Raising Pigeons

[deerman]

Really enjoy flying the homers, so much fun training young birds to home. I work over 30 miles from home, so I take them to work and turn them loose to home,they beat me home. Fun even if you dont have time to race them.

Have a few white homers will be crossing them with the good blood line of racer. May even start a white bird release.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

Last spring before it got hot we cleared another half acre or so of good shade area with nothing but a machette and bush axe. Now if I have a machette in my hand you don't want to mess with me cause I can really swing that. I did this with the intensions of adding more coops in that area. I didn't have the birds to go there yet. I could just see in the future. lol We did luck up and torn one old barn down for all the building materials and have another one lined up here just as soon as the weather breaks. I love free building material. Makes me feel like I can just spend extra money on my birds. lol I wonder how many pigeons I will end up with?

 

[Feathered Wings]

Quote:
The woman I bought mine from rescued a single wounded pigeon several years ago. The week before I picked up my 20, she had SOLD 100 birds, and still had about 100 birds AFTER I got mine.

They are addictive. I've already been looking at how to convert some of the old barns on the farm into coops for different birds.

Bear Foot You could try some ring neck Doves they are not as addictive as pigeons

{She says while trying to conceal the 38 doves she has)

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Bear Foot You could try some ring neck Doves they are not as addictive as pigeons
​

Why am I having a hard time believing that?

 

[chilling in muscadine]

Quote:
Oh wow, the white ones are beautiful. I can't wait to fly some. Snakeman keeps trying to talk me out of it. He says if something happens and one doesn't come home it will upset me really bad. He is right about that part. I still feel llke the experience will be exciting.

I have some bad news. The egg my pair were hatching got broken. The nest box has a good ledge on it so that the egg wouldn't get damaged when they would fly up to it. I'm not sure how it happened. Its been raining here but just as soon as I can I plan to stay with them and abserve them and see if I can see how it happened. Maybe something I can fix. IDK I'm broken hearted over this. The expectiation was keeping my mind off all my recent heartbreak. This was there third try in the short time I have had them.

 

[FrChuckW]

Try putting a medium size clay bowl in the nest box, the kind they use for catching water on clay pots. Put some nesting material in it and they will take care of the rest. Sometimes they will break the egg if they sense that something is wrong with the chick or the chick dies in the shell for whatever reason. I know how much you were looking forward to seeing the baby hatch. Don't worry, they will succeed.

If the nesting area is big enough, try blocking part of the nest area on one side that you put the bowl in. That way they have to land on the open area and then walk over to the nest to get in it.

 

[deerman]

This time of the year, if they didnt set tight the egg could have froze. Lots of type of nest bowls, some paper throw away, I use metal dog dishes. Pine needle are great for nests.

If another pigeon try to move in the fighting could break the eggs.

If the nest box has a front with a small door, the mate can stand at the door and keep other birds out.

Yes if you fly them you will lose a few, only the good ones find their way home.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

Thanks for the info guys. The nesting box is in the corner of the ledge. It's deep enough that when they fly up to it they would land on the ledge of the nesting box and not the nest itself. They have built the nest up nice and confy with all the materials I supplied them to work with. I only have the pair so another one wouldn't be the problem. Our weather here has been very mild for this time of year. We have had two cold days in like the last three weeks maybe. We haven't even had to heat the house it's been so mild. I'm deeply disappointed. {sigh} My male keeps watch and will hop one the nest when she comes off to eat. Maybe it want be long and she will try again.

 

[deerman]

Just dont give up, more eggs will be coming soon.
See where you are from, yep not the weather.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

Quote:
I'm not gonna give up, just disappointed. As hard as they are trying I know they will eventually succeed. I'm sure they are disappointed too. Poor babies.

Should I supply oster[sp] shell for them?