help and advice

[pbsw08172]

I bought 2 pair of white fantails 3 weeks ago and have been homing them for the same amount of time, when I released them they flew away and have not returned do you think that 3 weeks was to short a time for homing if so please advise.

[Reti]

I have no experience with releasing and homing pigeons, but I would think three weeks is too short of a time. Also their age and previous releasing experiences might play a role.
I am sorry to hear they didn't come home, but sometimes they do come back even after days or weeks.
Good luck

Reti

[Pigeonpal2002]

Fantails aren't homing pigeons and they don't even fly well on top of that. Unless I misunderstood what you meant by fantails, these birds are unlikely to survive or make it home

[pigeonmama]

Time to go out and do a little searching for these poor birds, isn't it?
Daryl

[alaska]

pbsw08172, there are two main types of pigeons, show and racing.
The racing birds, like homers have been bred for their ability to fly home over large distances, but even with this instinct racing pigeons need to be trained to return successfully.
If the pigeons you bought were indeed Standard Fantails, they are Show Pigeons.
Show Pigeons are bred to show, and appearance is the important factor, due to this, most show pigeons have very poor homing abilities, if any, as it has been bred out of most.
Some people do release their show pigeons, but this is usually after atleast a few months, and even so this is usually only recommended to try when they already have laid eggs in their new home, and still this is no recommendation they will return.
You obviously care enough about them to come here and ask us, so I would recommend you take to the local area and drive around to try and locate them, hopefully they should have stayed close if they knew each other for a while.
Another possibility may be if the person you bought them from is really close (I'm talking no more than a few blocks), and they were there for a while, they may have flew back there, but this is a slim chance.
Goodluck in finding your pigeons, please let us know your progress.

[upcd]

iI don't let my fantails out. They are much to pretty to lose. And it hurt to much. I hope you find them. When you try agian. Decide if you want show birds or flying birds. Keep show birds in. Flying birds if young wait 6 mos or try and get a couple of young before you fly them then if they don't return at least you have something left. Older birds stay in for breeding only. Sometimes you can settle them But sometimes never.

[Birdmom4ever]

Fantails should not be free-flown because they are such poor flyers and lack homing ability. They are sitting ducks for hawks and other predators. Have you searched your neighborhood for them? With their clumsy flight I shouldn't think they would have gotten too far, and hopefully someone has found them. Try putting up fliers and asking around.

[feralpigeon]

Hi pbsw08172,

Just a thought, pet locating services for lost pets have a stratedgy for locating
lost pets according to species. For instance, if your dog ran away from home,
you would develope a flyer within a so-many radius blocks from your home.
They recommend posting a flyer w/picture and dates, your contact info, and then you go around and staple to telephone poles, etc. I had a black lab, who
took off a few times when she was younger quite a while back and was able to
locate her using the Sherlock Bones methodology. Maybe you could strategize
w/a "Sherlock Feathers" strategy and post flyers within a given radius. Might
work, you never know.


Best of Luck,

fp