Pigeon Talk

[KiwiandPeachthePigeons]

Look how pudgy Nugget is! LOL! His mom & dad are doing a good job. Is that mom or dad in the background?

That’s Peach, the proud father in the background! Nuggets definitely a chunky dude, being an only child getting all the milk!

 

[memphis]

Peach looks awfully proud!

 

[backyard pigeons]

I've tried to do some research, but seem to be having some issues finding info. Would someone be able to point me in the right direction for some research material for someone looking into pigeons? Stuff like coop design, feeding, training, where to find breeding pairs, etc. I've looked at the articles on here, but there are only a couple short ones.

I recommend getting a book! I like the one @Bdg1104 linked. (I would link it, but my links aren't working right now.) It is a very complete book, that will get you started in the awesome hobby of pigeons! don't forget to research the boring stuff to, like illness, and injurys. and the specs of feed needed. Such as 12 to 16 percent protein, etc.

but I would love to find a "show flight pigeon" I found the domestic show flight pigeon on a google search and would love to find some birds similar.

those are cool! But, I thought you said you wanted homers? you could do both though!

have you considered weather or or not you will fly birds?

I've got a line on another pair of tumblers! This one would be a red cock and a yellow hen. Fingers crossed this works out.

yay! Keep us posted. How did you find them? Aren't NN's super rare in the US? Like, your one of the few who have them over here? there isn't even a American naked neck club.

Do you have any recommendations for books? I've found few that appear to be good, but just figured i'd ask first!

yes. here are my favorite pigeon books:

Another quick question though. What's the best way to "dip your toes in"? Should there be a minimum number of birds? Ideally i'd like to start off small, under 6 birds, that way if I decide it's not for me it's not a huge hassle to find homes. Would it be easier to start off with a pair and breed, or try and find a few squeakers to train.

best way to dip your toes in? Go for it... I have never heard anyone say "I regret getting pigeons". Not saying it hasn't happened, but most people get hooked. I would start with a minimum of 3 pairs, if different bloodline. It's fine pair they are from the same fancier, as long as they are unrelated. Three pairs is the minimum amount of birds you could build healthy flock, in my opinion.

Here is a link to a book that @backyard pigeons recommended to me a while back that I ordered. I haven't taken too good of a look at it yet but it seems like a pretty good resource.

you will enjoy it! I'm glad you ordered it.

Apparently a pigeon thought to be a Pakistan spy was caught & detained at the India border. Just read this on my news feed.

isn't it cool! That still today, pigeons are used to help countries. Maybe in a different way, through a small little camera attached to it, as opposed to flying home through battles, but still, humans benefit from the 'pest'.

 

[NBraun]

But, I thought you said you wanted homers? you could do both though!

have you considered weather or or not you will fly birds?

Honestly, I'm still learning about the different breeds, so I was thinking they were a specific type of homer! oops! My goal is to be able to train/fly birds, maybe not in races, or just not competitively. So i'd probably choose to do both if the situation allows!

I bought the book Pigeon Passion today and started reading, but i'll look into those other suggestions as well!

 

[Pyxis]

yay! Keep us posted. How did you find them? Aren't NN's super rare in the US? Like, your one of the few who have them over here? there isn't even a American naked neck club.

Yeah, it hasn't been easy! But, I connected with a couple people on Facebook and found a person who has them and has a pair they could sell. At the moment she said she's calculating shipping cost and then I'll send payment.

 

[backyard pigeons]

Honestly, I'm still learning about the different breeds, so I was thinking they were a specific type of homer! oops!

that's okay! There are many different breeds, close to 200 are recognized by the National Pigeon Association (NPA). here are the category of breeds:

Performance: these birds are bred for performance. Whether they are racers racing home, rollers rolling in the air, or highflyers flying overnight.

the most common performance breeds are homers, rollers, tumblers, tipplers, and highflyers.

Show: these bird are bred for the showcage. Whether it's a 2 pound modems or a 4 oz. Figurita. A confusing part of show birds is, it includes all types of pigeons. so at a show, you will see racing homers. But the difference is, these birds are bred for looks, not as much their flying ability. Same with rollers. These birds may do what they are supposed to in the air, but not as good as a bird bred for performance.

Some of the most common show breeds are: fantails, owls, croppers, modenas, pouters, highflyers, tumblers, racing homers, bald head rollers, and old English frills.

Utility: Utility bird are bred for their meat. Most of these birds too out at around 2 pounds. They most common breeds of utility birds are Kings, Runts, Giant homers, Hubbels, and Texas pioneers. There are not very many utility breeds.


If you are hoping to fly birds, I recommend homers. They are the easier to train, plus you can take them away from their loft, and they return. A good homer is very muscular, and sleek. They are built for speed and indurance. They are my favorite breed I own. Plus, they come in all sorts of colors.

My homers have come home from 80 miles. My goal is to get them out to 200 this year. Eventually, I want to do 1,000 Mile tosses. But, 1000 miles is a far ways to drive to let go some pigeons, so we will see.

Yeah, it hasn't been easy! But, I connected with a couple people on Facebook and found a person who has them and has a pair they could sell. At the moment she said she's calculating shipping cost and then I'll send payment.

hopefully they arent old school, so you don't have to send a check and draw out the process of getting your birds!

 

[Bdg1104]

Bad new guys the rescue that I'm adopting is up in Detroit (about 1.5 hours north for me so it can be quite a drive anyway haha) unfortunately the riots there have gotten pretty bad and I'd need to drive through them to get to the lady who has the bird. Not to get political or anything but I really hope everyone reaches an understanding and they end soon. Depending on how long it takes for them to end it could be a week to two weeks until I can make the trip up there. So sad. The lady who has him is taking good care of him in the meanwhile though.

Also, update on the grackle fledgling. I took him to a wildlife rehab place and they said he most likely has some brain swelling and his neck is crooked. They gave him some meds and they say he's probably releasable. They gave me an ID number for him so I can call and get updates on him and see how he is doing.

Hope you all are doing well and staying safe if you are anywhere near the riots.

 

[NBraun]

that's okay! There are many different breeds, close to 200 are recognized by the National Pigeon Association (NPA). here are the category of breeds:

Performance: these birds are bred for performance. Whether they are racers racing home, followed rolling in the air, or highflyers flying overnight.

the most common performance breeds are homers, rollers, tumblers, tipplers, and highflyers.

Show: these bird are bred for the showcage. Whether it's a 2 pound modems or a 4 oz. Figurita. A confusing part of show birds is, it includes all types of pigeons. so at a show, you will see racing homers. But the difference is, these birds are bred for looks, not as much their flying ability. Same with rollers. These birds may do what they are supposed to in the air, but not as good as a bird bred for performance.

Some of the most common show breeds are: fantails, owls, croppers, modenas, pouters, highflyers, tumblers, racing homers, bald head rollers, and old English frills.

Utility: Utility bird are bred for their meat. Most of these birds too out at around 2 pounds. They most common breeds of utility birds are Kings, Runts, Giant homers, Hubbels, and Texas pioneers. There are not very many utility breeds.


If you are hoping to fly birds, I recommend homers. They are the easier to train, plus you can take them away from their loft, and they return. A good homer is very muscular, and sleek. They are built for speed and indurance. They are my favorite breed I own. Plus, they come in all sorts of colors.

My homers have come home from 80 miles. My goal is to get them out to 200 this year. Eventually, I want to do 1,000 Mile tosses. But, 1000 miles is a far ways to drive to let go some pigeons, so we will see.

hopefully they arent old school, so you don't have to send a check and draw out the process of getting your birds!

This makes much more sense!

Another dumb question regarding feed. After doing some reading it appears that peas,corn, wheat, and oats are the go to for feed. Is there anything special about bag feed? I work with field plots for my job, and we actually grow all of these. I'm thinking that I may be able to put together my own feed mix. Would that be right?

 

[cavemanrich]

Is there anything special about bag feed?

Bag feed is a combination of seeds known to be a good complete nutrition. Sure you can make your own mix. Look at things in nature. Pigeons there eat what ever they can come across.
Don't forget to include grit in your feeding program. Wild birds find stones on ground surfaces, just like chickens free-ranging. In your coop, you need to provide those stones, known as grit.
Pigeon grit is a manufactured product that is enhanced with minerals also. Read the label on a bag, and see.

 

[Bdg1104]

Update: I called the wildlife center and they said the grackle passed a few hours after I had dropped it off. Seems that it had died of a head injury as well as being starved. The volunteers and staff there are top notch and had given him meds but he wasn't strong enough unfortunately. I did all I could but I still feel really upset about it. I guess I just need to mope about it for a little bit before moving on with my day haha.