Free pigeon or 2 max for my daughter(14)

[danm]

Hey everone

I'm new. My daughter would like a pigeon.

I would prefer a homing pigeon. Now I don't know if it would be better to have 2, like a female/male thing.. someone with more knowledge can hopefully help me out with that.
This is for pleasure and not racing. All I ask is once, it gets use to our surroundings it comes back to it's new home and not back to original owner.

Fort Wayne,Indiana is home so if anyone around the area or OHIO, I would gladly come pick one up or meet you.

thanks in Advance

[TAWhatley]

Hi Dan and welcome to pigeons.com! Pigeons make wonderful pets, and I'm sure you and your daughter will enjoy any that you get.

If your/her heart is set on racing/homing pigeons, you would want to get young birds that have not yet been flown. Older birds will almost certainly try to return to where they came from. Also be aware that it is possible that a predator such as a hawk could kill your birds when they are free flying. As you have probably noticed, I am using the plural form of bird since it would probably be best to have at least one pair. The downside of having a male and female is needing to remove their eggs and replace them with fakes in order to avoid being overwhelmed with pigeons in a very short period of time.

There are many breeds of pigeons and some of the fancy breeds such as fantails that are not good flyers and would be happy to have a nice home with a smallish aviary or flight pen in which to exercise their wings. Most of the fancy breeds should not be allowed to free fly as they lack the homing ability and also the flight skills required to survive.

You might want to post in the For Sale as well as the Adoption section to see if anyone near you has birds available.

Terry


[This message has been edited by TAWhatley (edited February 25, 2004).]

[brotherstwoloft]

HI DANM,I RAISE YELLOW AND WHITE HOMERS.LIKE ADVISED START OFF WITH YOUNG BIRDS.TO FLY OR KEEP AS PETS IS UP TO YOU EITHER WAY YOU'LL HAVE TO BUILD A LOFT.WHEN YOU RECEIVE YOUR YOUNG YOU'LL PROBABLY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TELL THE GENDER.THE TRICK WITH FLYING YOUR BIRDS WILL BE IF YOU'RE ABLE TO STICK THEM TO YOUR LOFT.IF YOU CAN GET BIRDS THAT ARE A MONTH OLD,AND PUT THEM IN WHAT WE CALL A STAY CAGE (A SCREENED IN CAGE SO THE YOUNG CAN SEE THEIR SURROUNDING) FOR A MONTH.
THEN WHAT I DO IS KEEP THEM HUNGRY AND LET THEM BATH BEFORE YOU LET THEM OUT.BEST TIME TO DO THIS IS ABOUT 1 HOUR BEFORE DARK.
LET THEM WALK AROUD FOR A WHILE AND IF THEY TRY TO FLY THEY STILL WILL BE WET FROM THE BATH SO THEY MIGHT NOT GO TO FAR MAYBE TO THE ROOF OF YOUR HOUSE.DURING THE MONTH YOU KEEP THEM IN GET THEM USE TO YOUR WISTLE WHEN YOU FEED THEM,WHEN THEY HEAR YOU WHISTLE THEY KNOW IT'S DINNER TIME.NEVER LEAVE THEM FOOD AT WILL IT WILL BE HARDER TO TRAIN THEM.I ENJOY WATCHING MY BIRDS FLY AND RETURN HOME.BUT WHAT EVER YOU DECIDE TO DO HAVE FUN AND ENJOY.O ONE MORE THING IF YOU DO WIND UP WITH A PAIR,BE PREPARED TO INCREASE YOUR LOFT SIZE IF YOU LET THEM BREED.TRICK OF THE TRADE PUT YOUR LOFT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PROPORTY BECAUSE IF YOU BREED YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD ON TO THE RIGHT LOL AGAIN LOT OF LUCK.

[singing birdy]

Actually I bought all old pigeons that HAD BEEN FLOWN BEFORE and I left them in the cage for 2 months and when I let them go all of them came back!
So you can buy old birds.

I don't mean to be rude or anything I just wanted to give you my personal expeirience.

[maryco]

Pigeons make wonderful pets and are pretty easy to care for, here are some basic things that pigeons need:
1. Fresh water (I usually change it twice a day)

2. A pigeon mix either from a supply store or you can make your own by buying some seeds from a bulk store and mixing them (Pigeons like things like Milo, whole white or green peas, whole corn, millet, safflower, raw peanuts (NOT salted or dry roasted)..etc.

3. Pigeon grit (Not gravel from a pet shop) you can get red cross grit from a feed supply store, it contains crushed oyster shells and is a good source of calcium.
Also you can offer him chopped cuttle bone and crushed egg shells.

4. If your bird is an indoor pet he will need a vitamin and mineral powder that goes in the water since he won't be able to produce any vitamin D3 without direct sunlight, so you can buy a supplement from a pet shop.

Housing:

A nice cage will do, the pigeon should be able to stretch out both wings and still have some room. Pigeons don't really like round perches so you can get a flat perch.
The droppings should be cleaned once a day to keep the cage clean and the pigeon healthy.

You can add ACV (Apple cider vinegar) to the water once a week, this helps keep the bird healthy also.
The dose is 1/4 cup or alittle less per gallon of fresh water.

Also once or twice a week you can offer the pijjie a shallow pan filled with water to bath in, pigeons love baths and it's so fun to watch them splash around too!

If you have any questions please post them here..


Mary

[danm]

thanks to everyone for replying. I showed this to my daughter and she was excited...

now just to wait for someone to help us out and in the mean time, we will bebuilding them a loft.

thanks so much
Dan

[Trees Gray]

Hi Dan,

You talk about getting one or two. I just want to advise you, that if you plan to fly them you should start with four to six. Two is an unhealthy number. By unhealthy, I mean, they are easy prey for predators. You should have a small flock as they are safer in numbers, and pigeons are social creatures. They will also warn each other if impending danger, such as a hawk or other predator. Also, training youngsters is easier when you have 4 to 6. They teach each other.

Get as much knowledge as you can about training, flying, care, before you get your "babies."

If you rather have "pet" pigeons, the Satinettes make excellent pets as they are gentle and soooo cute to look at, but check out all the different fancy breeds, and they don't have a need for speed, and cannot home.

My father introduced me to racing pigeons when I was 10, I'll never forget it, it was a great learning experience and responsibility. I spent summers out with my birds, flying them from the beach, the mountains, etc. I stayed out in the coop whole days,cleaning and washing. Oh, and when the babies came, what an experience! Now I have my own family which includes 43 pigeons!

Treesa

[sirpigeon]

I'm near Cleveland,Ohio. I have starlings and racing homers. I would gladly give your daughter a couple young birds,but you'll have to pick them up or pay for the shipping.
you can e-mail me at sirpigeon@nccw.net or call me at 440-843-9937
Jeff Hitchlock

[WhiteWingsCa]

Originally posted by singing birdy:
Actually I bought all old pigeons that HAD BEEN FLOWN BEFORE and I left them in the cage for 2 months and when I let them go all of them came back!
So you can buy old birds.

I don't mean to be rude or anything I just wanted to give you my personal expeirience.

I don't mean to be rude or anything either, but by your giving this advice to people, you can be setting them up for heartache.

IT IS DIFFICULT to settle well bred homing pigeons. VERY DIFFICULT.

Anyone with a bird that has become a 'pet' after keeping it for a few weeks or months that takes your advice and lets it out runs a very high risk of losing it.

It's always better (as most here do agree), to get younger birds, if you want to let them fly free.

For every 10 'older' birds that have been attempted to re-settle, I'm willing to bet 8-9 of them return to their old home (or try to), and that 5-6 of them either get lost, or eaten by a hawk or owl, while out in the wild trying to 'get home'.

[Anarrowescape]

i bought quite a bit of old birds i lost alor of mine cause i let them out with in a week of purchase but a sstill have alt of them i would also agree on keepin yongsters to start with cause nearly all my young stayed when they where let out i gout them from a man up the road and they liked it enough to stay

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Robert