Gettiing homers started?

[barry]

I am new to posting but have been viewing the site for a few months. You've given some good advice. Thanks!

I have a question about starting homers on leaving the roost. I just purchased a one-way pigeon door and plan to install it this week. It's about 9"x11". I have a number of questions and would appreciate any advice.

1. Is the door too big?

2. The pigeons are homers born last spring and I have had them in my coop for about three months now. How do I train them to return to the pigon door?

3. I have hawks around my area. I heard that a large fake owl will keep the hawks away but not scare the pigeons. Any thoughts on how to protect the pigeons from hawks, cats or other preditors?

4. Will the homers fly on their own or will I have to help them?

5. I plan to start taking the birds gradually farther away to develop their homing ability. Any advice on how to go about training them.

6. With the cold weather I am changing water twice a day. Is this necessary or will pigeons eat ice?

Thank you for any advice.

Barry

[TAWhatley]

Hi Barry and Welcome to pigeons.com!

I'm sorry that I can't answer a lot of your questions but another member should be along shortly to help you out. Meanwhile if you search the archives in the General and Racing section for topics like "Training" and "Settling" or "Hawks" you should find some good information.

As to the ice .. please just keep giving them fresh water.

Terry Whatley

[WhiteWingsCa]

Originally posted by barry:
I have a question about starting homers on leaving the roost. I just purchased a one-way pigeon door and plan to install it this week. It's about 9"x11". I have a number of questions and would appreciate any advice.

1. Is the door too big?

I'm not quite sure what you mean by a "one way pigeon door". Most homing lofts have what are called "traps". They are about 11" tall, and about 4-5" wide. There is a wire, or "bob" that runs down the middle (sometimes 2). The bob opens into the loft, but not out, so the birds can enter, but not leave.

2. The pigeons are homers born last spring and I have had them in my coop for about three months now. How do I train them to return to the pigon door?

The best way is to have a "settling cage" on your landing board. Put the birds out into the cage, and let them come in through the "traps" for a few days. Then remove the cage.

Now, your birds are pretty "old", as far as training goes. Personally, I would NOT let them out right now. They are already wing strong, and are going to take off pretty quick, and chances are you are going to lose some. There are ways, such as wing hobbling, that can help you to train older birds to your loft. HOWEVER, at this time of year, with the hawks looking for food, I strongly suggest you don't try that -- you're just offering a free meal to the hawks. Wait till spring, when the songbirds are more plentiful to feed the hawks, and till your birds are on nests, to help motivate them to stay around.

It is always better to get young birds, around 4-6 weeks of age, if you want to train them to return to your loft. Anything older, and you are taking a chance in losing them. At 4-6 weeks of age, you can start putting them outside right away too. If you wait too long, they get "wing strong", and can fly too far the first time out, before they learn their surroundings

3. I have hawks around my area. I heard that a large fake owl will keep the hawks away but not scare the pigeons. Any thoughts on how to protect the pigeons from hawks, cats or other preditors?

No, fake owls won't keep hawks away. Protect your birds by a) keeping the doors to the lofts and traps closed and locked when the birds are inside. b) not letting your birds out during "hawk" season and c) staggering the times you let them out, so hawks don't learn when flying, therefore "meal" time is

4. Will the homers fly on their own or will I have to help them?

Homers love to fly. You won't have to help them.

5. I plan to start taking the birds gradually farther away to develop their homing ability. Any advice on how to go about training them.

Generally, you start with young birds, just weaned (4 weeks of age). They first just sit on the landing board, getting used to their surroundings. Then, they start taking short flights, which get longer and longer. Once they are flying for 30-40 minutes at a stretch, you can start training them. First 5 miles or so, until they are flying quickly home from that spot, then 10, for a few, then 15, 20, etc.

6. With the cold weather I am changing water twice a day. Is this necessary or will pigeons eat ice?

Yes, it is necessary that they get fresh water, they won't eat ice.

You can either change it twice a day, or build a wooden box large enough for the waterer to sit on, with room for the birds to land beside it. Put a light bulb in the box (be careful that the bulb isn't too high a wattage, and that it doesn't touch the sides of the box). The heat from the bulb will help keep the water from freezing as quickly (or at all, if the weather isn't too cold)

[barry]

Thanks for the info. I will check the archieves on racing. It sounds like I now need to wait for spring before letting birds outside the coop.

Re: my door. The inside diameter is 9" high by 11" wide. It has about six bobs where the birds can go in but not out. I am concerned that preditors could enter it bcause of its large opening. I bought it at a 4H sale and was told it was for pigeon's but it looks big enought for a chicken. Hmmmmm!!!

I like the light bulb idea and will set that up this afternoon.

[WhiteWingsCa]

Hi Barry

OK, I understand about the bobs now.

You might want to put in dividers to section it off into three separate "doors", with 2 bobs in each section....that will HELP keep out hawks and owls, although they have been known to squeeze through even that small an opening.

However, you do need to have a door that will close up over the traps at night, and on days when your birds are inside. As I said, hawks and owls can get through, as well as rats, possums, weasels and raccoons.

You also must make sure that your doors are secured with some sort of latch that a raccoon cannot open...a clip, or lock, or at least on of the hooks with springs on the end. A raccoon will make a mess of your birds in no time at all.