barn pigeons homing

[ibbowhunting]

how far will barn pigeons home? if i get some barn pigeons and raise there young in my coop how far away from the coop can i train my dog and still have the pigeons safely return to there coop?

[DogNewbie]

I know DonF and a couple others have ferals and I think he said he's had them home up to 100 miles. It just takes longer for them to get home and you may lose a couple more than homers. But ask Don and you should get some good advise

[ibbowhunting]

just wondering if they would home a maximum of 50 miles our should i still look for homers?

[Will]

Sometimes you can get "cull" birds cheap...homers that don't meet the racing pigeon guy's standards. You probably wouldn't pay that much for squeakers from a good homing loft anyway. They'll all home.

[DogNewbie]

From what I've read from those with ferals I don't think 50 miles would be a problem

[ezzy333]

From what I've read from those with ferals I don't think 50 miles would be a problem

50 miles is a problem for any bird if you don't do a little conditioning such as start at 2 or 3 miles and do that twice and then double the distance and keep doubling but fly each distance twice before moving. Best way to do it if you want them back. Once they are experienced you should have little problem.

Ezzy

[SHORTFAT]

This is why I get on this forum... I learn something new every day... I would have never guessed you could get them back from that far away... Not that I would need to, but knowledge is always good! Oh... Love the avatar ibbowhunting! Nice looking pup!

[V-John]

From what I've read from those with ferals I don't think 50 miles would be a problem

50 miles is a problem for any bird if you don't do a little conditioning such as start at 2 or 3 miles and do that twice and then double the distance and keep doubling but fly each distance twice before moving. Best way to do it if you want them back. Once they are experienced you should have little problem.

Ezzy

They should beat you home prior to jumping them out again.

I have both ferals and very nice racing pigeons. Going to start racing here soon in a couple of months.

The big difference in the two that I see, is that the racers make it back faster and from further out.
I've tossed both from the same spot (ferals and racers) and obviously the racers make it back faster.
The longer the birds are out, the more likely they are to get eaten or whatever.
If you can get cull birds from a racer, that is the way I would go.

[ezzy333]

From what I've read from those with ferals I don't think 50 miles would be a problem

50 miles is a problem for any bird if you don't do a little conditioning such as start at 2 or 3 miles and do that twice and then double the distance and keep doubling but fly each distance twice before moving. Best way to do it if you want them back. Once they are experienced you should have little problem.

Ezzy

They should beat you home prior to jumping them out again.

I have both ferals and very nice racing pigeons. Going to start racing here soon in a couple of months.

The big difference in the two that I see, is that the racers make it back faster and from further out.
I've tossed both from the same spot (ferals and racers) and obviously the racers make it back faster.
The longer the birds are out, the more likely they are to get eaten or whatever.
If you can get cull birds from a racer, that is the way I would go.

What strain of racers do you have?

Ezzy

[V-John]

Ezzy, the ones that I have the pedigrees on are Merkx/Janssens lines. I'll have to look again at home when I get there for specifics.

Like I said, I'm just getting started, and this is all new to me. I woulda never thought that I'd have pedigrees on pigeons.

I've found a local racer who is done very well and has taken me under his wing (pun intended) and he has given me 10 or so birds as well but I don't have the backgrounds on them.

Also had a buddy ship me some birds from PA out here to Kansas...

And these have proven to be good birds as well, but the true test will be when the first race rolls around in April.
They will be raced as old birds but only because they missed the young bird season, if that makes sense.

[DonF]

I just started training my homer's this week, haven't seen much in the way of hawks lately. First time out I went 5 miles. I got back home and they were there waiting on me. Took them out just a bit farther yesterday and they were home waiting on me again. Much much faster than my ferals. Not as if their speed is an advantage to me, I only care that they do come back. I don't race and not planing on starting. Might be cool though if we started recording how far out ferals do home. A lot of guy's worry about them coming back from a couple miles, they shouldn't. And a lot of guy's can't believe just how far some of they will comeback given the chance. Most people that have pigeon's don't really need a bird that will come back 50 mi but that's not hard to get ferals to do. When I was into field trialing, guy's from the valley stopper here on their way to train to get training birds. They would take them out to the local trial grounds, Boyce Corrals and I always got them back.

[Redfishkilla]

You have a gorgeous brittany. where did it come from if you don't mind?

[ibbowhunting]

You have a gorgeous brittany. where did it come from if you don't mind?

Sikka came from a family out of duluth minnesota thats really all i know with out listing her pedigree. my wife pick her out for me,what a great chrismas present. Thank you for your kind words about my new hunt buddy

[ibbowhunting]

This is why I get on this forum... I learn something new every day... I would have never guessed you could get them back from that far away... Not that I would need to, but knowledge is always good! Oh... Love the avatar ibbowhunting! Nice looking pup!

I'm not sure what took longer tryn to get a good picture of her sitting still ,when she wasnt sleeping, our try to figure out how to post a avatar that would fit. thanks

[isonychia]

If my pigeons that I have had for 2-3 months are sitting on eggs can I let them out in the yard and expect them to come back?> They were adults when I got them

[Grousewing]

If my pigeons that I have had for 2-3 months are sitting on eggs can I let them out in the yard and expect them to come back?> They were adults when I got them

If you haven't you will need to train them to use the door many times. I myself do this after a month with barn pigeons or rollers. After a few weeks of this I will then start letting them go a few feet from the coop and so on. Sounds like if trained properly to use the door they would return for sure.
Good luck

[highcotton]

We have so many ferals locally that getting permission to trap is no problem. I have never had homers and have never really felt I needed any.

Several years ago I had a pigeon trap in the bell tower of an old county courthouse that was over 20 miles from where I lived at the time. Just for the heck of it I put bands on 4 of them before using them for training. I flushed them during a training session one day and 2 of them were in my trap at the courthouse the next day.

I found that when kept in my loft for 30 days or so before their first release ferals will often home back to my loft rather than their original home.