Homers gone?

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cheetome
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Location: North Dakota

Homers gone?

Post by cheetome » Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:01 am

I received some young never flown homing pigeons. They were penned for 30 days then I started releasing them from the loft for a week then I moved them to across the yard last night. I had them in the pen for 30 min. then opened the cage. They spent a good 30-60 min. walking around the back yard and flying around the coop and neighbers roofs. Problem is only a few returned to the coop before dark. I didn't see but 2 hanging around on the roof this morning. My question is will the ones that didn't come back before dark ever return?

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DonF
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Re: Homers gone?

Post by DonF » Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:46 am

Probably and if they don't, they wouldn't do you much good anyway.
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

cheetome
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Re: Homers gone?

Post by cheetome » Wed Aug 01, 2012 11:01 am

Well I went home a couple of hours ago and 4 pigeons showed up but 8 are still not home. I figure if they aren't around by the time I get home tonight they never will be. :evil:

phoneman45
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Re: Homers gone?

Post by phoneman45 » Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:17 pm

cheetome,

Dont give up. I once lost a hen when she joined a wild flock as it passed near the house. I thought she was gone for good. She showed up on the loft roof one morning four days later none the worse for wear. She never left again, and she flew around the farm each day after she returned.

phoneman

Wildweeds
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Re: Homers gone?

Post by Wildweeds » Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:44 pm

It really depends on how good of birds you got.I bought a bunch of birds from a gal,she said they were homers and I reckon they are but they aren't what I'm used to seeing as far as a "Homer" yea they home but they got alot of roller in them.I got some birds from my freind who raced them for 50 years and his stock is all from 500 mile racers..................... very very big visible difference in the birds.At any rate the imposter homers home but they ain't real swift at getting in the house,the racing birds................ are all over it,I had the racing floor birds only contained one week.............. no losses.Big differnce in the length of the beak and size of the bird................. the racers are BIG and FAST!

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DonF
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Re: Homers gone?

Post by DonF » Fri Aug 03, 2012 6:55 am

You want to keep the birds about 100% return, get squeekers. Once the bridge of their nose turns white, start letting them come and go on their own. My ferals will home as good as my homers, just not as far. The homer's are better parents. They will beat you to death with a wing and peck at you on eggs or squabs. Ferals just desert the nest till you are gone. Homers are bigger and faster birds but more likely to sit on the ground and walk around. Couldn't care how long it takes them to come home or trap. I keep about 20 of each around all the time and normally the trap is open unless I'm gonna use them the next day. Racers need to trap fast, training birds don't.
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

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ezzy333
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Re: Homers gone?

Post by ezzy333 » Fri Aug 03, 2012 9:13 am

Racers don't trap any faster unless they are trained. Any bird will tend to trap fast if they are hungry and know you will have feed waiting for them. I always use a specific call when I feed them and they learn pretty quickly it means feeding time. I can turn them out in the morning and call them back in in an hour and can do it again in the evening but you need to do it when they are hungry.
'
Ezzy
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207

It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.

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DonF
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Re: Homers gone?

Post by DonF » Fri Aug 03, 2012 10:45 am

ezzy333 wrote:Racers don't trap any faster unless they are trained. Any bird will tend to trap fast if they are hungry and know you will have feed waiting for them. I always use a specific call when I feed them and they learn pretty quickly it means feeding time. I can turn them out in the morning and call them back in in an hour and can do it again in the evening but you need to do it when they are hungry.
'
Ezzy
Boy isn't that the truth. I go in every morning and use a shouvel to clean up the mess's in there. After thas done I fill the feeders and water jugs. soon as I staqrt scraping the shovelm on the floor, most either come in and land on the perch's and watch or stand in the re-entry door and watch. Feed goes into the feeder and they race to it. Guy could get hurt that way! BTW, I did not dom that on purpose, just reached a point where I noticed it. Trick was to clean everyday just before feeding.
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

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ezzy333
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Re: Homers gone?

Post by ezzy333 » Fri Aug 03, 2012 12:50 pm

Don, my young birds do the same thing. They don't wait for me to call them but when they hear the first scoopful of grain hit the feeder they can't get through the bobs fast enough.

Ezzy
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207

It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.

Retiredbirddogman
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Re: Homers gone?

Post by Retiredbirddogman » Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:26 pm

And the birds were trained with no shock collar. LOL

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