Training birds, homer's vrs ferals
Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 2:30 pm
I have used feral pigeons for 30 some years for training. Now I've had homer's for a couple years but still keep my ferals around. All the birds I have out in the loft's with the exception of two homer's were hatched right here. When Squirt and Bodie were pup's, they started on ferals. That's is all I'd ever used and they work great. Their problem is, maybe, they might not home from far enough away. I can get 50 mi pretty easily but got homer's because I wanted to get a lot farther away to train. So, a couple years ago, in came the homer's. Boy do they home well!
Recently I have been really starting to pay attention to what my homer's do. I notice that I have actually had homer's come out of the remote traps and land on the ground right there! I've never had a feral do that. Another thing is that when using my foot traps, the homer's will simply walk out and look around and I have to flush them. Not very good for a pup non remote traps. Both strains, feral and homer will home from farther away than is normally needed. I have sent birds home with Gertie and one time she held them and used them on her dog a couple days later and every one came home. She lives about 70+/- miles from here. I don't think I'd attempt that with my ferals but, I have over the years had a few that came home that far.
Some of us will tell you that one of the best things about pigeons is that they don't come out and plop down on the ground again. My homer's have changed that thought. They do do sometimes exactly what I don't want with a pup starting out. I Think the feral will be much better starting birds because, I've never seen one do that. Now some time back Gertie came over with her dog, Gertie. Gertis the people is actually Holly. We had Gertie out on a check cord and were tossing birds for her as she came near me, working on stop to flush. A few time's we noticed that the homer's even when tossed from hand had this miserable of falling from the air like a sack of peas and just walking around until I'd go flush them. Thinking about that, That's a great exercise! I used to use feral birds for that but to get them to hit the ground and walk around, I had to pull flight feather's. To get them to stay on the ground, I have to hobble them with pipe cleaner's. Then to get them out of there, I had to chase then around, they couldn't fly. it work's but the way it happen's with the homer's is much better to help get the dog standing even when it sees the bird up and walking around.
So it has occurred to me that I am best off with both feral and homer pigeon's. Ferals to start them and homer's to finish them. They both have trait's a bit different and taking advantage of those trait's seem a good thing to do to me. If you don't use remote traps but rather a check cord, then I don't think it will make much difference. Then you control what the dog does with the cc rather than controlling the bird and let the dog learn on it's own.
Recently I have been really starting to pay attention to what my homer's do. I notice that I have actually had homer's come out of the remote traps and land on the ground right there! I've never had a feral do that. Another thing is that when using my foot traps, the homer's will simply walk out and look around and I have to flush them. Not very good for a pup non remote traps. Both strains, feral and homer will home from farther away than is normally needed. I have sent birds home with Gertie and one time she held them and used them on her dog a couple days later and every one came home. She lives about 70+/- miles from here. I don't think I'd attempt that with my ferals but, I have over the years had a few that came home that far.
Some of us will tell you that one of the best things about pigeons is that they don't come out and plop down on the ground again. My homer's have changed that thought. They do do sometimes exactly what I don't want with a pup starting out. I Think the feral will be much better starting birds because, I've never seen one do that. Now some time back Gertie came over with her dog, Gertie. Gertis the people is actually Holly. We had Gertie out on a check cord and were tossing birds for her as she came near me, working on stop to flush. A few time's we noticed that the homer's even when tossed from hand had this miserable of falling from the air like a sack of peas and just walking around until I'd go flush them. Thinking about that, That's a great exercise! I used to use feral birds for that but to get them to hit the ground and walk around, I had to pull flight feather's. To get them to stay on the ground, I have to hobble them with pipe cleaner's. Then to get them out of there, I had to chase then around, they couldn't fly. it work's but the way it happen's with the homer's is much better to help get the dog standing even when it sees the bird up and walking around.
So it has occurred to me that I am best off with both feral and homer pigeon's. Ferals to start them and homer's to finish them. They both have trait's a bit different and taking advantage of those trait's seem a good thing to do to me. If you don't use remote traps but rather a check cord, then I don't think it will make much difference. Then you control what the dog does with the cc rather than controlling the bird and let the dog learn on it's own.