More Pigeon Problems

[codym]

I'm starting to hate these birds. I started a coupe about 8 months ago. I started with some racing homers and added some ferral birds to hurry and get some young birds hatched. Ive had about 12 babies hatched, As they got older I would release them in the yard and they would sit on the houses and mess around eventually flying back in the coupe. After months of doing this I took 3 of them down the road about 2 miles and released them, none came back. I figured it was because I released them to late in the day. A couple months later I had 4 more young birds that I had been releasing in the yard and they were coming back into the coupe consistantly. I took these 4 a mile down the road and released them. After a couple days one came back, I havent the others since. I released this group at noon so I know it wasn't because it was to late. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I hear this birds will home back over 20 miles and I can't get mine to home back over a freakin mile! All I can think is that maybe they join up with wild pigeons in town. Any help would be appreciated.

[topher40]

Wait till they are sitting on eggs, then release them. The young should home back. Patience grasshopper.

[RoostersMom]

My pigeon guru says 1/4 mile in each direction at least twice before going any longer distance. He does 1/4 mile then about a mile the next time. But in each cardinal direction. After the mile, he says they're good to go. He routinely flies his 200 miles plus.

[codym]

Ah ha so maybe shorter distances then? I figured a mile would be close enough but I will try closer on the next batch.

[DonF]

I've never had that problem with birds hatched here. Are you letting them free fly quite a bit before taking them away? Then, this time of year I don't let them out a lot, lots of hawks around now. I've had my homer's out flying for several month's then closed them in a month or so ago. I had hawks sitting all over the place here. Next spring I'm gonna get them out flying and usually start my ferals out at least five miles first few times out. Then add ten miles for a couple days then ten more. Have no idea if I'll get away with that with my homer's but gonna try it with a few at a thin and mark the ones I take. I remember when I'd first let them fly, they fooled around and wouldn't go in. I went out there to chase them off the netting out back and two flew off a lokg way and went into some trees and spent the night there before coming home. I heard a story on a pigeon site of a bird that was given to a guy by a friend. The friend lived about 85 mi away. He kept the bird captive 18 years and tried turning it lose. Finally let it fly, after 18yrs a captive, and it went back to where it was hatched. I don't really buy that. I got my homers about 20 mi from here and once they hatched out a few, I let them loose. Didn't know what would happen but worst case they go back where I got the. Got my starts out in the loft. Well they all came back after less than a year.

You might go check out hawks in your area. They can really take a toll on your poigeons! If you still let them fly, fly them hungry and feed them after they get in. Good luck!

[Brittguy]

Let the birds free fly around your loft. When you see that they leave the area for an extended amount of time,. they leave the area on their own this is called routing they are probably going out 2 or three miles on their own.Then it is time to train them by taking them out 3 miles and releasing. They will probably beat you home.Do this a couple of times then increase the distance a couple of miles. Increase the distance in small amounts until you reach about 10 miles. After that you can increase the distance in greater amounts.

[codym]

They were all born in my loft. I would let them free fly at least every other day for a couple months,but they would never really leave the yard. They would go back in on there own usually after a couple hours. I'm not as worried about hawks as much as I am cats. We live in town and there aren't to many hawks, but tons of cats and lots of feral pigeons. I was wondering if they would join up with these birds instead of coming home. It's kind of frustrating at this point.

[Brittguy]

Let them out before you feed. Birds that are full do not seem to fly around as much.

[Quailtail]

This time of year, hawks are a major problem. I expect this is what is happening to your birds. I have had hawk problems since back in the summer. Cooper hawks are the worst. Racing pigeons can usually out fly a red tail. They can not out fly that "bleep" Cooper.

[chukarmandoo]

Coopers are the worst. They can wipe a coop in a week. I get them around here two times a year. In the spring and in the fall. I try to fly my birds once a day but when the coopers are around I don't fly them. Also I've found that if I fly them in the afternoon they have less chance of being hit by hawks. I think its because the hawks are hungry in the morning and by the afternoon they have already killed something to eat. That also makes using pigeons in dog training thougher because I like to train in the a.m. Only have had a couple get hit by redtails. They were young birds and not wise to hawks. Other than that the mighty chicken hawk is king killer of the pigeons.

[pinebrookkennel]

Cody
On the days you are not going to fly them cut the feed down to a quarter of normal. Then on the days you need to fly them
Put normal amount of food in the loft and catch them when they first start to eat. Ours fly back so fast I can use them a second
Time the same training session. If there hungry and they know there is food in the loft they will go back!

[Cooper]

I used to raise a loft full of rollers, tumblers, homers etc for years and went through some learning pains. After figuring a few things out I never had problems getting birds to come back, even from long distances after selling birds, they would try to come back, but there are a couple tricks you can try. One, don't just let them fly around any time they want to by keeping the pen open. Feed them once a day at the same time. Fly them 3 times a week so they have some energy to burn and do it about an hour before their feeding time. They should fly well, not sit as much and then WANT to come in to eat and roost. Then close the coop up. You will lose less to hawks as well. Coopers Hawks ambush the loafers off the house for an easy chase and make quick work of them if you let them.

What does your cage, loft look like. Do they have some privacy, or is it an open wire type cage...if it is, they dont like that. Think about where you find pigeons roosting and nesting....under bridges, in barns, protected areas.

Something else to consider is making sure you have good feed, pigeon grit and fresh water along with enough roosts for every bird, so there is minimal fighting. They have a pecking order and will establish the same roost location every night over time. If they have everything they need and view their coop as a safe place, they have every reason to try to come home. Once you have that going, then begin taking them out a little distance at a time...again, at the same flight time so they are hungry and know its almost feeding time. Then once you have that mastered, you will never be able to get rid of them unless you shoot em'

Seems like a lot of effort, but you really are just taking the incremental steps training them to do something you want them to consistently do. Like your dog.

[codym]

My coupe is 4x4x4 on the ground, but it is just wire. I was wondering if that may be contributing to my problems. I think that I will enclose it with some ply wood. Thanks for all the help guys, I have had a harder time training these birds than any dog I've ever had!

[windswept]

I used to raise a loft full of rollers, tumblers, homers etc for years and went through some learning pains. After figuring a few things out I never had problems getting birds to come back, even from long distances after selling birds, they would try to come back, but there are a couple tricks you can try. One, don't just let them fly around any time they want to by keeping the pen open. Feed them once a day at the same time. Fly them 3 times a week so they have some energy to burn and do it about an hour before their feeding time. They should fly well, not sit as much and then WANT to come in to eat and roost. Then close the coop up. You will lose less to hawks as well. Coopers Hawks ambush the loafers off the house for an easy chase and make quick work of them if you let them.

What does your cage, loft look like. Do they have some privacy, or is it an open wire type cage...if it is, they dont like that. Think about where you find pigeons roosting and nesting....under bridges, in barns, protected areas.

Something else to consider is making sure you have good feed, pigeon grit and fresh water along with enough roosts for every bird, so there is minimal fighting. They have a pecking order and will establish the same roost location every night over time. If they have everything they need and view their coop as a safe place, they have every reason to try to come home. Once you have that going, then begin taking them out a little distance at a time...again, at the same flight time so they are hungry and know its almost feeding time. Then once you have that mastered, you will never be able to get rid of them unless you shoot em'

Seems like a lot of effort, but you really are just taking the incremental steps training them to do something you want them to consistently do. Like your dog.

This approach has worked well for me as well. Also train them in 1/4 mile increments up to about 3 miles and you should be good to go.