[quirkydovelady]

This is my first time on here, I hope someone can give me some advice.

I've been keeping my doves for around 4 months now. I started with 6 which I homed successfully and 2 pairs had babies, these babies are now fully grown, and although they came back to the loft at night for the first week or so, they no longer roost here. They come back every day for food but don't stay. What can I do to encourage them sleep here. Should I lock them in the loft for a bit? I'm worried that their visits are getting less and less, 3 of the original adults are now awol as well as one of the babies.

 

[Jason Heidlauf]

are they doves or white homers

 

[mikeyg]

Yes we need to know are they doves or white homers. If there doves they pretty much will do what they want.

 

[nancybird]

I never let my doves fly outside of the aviary.

 

[quirkydovelady]

Thanks for the replies.
I think they are a mix as we breed white homers with avery bird which I assume were fantails.

 

[quirkydovelady]

I'm wondering if feeding them at night will encourage them to come home. They came home this morning so I've locked them in their house/loft while I contemplate what to do.

 

[Jason Heidlauf]

if they are mixed you might never get them homed in from a long distance . if you want birds to come home from a long distance get some homers . if you are doing it for fun you don't have to pay allot for a bird .

 

[quirkydovelady]

Hi
I'm not trying to race them or anything. I just want them to live freely in the garden but return to the loft at night.

 

[Jay3]

Maybe you need to keep them in for longer, til they think of it as their home. How long have you had them? They have to like their loft and feel secure there, so that some place else doesn't seem better to them.
Most train them to come in to a feed call when they want them in. Your birds probably need training.

 

[nancybird]

How long have you had them? Do you have any pictures of them?

 

[quirkydovelady]

Training them sounds like a good idea. What do I do? What is a feed call?

 

[quirkydovelady]

Here's a pic...

 

[Jason Heidlauf]

shake a can with some feed in it or whistle .just before you feed them .but you MUST do the same noise every time . they will get the idea that the noise you make means food

 

[Jason Heidlauf]

the birds look nice also looks like hawk bate . just sitting in the tree like that a hawk WILL come and take one for lunch. when i let my birds out to loft fly when they come back i call them into the loft . but that's me .we all do thins different

 

[quirkydovelady]

Thanks Jason
How long do you think I need to train them, before I release them again?

 

[mikeyg]

OMG! At this time of the year in California with the hawk problem we have, I would stress out and have a heart attack seeing my 7 all white birds hanging out on a branch, ugh!...Do you have a hawk problem in the United Kingdom, I know some places don't really have issues with them.

 

[Jay3]

You can't feed them outside. They need to go in to eat.
First you've got to get them inside. Every time you feed them, shake a can with corn in it, or something that will make a noise, or whistle. They will get to know that sound means FOOD. It would be better if you teach them to come back in through a trap of some kind, so that when they do come in, they can't just eat and get back outside. After they learn the feed call, and how to trap back in, let them out before you feed them so that they will want to come back in and eat when you signal the feed call. The trap is made so that the birds that do come in, can't get back out that way while you are waiting for the rest of them to come in. Feed them when they come back in, so they will have a reason to want to trap back in.
Can you post a pic of where you keep them?

 

[mikeyg]

Google Trap Training Pigeons, you will find tons of good videos and info...But Jay3 pretty much explained it though, but watching it will help you understand a little better also. A picture is worth a thousand words, or video in this case!

 

[Jay3]

Google Trap Training Pigeons, you will find tons of good videos and info...But Jay3 pretty much explained it though, but watching it will help you understand a little better also. A picture is worth a thousand words, or video in this case!

Very good idea.

 

[quirkydovelady]

Its now been 24 hours since I trapped the birds in their loft. At an hour before sunset I decided to release 'Max' to see if he would return. In the mean time I started 'feed calling' training with the others. An hour later Max returned
I then did the feed calling again, and added peanuts which they love. I think I'm going to try this routine for a bit and rotate which bird gets to go out. I'm hoping that gradually I can release 2 and then 3 etc... until they all get used to returning to their loft to roost.

If anyone's interested I'll post again with a progress report.