My First Pigeons (Pics added)

Hello there! Im Nym, a 21 year old female from BC, Canada. Ive been stalking this forum for a while because Ive been contemplating getting a pair of pigeons. Im an avid animal lover who also breeds button quail =)

My experience actually owning birds is slim. Ive had cockatiels before and honestly wasnt a fan of them. I found their mood swings to be a little bit irritating lol. When they were sweet, they were VERY sweet, but when they werent having a good day... watch out!

That kind of turned me off birds. I used to work in a pet store too and loved it, but I found lovebirds, parolettes, condors, ect to be the same way.

But, I still love birds and really wanted some of my own! The history of the pigeon and the dove has always been very fascinating, and after hearing a lot of requests for them in the pet store (and of course us never having any) I decided to look into keeping pigeons as pets. Long story short, I got my first pair of pigeons today!

They're carrier pigeons, the female is a solid white and extremely tame, while the male is red and a little more nervous about his new surroundings. I currently keep them inside in a rather large cage, but unfortunately its much taller than it is wide and doesn't allow the easiest flying experience... so, I would like to take them out to parks or in the back yard regularly to fly and get some excersize.

So my question is, how do you train your pigeon to return when flying casually outside? And, how long should I wait to let them out, since they're new to this home, I wouldnt want them flying back to thier old house. Both are about 2 months old =) Also, are there any tricks for say, saving my couch from poop if I let them fly around the house?

Glad to be apart of the community and any advice would be appreciated!!

New pictures!

to Pigeon Angels, Nym. It's great to have you here.

Your pigeons sound beautiful. If you have some pictures we love to see them. We pictures.

As far as allowing your birds to 'free fly' outside, I personally don't encourage it. Too many things can happen.
I would rather see them 'free fly' in your home.
In answer to your question about saving your couch from pigeon poop. Yes!! There are pigeon diapers.
Here's a link to a couple options. Pigeon diapers

I am familiar with the first one. She does great work.

We look forward to visiting with you.

Lmao oh my, wow, those are actually fantastic!!! I will most definitely get a few!!
Thanks so much for the warm welcome <3 I was worried about what could happen too...
I will get pictures asap!

Nym wrote:

Lmao oh my, wow, those are actually fantastic!!! I will most definitely get a few!!


Thanks so much for the warm welcome <3 I was worried about what could happen too...

I will get pictures asap!

Yeah! They're pretty

You're most welcome.
Will be looking forward to seeing your pictures.

Hello Nym & welcome.

We used to raise parrots, in fact we have 7 parrot residents at the sanctuary now, and I can tell you that you will sometimes come across moods in your pigeons! But the really great thing is they can't leave the damage that a hook bill can!

If you want your pijjies to get outside time maybe you could build a flight big enough for them to get sun & stretch their wings abit.

None of our pigeons are 'free flyers' they all have large flights attached to their lofts, even our house pigeons get to go outside in a flight and they love it.

As for pigeon diapers we are planning to order a pair for our little JuJuBee. Many,many people have them and consider them a god send!

Welcome Nym...glad you found us.

I'd love to hear more about your pigeon couple...such as...do you know how old they are? Are they a mated pair?

I agree with all the advise already given you.

Regarding the cage ...is there a way to turn it on the side so that it is longer rather than tall?

Thanks all for the welcomes! The breeder told me they are about 2 months old, and I dont think they are a mated pair. I told him what colours I wanted and he picked them out for me. He says he uses a magnet to determine the sexes. Do you guys figure they will become a mated pair over time or do they need selection to determine thier mates? They fought and squabbled lot last night and I had to separate them so im not sure how fond they are of each other... lol..

Also, whats the best way to encourage them to welcome human attention? They will sit in your hand just fine and back up just a few steps when you go to get them from the cage, but ive heard of pigeons liking thier heads scratched and such just like other parrot types. Just constant attention? They've sat up on top of thier cage all day today hardly moving, I think they're still just freaked out about being inside! I would like to consider building a flight cage but unfortunately were renting, which is why they are inside in the first place.

It would be a very good idea to turn it on its side so that its long and not tall... im contemplating how we could do that. Its a hand made cage made of wood and mesh thats collapsible with an un-attached base that it just sits on.

Could they be trained to fly to you on command? Id like to train them using some special treats, maybe some kind of fruit or veggie. What would be a great reward for pigeons?

Ps, i will try to get pictures tonight, my sister may bring over her camera =)

I'm sure they are frightened and wondering what's going to happen to them.
I would give them a chance to settle in and be very calm and gentle with the two.

Treats are a good way to get pigeons top warm up to you. Many enjoy chopped raw peanuts and others like bits of whole grain bread. My pigheons love mixed field greens...the kind your make a salad from, defrosted corn, peas and minced raw carrots.

Do make sure these pigeons are really weaned and eating enough on their own. Gently feel the crop to make sure they have food in there and monitor the number of poops they produce daily.

Also...do you know if they were treated for canker, coccidia and worms ?

I think theyre frightened too, they are getting better though, especially the female. They are flying out of the cage on thier own now if I leave the door open when before they wouldnt budge from the farthest corner. They will fly into the kitchen and then re route for the top of the cage. Theyll sit there and preen themselves for hours lol.

I will definitely try out those foods!
I have no idea if they've been treated, he didnt mention it to me. I will check thier crops; the female has been eating lots, but I havent seen the male touch his food much. But they both poop ALOT lol.

They both look really really healthy... thats the first thing I noticed about them. I didnt expect them to look so clean and soft and healthy, or so big for just 2 months! But then again I didnt know about pigeons rapid growth. And the man was very nice and super helpful, gave me lots of tips. He was an older fellow who mentioned having pigeons when he was 8 years old. My first impression of him was knowledgeable breeder =) So hopefully they're in good shape! They do have lice though... I will have to treat for that.

The thing about birds, Nym, is that as a natural defence...they pretend to be okay even when they are not. The reason being, a bird that is sick or starving and show it in the wild, would be an easy target for a predator. The point being, don't be fooled just because they look alright.

It's good you have seen the female eating. Still...with both birds, it's very important you feel their crop each day to make sure they really are eating. Young birds are masters at pretending to eat when they really aren't but rather picking up and dropping the food without actually eating it. Without food, a bird can go down hill very quickly.

Please do call the breeder up and ask him if he treated the birds for the things I mentioned.
Even if he has, it's important you get a pigeon first aid kit together...sooner or later you likely will need it.

Here's a link to a thread on first aid kit and care.

http://www.pigeonangels.com/pigeon-and-dove-illness-and-injury-discussion-forum-f21/first-aid-kit-t408.htm

I don't mean to scare or worry you but if the breeder was taking really good care of his pigeons, meds., vaccinations & etc., your birds wouldn't have lice.

I really don't mean to alarm you but being a novice you mostly didn't know. Please call him & find out if they were treated & what for and if they had any vaccinations.

I will call him.
He seemed really concerned about it and pointed it out to me and said he had to do something about it, and told me how to treat it.
Getting pics today!

Nym wrote:

I will call him.
He seemed really concerned about it and pointed it out to me and said he had to do something about it, and told me how to treat it.

Getting pics today!

They are so pretty!

They are very pretty birds and you are very pretty too.

Thank you! And thank you! Haha, they're lovely im very happy to have them!

It's great to 'see' you, Nym.
Thanks so much for posting the photos. You and your birds are lovely.

Hi Nym..........I appologize for falling behind in welcoming you

The pictures of your birds are beautiful. Your birds look happy and healty.

So nice to have you join us.

Louise

Hi Nym,

A very warm to you and your pigeons!
The photos are lovely -- three beauties!

I hope what you have really is a male and a female... Magnets to determine the sex of a bird are a very fallible method! I remember the day when I asked how to sex a pigeon and was told, 'Only a pigeon can sex another pigeon for sure, and even they make mistakes sometimes.'

I hope you manage to get enough information about any treatments/vaccines your pigeons were given. But the fact that they were sold to you with lice doesn't inspire confidence. I'm sure they will be much better taken care of now that they have you to look after them. I wish you and them every happiness.