Pigeons...

[chicken crazed 1o1]

Hello , Everybody this Summer I noticed a Pigeon explosion in my area and I went to my Babas place she has a small flock in her barn they are very pritty . And weird enough there were chicks born and hatched on the ground they were very friendly I would hold them everyday intill they flew away . Just a few day ago I went in to the barn and heard pigeon babys . Well I would have 1 or 2 as a pet but I have a few qestions irst here they are ...


What is there life Span ?


What do you feed them ?


Can you keep them in a coop with chickens?


Are they easy to tame?


Can wild Pigeons transfer any illness to people ?



How do you breed them ?



Do they breed all year as they seem to in my Babas barn ?

 

[Tippler]

My responses in bold.

Quote:

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Getting sick from them is the last thing you'll have to worry about. Just wash your hands before you eat and you'll be fine

You can keep them with friendly chickens but it's preferred to keep them in a separate coop/cage/loft so the chickens don't get them sick or so the chickens don't beat up on them.

 

[chicken crazed 1o1]

Yaaaaay My mom says im alloud to have Pigeon but wild ones the pigeons for sale were i am are to expensive .

 

[Tippler]

Well you shouldn't take a feral Pigeon they are doing just fine on their own. How much were the ones for sale?
There is hundreds of Pigeon breeds and prices very from a few dollars to ten of thousands.
However most Pigeons can be found around the ten dollar mark. [USD]

 

[chicken crazed 1o1]

The ones that are for sale are 75 to 125 but the Doves are 25 . How are doves as pets do you treat them the same as pigeons ?

 

[Tippler]

What kind of Pigeons are they you know?

Dove care is the same for the most part. You can't let them out to fly however as they have a horrible 'homing' ability and can get lost looking at their loft from a distance. =]
Lot's of people keep them inside as pets but plenty have them in outdoor lofts as well.
They are generally tamer then Pigeons and come in a variety of fancy (domestic) colors. There are also multiple types of fancy Doves some smaller then others ect.

 

[laughingdog]

its actually good to take in feral pigeons, as all "wild" pigeons mostly u would notice nesting or even letting people moderately close are descendants of ones released, or escaped. saying not to make pets out of feral pigeons, is like telling someone not to take in a feral cur over buying an expensive designer dog, as they can survive, but not thrive like ferals taken in and just mixed with "pet" pigeons. many nowadays are from mixes of homers and other types only maybe generations wild. you can see the domesticated genes as alot hav more than just wild rock dove grey, mixes of barring to checkering, black, white, ect. i have a mix of two differant types of performers, that there loft was burned out and them abandoned, that i am trying to catch and got a baby from, but though tha parents were banded and very domestic in colors shape and pattern, the baby looks pretty, feral sorta though.

 

[chicken crazed 1o1]

The ones that are for sale are Giant Runt Pigeons 75$ , Pure White Homing Pigeons 150 $. Were the Ringneck Doves are 25 each I think I would just get one for a start and see how it goes . This person feeds there doves wild bird feed .

 

[Tippler]

Quote:
Wow 150 for a white Homer eh? Around these parts they are $10. I don't about Giant Runt's. I am surprised you can't find other breeds like Tipplers where you are at for cheaper. I would keep looking personally. You could also join a Pigeon specific forum to meet members around you.
Either way you will enjoy the tameness of Dove's. They are easier to work with.


Quote:
Well I don't agree with all aspects of your post however I do not think it is a horrible thing to take a feral and I suppose in many cases is doing it a favor.
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