Planning Ahead

Post Reply
User avatar
setter50
Rank: Just A Pup
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:16 pm
Location: NE Kansas

Planning Ahead

Post by setter50 » Thu Apr 28, 2011 11:35 am

I would like to introduce my 14 week old setter to birds in the very near future. To this point finding birds available in my area has been very difficult. If I'm able to find some I want to be ready. One small problem is that my home owners association doesn't allow pigeons. Therefore, homing pigeons are not an option. I'm looking for some ideas on how some of you have handled similar circumstances.

Where can I find a supply of birds? (pigeons & or quail) ( I have also checked local game preserves with no luck)
What are some ideas on housing the birds? (One poster indicated he kept his in the garage)
What are some things I may be overlooking , that I need to consider?

Thanks in advance,
setter50

User avatar
Cajun Casey
GDF Junkie
Posts: 4243
Joined: Sun Aug 01, 2010 9:59 pm
Location: Tulsa, OK

Re: Planning Ahead

Post by Cajun Casey » Thu Apr 28, 2011 11:44 am

Contact a pest control company that does bird work and see if you can make arrangements to pick them up as you need them. Also, does your HOA forbid PET DOVES? ;)
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

User avatar
setter50
Rank: Just A Pup
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:16 pm
Location: NE Kansas

Re: Planning Ahead

Post by setter50 » Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:19 pm

Maybe I could pass a homer as a morning dove? There is a thought? :)

User avatar
Cajun Casey
GDF Junkie
Posts: 4243
Joined: Sun Aug 01, 2010 9:59 pm
Location: Tulsa, OK

Re: Planning Ahead

Post by Cajun Casey » Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:24 pm

setter50 wrote:Maybe I could pass a homer as a morning dove? There is a thought? :)
NOOOOOO! Mouring doves are native. What you are in the market for is blue bar European rock doves.
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

User avatar
brad27
Rank: 5X Champion
Posts: 1334
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 11:08 am
Location: menifee, CA

Re: Planning Ahead

Post by brad27 » Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:44 pm

What you are in the market for is blue bar European rock doves.
or the blue speckle european rock dove. :mrgreen:

User avatar
hunterw/newhobby
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 86
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:04 pm
Location: St. Joseph, MO

Re: Planning Ahead

Post by hunterw/newhobby » Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:54 pm

There's several guys on here from NE Kansas and I know some of them have birds that might be for sale. Also I'm in st. joe mo so depending on how far NE kansas you are I can get you a guys name in North KC.
Ross

User avatar
setter50
Rank: Just A Pup
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:16 pm
Location: NE Kansas

Re: Planning Ahead

Post by setter50 » Thu Apr 28, 2011 1:57 pm

hunterw/newhobby
I'm an hour from N KC. I passed on the homers in Gardner because they would only be used a time or two. I'd drive a hour or so to get some birds. I'd appriciate any leads if you can help.

setter50

RayGubernat
GDF Junkie
Posts: 3308
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:47 am
Location: Central DE

Re: Planning Ahead

Post by RayGubernat » Thu Apr 28, 2011 2:05 pm

Setter50 -

Couple of suggestions....

Locate a source of birds between where you live and where you train or somewhere close so you can pick up birds on friday evening for the upcoming weekend.

Perhaps you can contract with someone like that to have birds there for you. I have paid for birds in advance and made arrangements to pick up partial orders in advance. I bought a couple of crates, put my name on them and cycled though them, washing and sterilizing the crates in between. I bought and paid for 100 birds with the understanding that I would pick them up, ten or fifteen at a time and take the last birds by a certain date. The birds would be in a pre-arranged place, waiting for me when I swung by. I have gladly paid a premium for such an arrangement. The convenience was worth a lot to me.

I also rigged up a medium dog crate as a bird box. I put a raised wire mesh floor in the bottom and cut a hole in the back for hand access, covering the hole with a piece of Luan for a door. A waterer and a feeder and I have kept a dozen quail or a half dozen pigeons in that crate for as long as two weeks, in my garage.

I curently have a place for quail, but I have not set up a pigeon coop. Part of the reason for that is I have an Amish farmer who will keep pigeons for me. I pay him $2.50 a bird when I want some. They fly away and a good portion of them come back to the farm roost, so he can re-sell them. Since I don't have to feed, clean, house or otherwise mess with those filthy flying rats, that is just fine with me.

Perhaps you can make arrangements with a rural landowner for something like that.

RayG

User avatar
RoostersMom
GDF Junkie
Posts: 1754
Joined: Wed Feb 09, 2011 2:42 pm
Location: North Central Missouri

Re: Planning Ahead

Post by RoostersMom » Thu Apr 28, 2011 7:52 pm

Try Everett Lawrence for a place to run dogs and birds. He lives and trains north of Kansas City - on the MO side though. Also, there are a few guys near Leavenworth, KS that work dogs and have birds. Contact them through the local Pheasants Forever chapter.

V-John
Rank: 3X Champion
Posts: 506
Joined: Sun May 28, 2006 8:28 am
Location: Manhattan, Kansas

Re: Planning Ahead

Post by V-John » Thu Apr 28, 2011 10:09 pm

Where are you at? I'm in Manhattan and have a couple of traps going...

Shoot me a PM. Have a buddy who I train with who has a setter as well.

Post Reply