So I brought home a rescue pigeon.... Now what?

[fowlsessed]

Glad I could be of some help. It sounds like you're doing everything right. Good luck. Pigeons can make great pets.

 

[laughingdog]

pigeons can be really easy to keep..

i first used the cheapest dollar grit (it has the calcium right in it) for pet birds from wal-mart, as well as cheapest wild bird seed, greens (yes some do love them). budgie/parakeet feed with the pellets in it. or you can feed poultry conditioner, or pigeon pellets from TSC or co-op ect. layer pellets work fine as well if going to breed and use as sole food and grit together for added protein and calcium for parents and young. keep them dry and just use a grated or bare floor, as most shavings are toxic and can poke them, or choke when eaten. if bare floor just scrape once or twice a day if messy. my pigeons love to eat greens, bugs, dog, cat, and fish food even. caging should be at least 24 x 24 x 16 for pair, and i prefer to have 30 x 36 x 16 wire rabbit hutch setups. standards set up are for production purposes only, and just plain cruel as most just nothing to do but eat and breed to fatted for food. i fly mine to, or id have bigger cages, as remember winged creatures need room to at least stretch wings ect out fully for each bird.

your bird is so loud because its lonely and probably trying to call for missing mates. birds need to be kept in even numbers, or pairs, as theyre social creatures. sexes not so important, as they will pair bond being two females or two males.. it happens way to much on their own even in mixed and even sexed groups.

if it was a "white racer" or more likely a white "dove" for release at events, it is just exausted and maybe to sore and hungry to get home right now, but also looks young, so maybe was tossed for training or first time out and got lost. if you dont want it im sure someone like myself or anyone on here or: pigeontalk, would love to take it. your bird should be able to acclimate to your outside surroundings easy enough if was outside, but you can "settle" it in open wire cage during the day for a week, then just leave the door open and it may go home or fly off when better. course if it stays around after flying around for while, you may need to keep inside or it might home to you place and always return if given away then flown by them no matter were they are.

 

[LoneStarBantams]

I had a tumbler and I fed have hen scratch and parrakeat feed

 

[jak2002003]

The best cage for your pigeon (for in the house) is a wire dog crate with a wire grid in the floor and a tray under it.

You can put newspaper in the tray under the cage to catch the droppings. (if you use wood shavings they will get blow about all over the room when your bird flaps about).

The wire grating on the floor should be narrow spacing so the pigeon can walk about easily on in.

You can put one feed and one water pot hooked on the sides of the cage.

You can provide a perch - either a thick branch or a flat plank of wood, as a roost.

Pigeons will eat just about anything. I give mine a mix of wild bird feed, peanuts and dove food.

You should also give them minerals and grit in a separate pot. They will eat cuttlebone if you break it into small pieces, and the grit you can buy from the pet shop. But the biggest size (not the fine one for parakeets).

Give you pigeon its bath a few times a week in a large flat pan of some sort (cat litter trays work well). This will keep the birds feather dust down. If they can not bath you will soon find you room full of pigeon dust!!!!

It will be happy on its own if someone is in all day with it. Or you can get it a mate. Any sex will do for company.

Pigeons make great pets and are very affectionate and calm birds to have about.

Make sure you let it exercise out of the cage every day too!