Pigeons...

[laughingdog]

a sick dove will get worse, and sometimes only show visible or worsening symptoms from drafts, but most birds in general arnt bothered by drafts if kept healthy (found that gallon of water, with a table spoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in and used as drinking water, helps or prevents a lot of problems).

 

[SouthDakotan]

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

I'd check around some more with pigeon breeders in your region. Even in isolated South Dakota I have found a pigeon breeder that I could get birds at about the same price I pay for a chick or duckling. So your Babba should be fine with it. Feral / Wild birds shouldn't be captured just so you can have a pet. That's wrong on so many levels. If you had one that was injured and needed rescue, that's another story. But don't steal a baby bird out of its nest to become a pet.

Also you can check with some Humane Societies to see if they have rescued "King Pigeons" that need homes. I know of some places near larger population centers (ie California) that have a problem with released King Pigeons by well meaning people, but the birds can't survive on their own because they didn't learn as chicks from their parents how to find food, etc. Secondly their large body size and lack of exercise prior to release means they can't fly well enough to get away from predation. So do a bit more research and rescue a bird NEEDING rescue.

 

[laughingdog]

feral pigeons are just that, feral, in that they are non native abondoned and escaped pets/livestock etc, and saying wrong to make pet of, is like saying that about stray mongrel dogs.. many feral pigeons, provided with enough stimulation made much better pets than the show pigeons ive had. if you can get a pigeon as pet, and let it free fly, itll come back to u, but youll save it from a lot worse fates, that other people do.

 

[gunnarwordon]

150 for white homers!? what are you, buying online!?

 

[Nielubie]

My dad has pigeons and I've lived with them all my life. When kept indoors and you let them out they fly around high for an hour or so until they get tired. We used to race the homers anywhere from 100-1000 miles and it was rare to loose them, they are great smart birds, just need to take care of them, all of ours received shots every year to prevent against viruses.

Currently we deal a lot with white homers because we do dove releases for funerals, weddings, etc, my dad stopped racing and now dove/pigeon releases are his thing during retirement.

You can get pigeons for as little as $1 (stray/wild) bird or spend several thousand on racing pigeons. I know my dad sells them locally, if your interested, maybe we can work out a deal. let me know.

 

[KyBoy97]

Can you keep a dove or pigeon inside and it by happy and healthy also what would be the best breed and cage size/design ?

 

[TinkyFeathers]

How do you get pigeons to stop nesting? Do you just take the bowl away??

Also, can you keep doves and pigeons together? Or pigeons with ducks?

And if you had some like King pigeons or something could you let them out to fly and they'd come back? Or should you have a pen?

Sorry to ask so many questions! But I'm really interested in getting pigeons also! Thanks!

 

[SouthDakotan]

How do you get pigeons to stop nesting? Do you just take the bowl away??

Also, can you keep doves and pigeons together? Or pigeons with ducks?

And if you had some like King pigeons or something could you let them out to fly and they'd come back? Or should you have a pen?

Sorry to ask so many questions! But I'm really interested in getting pigeons also! Thanks!

I understand the way to stop them from pro-creating is have a wooden egg in their nest. As to "nesting" as in sitting in a nest, don't know if it ever stops! I have been talking to a pigeon rescue group out in California as they deal a lot with Kings that ppl stupidly "released" only to die or get injured due to them not being socialized into fending for themselves. They are a great place to get Kings, if you want pets. Their name is MickaCooRescue and they are on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MickaCooRescue. They are desparately needing new adopters to keep the birds at various animal shelters from being put down. So you might consider them, if you really want pigeons.

 

[laughingdog]

keeping pigeons in at least a pair, same sex or not, is always best, unless ages way off and one or both not socialized, then you simply socialized when out together, and then when theyr buddied put in seperate or the sub's cage. never keep doves and "pigeons" together, as pigeons can kill and at least seriously injure tinier doves, in most confined situations, though mine did fine when left out to free fly together, but never stayed in same areas really and stuck to own kind and breed flocks. course i only had ringnecks with many types of pigeons, though my flights were never really aggressive and theyd intermingle at times and even eat and perch together with the doves and not bully like rest tend to. i like hands on birds, and doves just werent that touchy feely and nervous and fragile, were most of my pigeon breeds proved pretty durable. though keeping free outside toughend them all up. my homer mixes were by far the most durable and easy going of all my birds. just gave cheap seed, greens, apple cider vinager in water, and tried some fresh crushed garlic occassionally, with caged bird gravel and grit, and fresh air and sunshine shade and they liked the exposure more than had heard and loved to bath and the rain just otherwise cage kept dry. mine ate a lot of bugs and dirt also.

to stop breeding just put on inch spaced grating and keep them from nesting in their containers for food and water, and making feather nests in corners on grate. they get wise to dummy eggs and test by rolling and tapping light, and if doesnt sound good theyd just toss out of nest and get ready to lay more.

 

[missusdove]

if u want to breed them not but them in wiv chicken has my chi ken nick the other birfs eggs lol