Pigeons?

[ShadowRooster]

Yesterday at a chicken swap someone was giving away pigeons. I have always wanted a pet bird of some sort, so, I ended up with two pretty pigeons.

Now, they are six months old but the person giving them was unable to tell if they were male or female. How would you tell?
One has a full spread of feathers on its feet and is white with brown-grey wings and a spot on its forhead. One looks like a pigeon off the streets of the city. What breeds might they be?
I brought them home in a small indoor rabbit cage, and thats what they are in now until I can get a real one. So, can they live with chickens? My silkies never use there roost sticks, and the person giving them away said they eat chicken food with some other kinds of seeds. My silkies have a nice taller coverd pen also. I could just get an indoor cage, what size would the two need to be confortable? If I clipped thier wings, would a large brooder box with some shavings and sticks in it (like in the pet stores) work? I would like the best for the birds... but I cant be building pigeon houses. Also, they are hand-tame already and will sit on your finger (or head).

 

[chics in the sun]

I just unexpectedly became a pigeon owner, too! My pair of racing pigeons are in the coop with my chickens, and all appears fine. They actually took to the roost bar with the chickens last night - even displaced my timid little EE's! We built a nest box for them in the coop, but they seem to like the roost area best. I will be adding more roosts/ perches in the top of the coop this week.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

The one with the feathered feet is a Swallow. The other could be anything. The best and easiest way to tell them apart is to wait and see how they act. Males should puff up, coo, spin, drag their tail, and chase the hen. Give them some time to settle in and maybe get a little older, and they'll tell you what they are

Is your chicken pen covered? Do you have any pictures of the coop? Your pair could probably easily live with them, provided they have some perches and a nest box or two of their own. Otherwise, one of those outdoor rabbit hutches/cages work great for a pair of pigeons. Plenty of room to move around, mate, and build nests. Which, by the way, if you don't want to have baby pigeons, you can replace their eggs with a chicken egg and they'll hatch it for you

 

[ShadowRooster]

Yep, the silkie pen is coverd. My silkies choose not to use the nest box or perchs, so the would have all the "up" room. Dont have any pics of the coop, but it is 3ft by 4ft and six feet tall, with a three by six foot run. (thats four feet tall) It has four small chickens in it. The silkies never leave the ground, and the pen is tall so they will have lots of room. Thank you!

 

[Sumatra503]

My Pigeons and chickens live together withno problems. Remember that Pigeons preffer a different type of perch than a chicken does. A small flat shelf in the corner of the coop should be a welcome perch for the pigeons. If your pen isn't covered you can still keep the pigeons. they can fly free just like the chickens. Be sure to keep the pigeons in a cage for about two weeks to get them acclimated to your home. They will fly away if you just let them go.

My pigeons are free range pigeons and they don't stray far from the house. Just be on the lookout for hawks. They are more prone to eat pigeons than they are chickens.