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My Half & Half pij The result of allot of work and allot of research from this site.
Thanks: Mike
Thanks: Mike
1/2 Homer 1/2 Feral
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that is one pretty bird and a nice pic of it too. will you be racing this bird?
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I wish that were true, cause there is Dairy Queen by my house with about 100 ferals on it, i could go band my 2010 young birds down there then if this is the case
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She's a pretty bird At first when I saw it, I was like "What? It's not a feral, it's banded!" Then I realized, duhhh you bred it, you banded it
As for ferals out sprinting racing homers, not likely, since they've been selectively bred for speed, but their (the ferals') area of expertise is in the shorter distance homing though
At first when I saw it, I was like "What? It's not a feral, it's banded!" Then I realized, duhhh you bred it, you banded it As for ferals out sprinting racing homers, not likely, since they've been selectively bred for speed, but their (the ferals') area of expertise is in the shorter distance homing though
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Wanna put some money on it ? We will keep it short, say 100 miles. Your 20 barn pigeons and my 20 racers.
If you win, I might even make some people happy and quit racing !! ......
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The speed of homers compared to ferals is obvious. Now unless that feral is actually a lost homer, then the speed is the same.
It would be hilarious though if 20 barn pigeons beat Warren's 20 racers. But at 100 miles, I think those ferals are lost. They will probably drop down the first time they see left-over food on the ground.
It would be hilarious though if 20 barn pigeons beat Warren's 20 racers. But at 100 miles, I think those ferals are lost. They will probably drop down the first time they see left-over food on the ground.
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Not if they are fed as well as the homers before the race.
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1/2 Homer 1/2 Feral My Story
Ok I will explain, I started out with a beautiful smart energetic pup “Ruger” Welsh springer Spaniel.
I planned on trapping feral pigeons to train Ruger. I was successful the first attempt after baiting for a week. I trapped 6 pigeons at a grain elevator only a couple of blocks from my house.
I have a wood shop that I dink around with and I built a loft in my shop to hold the captured pigeons. Well it was still winter when I trapped the pigeons so I put them into the loft in the shop and feed them cracked corn wheat and I could change water and not have to worry about ice.
Over a couple of weeks I hobbled a couple pigeons and with Ruger on a check cord he learned to flush. After about 3 times I took the hobble of the pigeon and then when Ruger flushed the pigeon it was free, it made a couple of circles and headed back to its loft were ever. I figured the pigeon erned and deserved the right to go free. I only wanted to train Ruger not to chase birds and sit on flushing game.
Well it turns out one of the birds had a band and a racing band on the other leg. I researched the band found the club it was banded with and in the mean time got interested in Homing Pigeons. Well the homer mated with one of the feral cocks in the mean time so through my research I put a plastic dog dish with wood chips and pine needles in the loft and in a week there was an egg in it and a day later another egg.
Well those two birds are grown up and one was sick with Paratyphoid or something and I treated it with beytril as suggested by “Trees Gray” and it puled through and because me and wifey had to hand feed it, it is a friendlier bird than its nest mate witch is also friendly I can just pick both up. Well so those two are half & half and again the two, hin and cock laid two more eggs, one is the 4 week old in the picture funny thing that bird is very friendly and I don't know why, the nest mate runs and dodges me but that little guy is not afraid and when I go into the loft/pen it climbs up on the toe of my boot.
In the mean time for my own interest I installed a benzing clock in the loft and banded the chicks, I don't know were this is going but I plan to train them to home and maybe take them camping let them fly home and with the clock I will be able to know there speed! Who knows maybe I will start a club here.
I will say this about the Feral Cock he is an onry bird and he is definitely more intelligent than the homer he learns fast, things like the trap is not hard for him to figure out especially when he knows the food is inside. he learned the trap in my shop I would let them both out when I got off work and they got to were they expected it. they became friendly and seamed to like the loft but now that I have relocated it to the back of the dog pen they think they own it and I'm having a lot of trouble training the other birds. I purchased 4 young birds from Foy's and the feral fights the other birds when they try to come in through the trap.
It's been a lot of work but I think once the birds are free flying it will be worth it. Ive maid a lot of mistakes along the way. I introduced two new birds (Rollers or German Owls) before quarantining them and the other four Foy's before quarantine them also, now I have a sick homer one of Foy's that me and wifey have been force feeding for a week and giving Foys 4 & 1 but I think we is pulling through felling better. because of the troubles Ive decided to vaccinate with PMV-1 and Sal-Bac. I'm fearing the pigeons will go visiting the ferals and bring back who nows what back to the loft.
Its' been a real learning experience but allot of fun.
Mike,
Ok I will explain, I started out with a beautiful smart energetic pup “Ruger” Welsh springer Spaniel.
I planned on trapping feral pigeons to train Ruger. I was successful the first attempt after baiting for a week. I trapped 6 pigeons at a grain elevator only a couple of blocks from my house.
I have a wood shop that I dink around with and I built a loft in my shop to hold the captured pigeons. Well it was still winter when I trapped the pigeons so I put them into the loft in the shop and feed them cracked corn wheat and I could change water and not have to worry about ice.
Over a couple of weeks I hobbled a couple pigeons and with Ruger on a check cord he learned to flush. After about 3 times I took the hobble of the pigeon and then when Ruger flushed the pigeon it was free, it made a couple of circles and headed back to its loft were ever. I figured the pigeon erned and deserved the right to go free. I only wanted to train Ruger not to chase birds and sit on flushing game.
Well it turns out one of the birds had a band and a racing band on the other leg. I researched the band found the club it was banded with and in the mean time got interested in Homing Pigeons. Well the homer mated with one of the feral cocks in the mean time so through my research I put a plastic dog dish with wood chips and pine needles in the loft and in a week there was an egg in it and a day later another egg.
Well those two birds are grown up and one was sick with Paratyphoid or something and I treated it with beytril as suggested by “Trees Gray” and it puled through and because me and wifey had to hand feed it, it is a friendlier bird than its nest mate witch is also friendly I can just pick both up. Well so those two are half & half and again the two, hin and cock laid two more eggs, one is the 4 week old in the picture funny thing that bird is very friendly and I don't know why, the nest mate runs and dodges me but that little guy is not afraid and when I go into the loft/pen it climbs up on the toe of my boot.
In the mean time for my own interest I installed a benzing clock in the loft and banded the chicks, I don't know were this is going but I plan to train them to home and maybe take them camping let them fly home and with the clock I will be able to know there speed! Who knows maybe I will start a club here.
I will say this about the Feral Cock he is an onry bird and he is definitely more intelligent than the homer he learns fast, things like the trap is not hard for him to figure out especially when he knows the food is inside. he learned the trap in my shop I would let them both out when I got off work and they got to were they expected it. they became friendly and seamed to like the loft but now that I have relocated it to the back of the dog pen they think they own it and I'm having a lot of trouble training the other birds. I purchased 4 young birds from Foy's and the feral fights the other birds when they try to come in through the trap.
It's been a lot of work but I think once the birds are free flying it will be worth it. Ive maid a lot of mistakes along the way. I introduced two new birds (Rollers or German Owls) before quarantining them and the other four Foy's before quarantine them also, now I have a sick homer one of Foy's that me and wifey have been force feeding for a week and giving Foys 4 & 1 but I think we is pulling through felling better. because of the troubles Ive decided to vaccinate with PMV-1 and Sal-Bac. I'm fearing the pigeons will go visiting the ferals and bring back who nows what back to the loft.
Its' been a real learning experience but allot of fun.
Mike,
And that about sums it up!
That baby is a little cracker! I bet it's "feral" parent is a lost racer.
If it's parent had found it's way into a loft it would be called a stray.
If the same pigeon is found under a bridge, it is called a feral.
Good luck with it! Just be aware that there may be a psychological reason why it's feral parent reverted to the wild. Dont be too disappointed if it answers the "call of the wild"
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i have 5 pigeons and there parents were feral but they go back to my loft because thats the only place they know , so in the future get a baby feral/racer and the only place it will know is your loft and the only place it will fly to is your loft because it knows theres food , water and shelter bleave me lol i was shocked when i tossed them into the air and he bolted back to the loft lol
Thanks Glyn
Thanks Glyn
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Any pigeon raised in a loft will come back to it. A pigeon is a pigeon. Homer or racer, doesn't matter. I believe homers can home from further away, and faster. They are bred for that. They should. But ferrals do have homing ability. And I think they're smarter. They have had to use their brains to survive. Think about it, the homers would probably just race straight home. The ferrals would, if they were hungry, stop for the food, then be on their way. Who's smarter. The one that drives straight through on a 10 hour trip, or the one who stops for lunch at a rest stop?
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·I think just because its got feral in its background it doesnt mean it will have the same tendencies a feral would have in the wild, those things are taught while living in the wild not in a loft ..just my opinion on this subject
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