Should I get Pigeons?

[Onewiththeducks]

I've been interested in pigeons lately. I wanted to get them when I got out of school, but just can't make up my mind. I also have Red tail hawks around my house. Hawks seem like a big concern. My cousin got some pigeons from my Grandpa this summer, and he constantly has to keep hawks away. Any opinions?

 

[Hokum Coco]

This is about the minimum space required (about a 5 gallon bucket) for a pair of pigeon with in an enclosed area. They are seed eaters and require a lot of the same requirements as chickens.

Here is a picture of a mated pair the one on the right is the male (usually more iridescent and sightly larger not always). I would look on line at pigeon lofts and incorporate some of the ideas for your set up before I went too far.

If you are thinking of homing pigeons it is best to get young birds. My experience is older birds may never home to your loft and will have to be kept prisoner the rest of their lives.

Pigeons are also raised for meat, show, and for performance acrobatics and the like to name a few classes. Here is a link on Parlour Rollers (they can not fly.)

 

[fowlsessed]

Red tails shouldn't be a big concern if you have an open area to fly in, where they can spot the hawks before they are right on top of them, and get a good breed and strain of fliers that are known to be hawk evaders, a couple that I'am trying to acquire are Flying Oriental Rollers and Homers. They are a lot of fun, and easy to care for. If you don't plan on showing I recommend you get a flying breed. The show breeds are nice but get "old" pretty fast if you're not competing with them, just me.

 

[laughingdog]

i like the eastern breeds for flying also as they are bred hardier and more BOP resiliant, and some will even in flocks mob a hawk or falcons, the only western birds ive seen do this are flying flights, and thats not too common. id save heart ach and not go for anything but flying oriental rollers, if you want rollers. otherwise parlors do great to have that acrobatics, and as droppers for your fliers that you dont want to use just to feed the hawks. for flying you can go for homers/racers, flying flights, tipplers, prints, high flyiers ect.. im not sure of what is all out their even for flyiers and performing pigeons now.

 

[Holleran Farms]

Pigeons are great birds to have. They don't need a lot of space, they don't eat alot and they are enjoyable to have around. I particularly enjoy birmingham roller pigeons. They are the aerial acrobats of the pigeon world. They fly in a group and do backward somersaults down to the ground. Get on youtube and type in roller pigeons and you can see some videos. There is a national club called the national birmingham roller club where you can get more info. There are even flying competitions where the judge comes to your house and judges them in the air. It's pretty cool and your friends will be amazed.

 

[fowlsessed]

The judges come to your house!! I didn't know that. That's pretty cool. Hey, LaughingDog, that's pretty neat about pigeons mobbing hawks, any specific breed name you can give me to look up?

 

[laughingdog]

The judges come to your house!! I didn't know that. That's pretty cool. Hey, LaughingDog, that's pretty neat about pigeons mobbing hawks, any specific breed name you can give me to look up?

i forget the rest, but mostly hear of flying oriental rollers, and new york flying flights mobbing/swarming hawks.

mostly the middle eastern breeds that heard of that will mob or be aggressive to hawks around nests ect.. most of mine that were like that were said to look like middle eastern breed mixes. except for my flights, theyre just aggressive and swear they have rooster blood in them when you get at least a half dozen together, but hens will fight each other, and cocks to for long time to determine pecking order. two young half brother cocks that are a year apart now i think, the one just months old, are constantly fighting for one corner of the new cage, and will go at it for hours till theyre both exuasted and falling over. they get some good long sharp beaks and talons to them, so two of the hens ive gotten it from good when they were not wanting me near their nests. plus they can turn on a dime and hover seemingly like hummingbirds. the colored racer pair, and oriental roller mixes, were fourth to half as good of fliers and assertive as them even though, so not sure what some good flying oriental rollers would be like, as here they are a lot better as far as acrobatics and assertiveness in the air even when in homelands out in open with pairs of hawks.

a key ive found is to train fliers to go up, down/land, or turn, on command, and when conditioned to do so in inclosed area and then will do automatically out in open, them signal to do when a hawk shows up. youll be surprised that they get idea at least at first to go above the hawk, then even to go down and it drives them away. mine are not real food motivated to come in always when told, and i dont ration feed probly enough, so when theyre out they want to sometimes stay out all night, and come back or in in morn (sometimes they just perch on roof all night), then eat bugs and greens ect. till decide to come in or as now i seperated sexes so i can have the males or females come back to their mates.

 

[fowlsessed]

Hmm, interesting.

 

[laughingdog]

yes hard to believe but pigeons are very smart when have and allowed to show it, and can learn a lot. it takes effort and work though. found some types or lines are a bit smarter than others, as well as parents and such before and them being taught to think more. like id put differant types of enrichment, or things switched around so they have and get to think more.

 

[BantamWhisperer]

I want some pigeons and doves. My neighbor said do not get any doves or pigeon please! She said they're like flying rats and very annoying. I think the opposite! They seem very calm and quiet. How about advice on doves anyone?