racing pigeons......................?

[spish]

i got given two baby racing pigeons 3 weeks ago.....as i didnt know what on earth to do with them i kept them in a small aviary in the barn.

anyhow...someone has told me i can 'set them loose' and they'll always come back to the barn....is this true? the kids have got kinda attached to them so i dont want to open the door and the just fly away forever...............!

 

[carolinagirl58]

once they are used to their home, there is very little you can do to make them leave. If you want to race them, you start with small flights just a little way from home and build up to longer flights. I had a small flock of pigeons a few years ago. They started going to the interstate overpass and bringing home their new friends. Before long, my flock of pigeons grew to dozens and dozens of them. I had to trap them all and get rid of them.

 

[FarmCoe]

Racing pigeons go back to where they were hatched. If you buy a pigeon, and release it imediately, it will go back to it's previous home. However, once they lay eggs, they will always go back to their nest. NEVER RELEASE A SICK PIGEON! Pigeons are guided by their smell, so if they get sick they will get lost. Hope this helps.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Excellent point FarmCoe. Some university or someone actually did studies on pigeons and smell navigation. They learn routes based on smells (along with magnetic fields), and racers raised in coops that are not well ventilated have trouble building these olfactory maps, and get lost easily. Pigeons are pretty awesome birds with some super sweet adaptions. Have fun with your birds!

 

[carolinagirl58]

actually, they will not go back to where they were hatched. They will go back home, wherever that is. If they would only return to their place of hatching, no one could ever sell racing pigeons but they do it all the time! Once they know where home is, they will be fine.

 

[NYboy]

Pigeons are great birds, there is a section on BYC just for them. Enjoy your new pets.