Thank you for that post, I thoroughly enjoyed it...and am resisting a sudden urge to get some pigeons!
I've had birds sharing my life since childhood, 1st were Parakeets, then I was always rescuing various wild birds in need, especially babies whenever morons destroyed their nests taking trees down, handfeeding many wild baby birds, then the release when old enough is most satisfying. Then I had Cockatiels & Parrots & ran a companion bird rescue when I bought my 1st house in my 20s, yup I was well on my way to becoming that crazy bird lady, lol. For 20 yrs I had a house full of critters...when you have a bird rescue, folks conveniently omit the word bird, so suddenly I found myself taking in, nursing back to health & rehoming Lizards, Guinea Pigs, Turtles, Rabbits, Mice, & cats & dogs. I'd come home from work & sometimes there would be a dog sitting on my front porch, waiting for me. Like where did you come from?! Anyways, I lived in a neighborhood then, so I could not have chickens in my life, yet. But I always thought about pigeons, recalling a neighbor's when I was about 6 & got to interact with their pigeons. When someone came over to check out a Cockatiel to adopt & I asked about experience with birds, he said he had pigeons. I visited his loft in the city & there in the cold winter, were pigeons with babies in nestbowls. One pair of babies had a fat, well fed big baby & it's sibling looked cold, tiny & nearly dead, not getting fed enough. I ended up taking that baby home, raising it, & my love for pigeons was born. I soon had 3 small lofts, Homers, Rollers & Fantails. When I relocated to this place, zoned properly for farming, I added chickens to my flock, then Guineas. I am fortunate that all of my birds get along with eachother. The Guineas may give chase, but there have never been injuries, nor casualties, from Guineas or Chickens. I actually raised the Guinea chicks with pigeons, since both of them are pretty good flyers, plus when I had chicks of similar size, they actually nestled down together. My theory is that the peaceful pigeon nature have influenced my Guineas, they are much more congenial than friend's Guineas. The only real danger here comes from hawks & we have tons of various hawks & sometimes falcons. Having pigeons is wonderful, but like any bird, it is a daily commitment, fresh water & feed, cleaning loft, etc., but there are many other pigeon people that are happy to share their knowledge, & finding a local club is easy, Fancy and/or Homer. It is a rewarding hobby for those who love birds.
There are similarities, like the biggest initial expense is a pigeon loft. They do lay eggs but not every day like chickens do & they're small eggs.
I learned quite a bit from old timers in the pigeon world & from several sites. From loft building & styles, to various Dove breeds, caring for, training, there's a lot of info available.
https://www.npausa.com/
https://pigeon.org/
https://www.pigeons.biz/threads/what-kind-of-dove-pigeon-make-the-best-pet.78325/
I also have Fantails & used to have Rollers. It is a wonderful hobby for anyone that enjoys birds. Just seeing them fly in unison, turning together, it brings me joy. When I garden, they swoop down close, flying right over me, the whooshing sound & feel of the breeze they create as they fly over me makes me smile. One of my roosters literally says "Wow" when the pigeons fly low over him, it is hilarious. They just make me happy.
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Adding 3-year-old Leaf Mold Compost to my Hügelkultur Beds
