery slope from my original intentions to have a pet bird. Since all of my creatures must, by necessity, live in the house with me I probably should stop the ball from rolling before it becomes too much of a good thing. Especially since, as of late, only two of these guys have started to feel like too much.

 

[memphis]

Serin....place Rowan. You were happiest when it was just you & Olive.