Gun Dog Forum

These pigeons are driving me crazy. It seems as im always waiting for pigeons to train with. They get old enough to fly, I move them out, and then something happens..... I moved all my squeaker (8) out to the flying loft like 3 or 4 weeks ago. In the last week or so they finally started coursing and were flying really well. I went up to the loft last night to close it up and there were only 2 roosted inside. Err... Im hoping they got scared off by a hawk and will return today. Earlier this year.... I moved some older birds out into the flying loft in Jan. (I put them all in the breeder loft for the winter) I had them all trapping and homing again and a cat found its way I and took them all out but 1. I have 9 eggs and/or babies in the breeding loft. But I really don't want to start all over again. It takes to long, and I have training to do

Over the years I have had a possum, an owl and two cooper hawks get into my pens. Presents of these will either clean out the pen if you let the birds free fly a lot or leave you with a lot of dead birds. remove the predator and in a day or so mine have always come back. I have a big outdoor flight pen on my homer loft. used to have a few chickens in there. all around the perimeter down about a foot and out about a foot I buried chicken wire, nothing has ever dug under. My re-entry doors are high up and landing pads relatively small. I think that might be why flying predator's don't get in much. The homer loft has the same setup but with a predator door I close at night. Nothing quite as discouraging as going into the loft and having no birds and a fat hawk or owl! Oh, I've never had a cat in a loft. any cat that shows intrest in my birds get's fired,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,upon!

It was so much less trouble when I was pay $4 for a bird and let my dog work. Thinking I could get them to mate and raise their young was just crazy. I have not had any killed by predator's Id think thats just a mess but when birds don't return to their young man thats hard.

Sorry you guys are having so much trouble . In all honesty pigeons are about the easiest thing there is to raise and take care of. You need to have a good loft that is secure and provides the birds with their needs and you should have little problem from there. I have over 100 and lost one baby this year. And I have more hatching now. I am putting wooden eggs under the ones I don't need more young from and am ready to separate them till next year. I just don't need over 50 young and am going to end up with sixty I think. Wish you all were closer and I could raise another 100 for you or what ever you need.

Ezzy

I have moved my young pigeons that have never flown before to my training farm. Left them in loft and flight pen for 2 months, and they all have babies. Let them walk out of trap door and then they flew around. Most were looking for home in about a half hour. Landed and were very winded. Most trapped by night fall. Waited till next afternoon to close trap door to keep predators out. 2 days later there were 2 more waiting to get in. Opened trap door again and they went in. 2 days later went out and found 1 more waiting to get in. All but one have come back now.

What do some of you guys do to prevent predators from getting into a loft that is 30 min. from home. I can't go back every day and open and close each time I use birds for training.

Is there some sort of configuration of wire box, hole that birds could drop back into the loft? Any ideas to come up with a predator proof re entry system.

I'm sure all the homer guys have tried everything.

Any ideas would be appreciated by most all pigeons owners.

I switched to a Sputnik trap (drop down) 4 years ago, the birds learn fast and have never had any raptor get in they can't figure it out. My side of coop are metal sheets (like for roofs) nothing can climb it.

http://www.interpigeon.com/products/163 ... andard.php

Well they were all back in the loft when I got home from work last night. Im thinking im going to stop free flying them for a little while and start releasing them a distances in the morning. There are a couple hawks that have been hanging around lately. Don't want them getting picked off one by one.

ezzy333 wrote:Sorry you guys are having so much trouble . In all honesty pigeons are about the easiest thing there is to raise and take care of. You need to have a good loft that is secure and provides the birds with their needs and you should have little problem from there. I have over 100 and lost one baby this year. And I have more hatching now. I am putting wooden eggs under the ones I don't need more young from and am ready to separate them till next year. I just don't need over 50 young and am going to end up with sixty I think. Wish you all were closer and I could raise another 100 for you or what ever you need.

Ezzy

x2. we bought sixty bands and are probably going to run out. Some went to one loft races, and some stayed here. But we are in the process of seperating as well.

V-John wrote:

ezzy333 wrote:Sorry you guys are having so much trouble . In all honesty pigeons are about the easiest thing there is to raise and take care of. You need to have a good loft that is secure and provides the birds with their needs and you should have little problem from there. I have over 100 and lost one baby this year. And I have more hatching now. I am putting wooden eggs under the ones I don't need more young from and am ready to separate them till next year. I just don't need over 50 young and am going to end up with sixty I think. Wish you all were closer and I could raise another 100 for you or what ever you need.

Ezzy

x2. we bought sixty bands and are probably going to run out. Some went to one loft races, and some stayed here. But we are in the process of seperating as well.

Im sure you guys have a better setup and more birds to start with. I started with nine birds last spring. Ended with year with 26, and that was after some hawk/predator losses and some used for shooting. I started this spring with 14. I only had 4 nest the first round this year, and right now I have 5 nest with eggs. Im guessing in another month or so the loft with be over crowed and I will have to get rid of some.

I should just build a bigger loft, so I can have more birds to fly.

ROTTnBRITT wrote:

V-John wrote:

ezzy333 wrote:Sorry you guys are having so much trouble . In all honesty pigeons are about the easiest thing there is to raise and take care of. You need to have a good loft that is secure and provides the birds with their needs and you should have little problem from there. I have over 100 and lost one baby this year. And I have more hatching now. I am putting wooden eggs under the ones I don't need more young from and am ready to separate them till next year. I just don't need over 50 young and am going to end up with sixty I think. Wish you all were closer and I could raise another 100 for you or what ever you need.

Ezzy

x2. we bought sixty bands and are probably going to run out. Some went to one loft races, and some stayed here. But we are in the process of seperating as well.

Im sure you guys have a better setup and more birds to start with. I started with nine birds last spring. Ended with year with 26, and that was after some hawk/predator losses and some used for shooting. I started this spring with 14. I only had 4 nest the first round this year, and right now I have 5 nest with eggs. Im guessing in another month or so the loft with be over crowed and I will have to get rid of some.

I should just build a bigger loft, so I can have more birds to fly.

Before you know it, you too will be racing pigeons!

northern cajun wrote:I switched to a Sputnik trap (drop down) 4 years ago, the birds learn fast and have never had any raptor get in they can't figure it out. My side of coop are metal sheets (like for roofs) nothing can climb it.

http://www.interpigeon.com/products/163 ... andard.php

Thanks
I followed your direction to this site with plans for a cat proof pigeon entrance.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f38/cat-r ... 980-2.html

Might even stop raptors if landing board can be set to weight of a couple pigeons vs a red tail or cooper hawk.

Might stop most, but the persistent still may get in.

KwikIrish wrote:Before you know it, you too will be racing pigeons!

I hope not. I have enough going on already.