King pigeon questions

[Hambone]

I'm new here , so first off let me say HELLO to everyone and introduce myself a bit . I live in Arizona , a recent transplant from Southern CA . I've been lurking for almost a year ... learning about these interesting birds and trying to decide whether I wanted to take on a few as pets .

I possibly may have the chance to pick up 2 white Kings . They are both hens but I dont know the ages . They have been together for quite a while so they should get along just fine I would assume . I looked up all the info I could here and online , but about all I see is they are a meat bird and squabs for eating . I'm not into that , just a couple companion birds and here are a few questions that I have :

I read they are a ground bird , but do they fly much at all ? Do they have homing instincts , after they are acclimated to my place can I let them out to free fly a bit for exercise and fun ? Since I dont know the ages they may be older birds and set in their ways and I dont want them to just go back where they came from . My place is about 10 or 15 miles from where they are now . And of course , will an older pair of birds bond and be friendly to a new owner ?

I would probably keep them caged indoors for a bit , but would intend to resettle them outside in a shed and could provide a fly-pen later on , although I like the idea of them being able to come and go as they please if I keep an eye out for predators . Hawks are a so-so danger here , I dont see many but I know they are around .

Any info on Kings and suggestions is very much appreciated ..... Thanks !

hambone

[nbdyuknow]

Hi Hambone,

Welcome to pigeon talk! I discovered this board after unexpectedly "adopting" a white king pigeon that I found in the park one night. It's been almost a year, and I have to say that the people on this board are the friendliest, nicest folks you will ever "meet."

My advice is only based on what I know from my pigeon (Sophie--you can look up previous posts to find out a little information about her if you want), so please take it in that context. First of all, I don't think you can EVER let your pigeons outside to fly--they are, as you say, not bred for the outdoors. They wouldn't know what to do, or even to come back to you probably. And, being large, slow and all white, they are a perfect target for any predator. As far as I have learned, Kings have no homing instincts at all anyway, probably because they are not bred to fly or find home.

I keep my pigeon in the house, and let her have her freedom to walk around. The only time she shows any inclination to fly is when she has somewhere she wants to get to that she can't walk. She can fly just fine then, let me tell you. Of course, if you want to allow your pigeons to be that type of pet, then you probably want to look into PGWear or some type of "poop containment" system.

As you could probably tell from my posts, I think King pigeons are some of the smartest, most affectionate animals. If there is anything else I can do to help, please feel free to ask. I wish you all the best with your pigeons.

Bill B.

[Reti]

Bill gave you good advice. King pigeons don't like to fly much, they are too large, too heavy. An aviary or indoors is more than enough for them.

Reti

[george simon]

Hi Hambone,There are two types of kings the show King and the utility King. The utility king is bred for squab production(for food),while the show King is bred to show.They look quite different the show King is a very round heavy bird and is a very poor flyer. The utility looks more like a large homer and while it can fly better then the show type it is realy not a very good flyer.I would love to see a picture of your birds so as to be able to tell you which type you have. King do make good pets so I think you will enjoy them. .GEORGE

[Hambone]

Thanks everyone. I havnt gotten the birds , nor have I seen them yet . I just found out about them yesterday...... someone local is giving them away . The person seems very nice and says they are healthy , tame etc just too many animals and she wants to get rid of the birds . She has 6 or 7 total . 2 all white Kings , a blue barred fantail , and several feral pigeons , one of which is non releasable because of a wing problem .

I want the best for the birds first off ....that besides my own interests as companions . I'm really tempted to grab the lot , but I dont want to get in over my head . Always had dogs , and love animals . Due to an unfortunate thing my last dog was killed a year and a half ago , and to be honest it broke my heart so bad I just dont want another dog again in the near future . A special love of an animal can do that to you sometimes . Thats why I'm looking at the birds as companions. I have in my mind that I wont get as attached ... LOL . I'm sure some of you can set me straight about that !

So anyway I'm researching this out very carefully . I sure do like the looks of the white Kings tho ........ gorgeous birds !

Keep the comments coming , I'll keep you posted what happens and if I do get them I'll put up pictures of these guys .

hambone . ( incidently my hobby is a ham radio operator , thus the connection to ham - bone )

[Grim]

I have a pair of SHOW Kings and they are great birds. I let them raise one youngster. They are now raising homers and do such a good job I think I am keeping them permanently. They are pretty bold and will come right up to you when they are hungry. They are also very territorial of their nest.

I have let them out and they can fly well but they can't dive and change heights quickly like flying breeds. They more or less fly up, down, and from one spot to the next. I have had them fly out of my property but they turned like a 180 and came right back to the loft. Very loud wing beats and you can tell they use a lot of energy to fly.

I have never owned the utility type though.

[Maggie-NC]

Hi Hambone and welcome to the forum.

We have a big, beautiful utility King and another that is half feral, half king. While they can fly, they are so big they could never get away from a predator so I would never think of letting them fly around. They are very content in our aviary. The full breed king currently spends the day in the aviary but we bring her in at night and she is fine in a cage environment.

Our all-time, number one pigeon was a utility king named Frosty. Sadly, she died last year but I have to tell you she was the sweetest, prettiest, most laid back pigeon we have ever had and that covers over 350 rescues that we have gotten in. I wouldn't hesitate to take another one.

[TerriB]

Walter is our first pigeon and is a show king, heavy on the personality (okay, at over 800 gms, he's just heavy ). Although kings aren't as fast as his homer mate or as agile as our Owls, I think the opportunity to fly is helpful for respiratory good health. Interestingly, he doesn't eat more than the other birds, probably because they are more active. Good luck!

[Victor]

Hi there Hambone! I just want to say thank you for researching your interest first and welcome to our wonderful forum. I was once a "lurker" too!

[Elizabethy]

Hi, Hambone-

I had never even heard of a King Pigeon until I started volunteering at my local animal shelter last summer. Now I pretty much spend all my 'free' time caring for mine (Rocky) and my fosters (7 currently) and finding permanent homes (as pets) for the constant stream that come in to the shelter (8 rehomed so far).

I'm not a pigeon expert but I can tell you that Kings are calm and smart. They're poor fliers and, since they're not feral, don't have any survival skills. Here in SF, they are sold in Chinatown and at Farmers' Markets as food. People buy them and set them free (to be nice) but they end up dead (dogs, cars, hawks, cats) and only the 'lucky ones' end up at the shelter.

They are low-maintenance, high-return pets. They're easily tamed and each has their own personality. My pij room has 8 all white pigeons in there right now and I can always tell exactly who is who.

Here's some pictures. All best to you!
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