I bought my first 2 pairs of pigeons

[jang786]

hey guys how is it going? i just bought a pair of white homers and a pair of rollers, as im a beginner please give me some advice on how to train them.
Thanks

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by jang786

hey guys how is it going? i just bought a pair of white homers and a pair of rollers, as im a beginner please give me some advice on how to train them.
Thanks

how old are the homers? and where are you located?

[della]

Hi, jang786. Buying your first pigeons is really exciting stuff - I have only had mine for 3 months so I identify heaps. First of all, how old are your birds and have they been trained to home to their old loft or not? This factor will determine the steps you take in training them.

[jang786]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

how old are the homers? and where are you located?

the homers are 9 months old i believe as the breeder i bought them from told me and the rollers are 4 months, and i'm located in stockton, Ca

[jang786]

Originally Posted by della

Hi, jang786. Buying your first pigeons is really exciting stuff - I have only had mine for 3 months so I identify heaps. First of all, how old are your birds and have they been trained to home to their old loft or not? This factor will determine the steps you take in training them.

thanks for replying and yes i am really exicted!!! but the birds are really scared right now i went inside to put some food and they were really terrified and no the breeder told me they are not trained and were kept in cages i believe.

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by jang786

the homers are 9 months old i believe as the breeder i bought them from told me and the rollers are 4 months, and i'm located in stockton, Ca

the homers may not stay if let out as they are too old, if you want to fly homers best to get squeakers which are young birds 35 or 40 days old, and train them. the rollers can be settled to your loft, but not sure how long they need to stay locked up, perhaps a month or more.

[jang786]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

the homers may not stay if let out as they are too old, if you want to fly homers best to get squeakers which are young birds 35 or 40 days old, and train them. the rollers can be settled to your loft, but not sure how long they need to stay locked up, perhaps a month or more.

so that means even if i train them longer they will not come back isnt there any chance? what about the rollers they are 3 to 4 months old.

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by jang786

so that means even if i train them longer they will not come back isnt there any chance? what about the rollers they are 3 to 4 months old.

the rollers can be resettled, the homers may just try to fly back to the pre owner, that it why the call them homers, so they may leave the second you let them out or decide to leave in a month or more, but chances are good they will try to go back "home". only train young that you hatched at your place or get young birds 30 to 40 days old and train them to your loft.

[jang786]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

the rollers can be resettled, the homers may just try to fly back to the pre owner, that it why the call them homers, so they may leave the second you let them out or decide to leave in a month or more, but chances are good they will try to go back "home". only train young that you hatched at your place or get young birds 30 to 40 days old and train them to your loft.

but the breeder told me that he never took any of his birds out and said that they are not trained and even if they go back he will give them back.if i do train how long should i train them? and how long should i keep them inside the loft and outside?

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by jang786

but the breeder told me that he never took any of his birds out and said that they are not trained and even if they go back he will give them back.if i do train how long should i train them? and how long should i keep them inside the loft and outside?

they don't need to be trained, they already know how to home as that is what they will do if let out. they are conditioned to get in shape to beable to fly longer distances to get home. so training is for them to trap and things like that and get in good condition to fly home from a distance, so it is very hard to rehome homers that are 9 months old, you will be going to pick up you birds from the preowner alot. if that is ok with you then do it. but they could and may get lost in the process if not in good condition to fly to their prehome.

[jang786]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

they don't need to be trained, they already know how to home as that is what they will do if let out. they are conditioned to get in shape to beable to fly longer distances to get home. so training is for them to trap and things like that and get in good condition to fly home from a distance, so it is very hard to rehome homers that are 9 months old, you will be going to pick up you birds from the preowner alot. if that is ok with you then do it. but they could and may get lost in the process if not in good condition to fly to their prehome.

by training i meant if i let them go and make them come back... so that means there is no chance that i'll be able let these pigeons go make them comeback? do i just keep them inside the loft then or what?

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by jang786

but the breeder told me that he never took any of his birds out and said that they are not trained and even if they go back he will give them back.if i do train how long should i train them? and how long should i keep them inside the loft and outside?

When the breeder told you he never "took" the birds out, he may, in theory, have been telling you the truth. However, if his loft has any type of aviary or windows, then the birds were "out", whether he took them or not.
Bottom line is, you were hoodooed..........any reputable pigeon person who raises/sells homers would not tell you that birds this age can be homed or rehomed...........
If you let them out, the chances of them staying are slim to none, IMO. Is it POSSIBLE? Yes.......anything is possible, but once they are out, if they DON'T stay and DON'T know where home is, whether it's your home or the one they came from, then they're on their own. Never having had to "find" a way to survive, within a few days, they'd probably starve to death.
The rollers however, are a different story. They don't "home" like homers do. Homers are called homers for a very good reason.

[della]

It all depends on how devastated you will be if the homers don't come back. If that is a risk you are willing to take, then you could try flying them after they have been well settled to your loft for a couple of months or so. If you are unwilling to take the risk, then I suggest that you keep this pair locked up and breed your own little flying team from them...safer, and it really won't take very long to get a few babies and start training them. Most of all, let them get used to you and their new home for a while - I remember when I got mine, I really freaked them out in the first few days by over-handling them - I couldn't resist!

[jang786]

Originally Posted by Lovebirds

When the breeder told you he never "took" the birds out, he may, in theory, have been telling you the truth. However, if his loft has any type of aviary or windows, then the birds were "out", whether he took them or not.
Bottom line is, you were hoodooed..........any reputable pigeon person who raises/sells homers would not tell you that birds this age can be homed or rehomed...........
If you let them out, the chances of them staying are slim to none, IMO. Is it POSSIBLE? Yes.......anything is possible, but once they are out, if they DON'T stay and DON'T know where home is, whether it's your home or the one they came from, then they're on their own. Never having had to "find" a way to survive, within a few days, they'd probably starve to death.
The rollers however, are a different story. They don't "home" like homers do. Homers are called homers for a very good reason.

he kept them inside the room in small cages and told me that he never let them out because of the hawks.. i have the pics that i could upload if u guys want me to?

[jang786]

Originally Posted by della

It all depends on how devastated you will be if the homers don't come back. If that is a risk you are willing to take, then you could try flying them after they have been well settled to your loft for a couple of months or so. If you are unwilling to take the risk, then I suggest that you keep this pair locked up and breed your own little flying team from them...safer, and it really won't take very long to get a few babies and start training them. Most of all, let them get used to you and their new home for a while - I remember when I got mine, I really freaked them out in the first few days by over-handling them - I couldn't resist!

they are nine moths old.. when do they start breeding?