a few questions about pigeons. JUST CURIOUS

[boykin2010]

I am not sure if i want pigeons or not. I have been thinking about it and figured if i wanted to make up my mind i needed to know a little bit more about them. First off, what is the purpose of keeping pigeons. I understand some people eat them but really, are they that efficient at producing meat. They dont seem very meaty.
Second, do pigeons have to be let out of their coops to fly around or can they be kept inside the coop all the time.
third, how often do they lay eggs? Do they hatch eggs every time they lay them or are they like chickens and lay eggs but decide to go broody every once in a while?
Fourth, how do you tell genders of pigeons?
Fifth, what kind of pen/shelter,coop do they need?
Sixth, are pigeons friendly enough to be pets or are they basically just like wild caged birds?
Seventh what is the lifespan of a pigeon.
Eighth, do people sell pigeons like chickens, guineas, quail etc? I have never seen any for sale so where would i buy some at?
Ninth, how difficult are pigeons to take care of? Any special requirements?

Thanks - boykin2010

 

[seminolewind]

Learned about pigeons the hard way. Get racing racing pigeons from someone who is really into the sport, get babies. You may have to feed them by hand. Take them home and feed them in the coop. After afew weeks, you will not lose them. They will not leave. Mine showed up one day, ( I live in a giant pigeon area, people have thousands of dollars invested in their pigeons.) They eat chicken food, and water. They live in the coop with my chickens and an open door. No care. They do not leave. If you take them a mile away, they will come back. If you take them miles away, they will come back. You cannot rehome them. They will come back. If you have a pair, the female will eventually lay 2 eggs and hatch them and feed them. Then she will lay 2 more eggs, etc. I don't want anymore, so she lays 2 eggs, and I exchange them for golf balls. Every time, which is about once a month.

Georgia has some racing pigeon clubs. Look in feed stores for some contacts, or you can contact a national group on line, just type in racing pigeons. People keep them to race them. There's money to win. They can take them 20 miles away or more, alot more, and they will come back.

I don't know how to sex them but the hens always lay a male and a female every time.

 

[Timmy]

1 There are several purposes far pigeons meat, racing, showing, and pleasure. The pigeon breeds you eat are very large and produce a lot of meat. although you can eat any pigeon.
2. It depends on the breed of pigeon and how big the coop is. homers, rollers and hi fliers that are kept in a small coop need to fly. utility and show pigeons don't need to be let out.
3. They lay two eggs, hatch them in 18 days raise the young and start over.
4. You just have to watch them them cock birds will act more "cocky" and "drive the hens.
5. It really depends on the breed of pigeon, how many you have and what they are used for.
6. Like any bird they are friendly if worked with, but some breeds are more docile than others
7. 10 years or so
8. yes people sell them. ask at your local feed store, check craigs list, go to a show, or find a club.
9. no harder than any other bird they need feed grit water and a clean interment.

 

[boykin2010]

Ok the more i think about it the more i want pigeons but i dont think i want to start out racing them. Could i just get a couple pigeons for pleasure and let them raise some babies then when i get the hang of the whole pigeon thing maybe i could get some that could race. Do all breeds breed like that Timmy or are some more productive than others? Can pigeons be tamed enough to stand on your hand or shoulder?
Is a cage about 4 feet wide and 6 foot high and 2 feet deep adequate to raise a pair of pigeons. I have one about that size and it is covered in hardware cloth all the way around it. Could they walk on wire floor or would they have to have bedding. Do they need a nesting box like chickens or will they build their own.
I dont think i will be eating pigeons so i dont care about meat. So, in your opinion what is a good breed for someone to start out with. Can you name a couple and maybe i could research and find out which ones i liked best? I would mainly want a pigeon that could be friendly, easy to raise and good parents to babies.
Also, do pigeons make annoying noises or do they make soft noises like the coo coo i think that they make?

 

[Timmy]

Yes that cage is big enough for a pair or two and they will walk on the wire, but a solid floor would be better. You will need to build them nest boxes a perches. Yes they can be tamed to that point. No not all breeds breed like that some like utility kings and other utility type breeds are very productive and will be setting on eggs and have squabs in a second nest. Those are the birds you eat. other breeds are more difficult to raise and you may only get one good hatch a year. If you want a breed to just fly around and return to the loft most will do that. I like hi flies and homers for that. With the homers you can train them to be released away from your house and they will fly home, but if you buy older homers there is a chance that they will return to there previous home when released. If you did want to race homers are the breed used for that. If you want a bird that is going to entertain you as it flies roller breeds are great. I like Birminghams and they are probably the most common breed of roller so they should not be hard to find. They fly up in the air and perform acrobatic rolls and flips on the way back down. There are also competitions for these types of birds. If you just want a bird to look at the fancy show breeds are for you. there are a lot of these breeds, but I like fan tails. They are a small compact bird that fans its tail like a pea cock when it struts. They do not crow or scream and are pretty quiet like you would expect them to be. Also if you are going to fly your birds hawks eat pigeons and pigeons get lost. So if you just have one pair you may not want to fly them. One other thing that is important to know is pigeons are hatch bald and blind and need there parents. You can not incubate eggs or buy day old squabs.

 

[boykin2010]

ok thanks i will remember that! If i didnt want to release any of the pigeons are some breeds better than others in confinement 24/7? That sounds unclear, what i am saying is do some breeds freak out when they arent let out of the coop for a while and are some breeds okay living in a coop 24/7. Are all the rumors about pigeons being nasty creatures true? I know they are considered a nuisance in big cities and they tend to poop everywhere. So if i wanted a dual purpose breed for both productivity and as pets i should get kings? Are fan tails pretty docile? Are they good parents and easy to raise?

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Any show breed will be more comfortable in the loft all the time. Any breed can be kept in all the time. They will get used to it and become lazy, and not care anymore
Kings are a great breed to begin with! Fantails are too. Both kings and fantails are calm and easy to tame. If you want dual purpose, go with Kings. Pigeons are great parents and will do all the baby raising for you. So yes, they are easy to raise and they will multiply pretty quickly if you don't stop them! If you don't want them to hatch babies, then you can replace their eggs with fake eggs or chicken eggs (they will hatch them for you!).

No, those myths were created by the exterminator companies so people will buy their services for killing pigeons. Lots of pigeons, lots of people, lots of money for the poison companies.

 

[Timmy]

Any of the show breeds tolerate confinement well. as do the utility or meat breeds. Imo utility kings are the best parents out there and the best at producing. Kings come in two types utility and show. The show kings are very attractive and large birds that would work as a dual purpose pet/utility bird. I've never raise show kings for meat only food. Because I had utility birds for that but some of the people on here have mentioned eating show kings. They are not rats with wings as many say and are quite clean animals. How ever they do get mites, lice canker and respiratory infections if not provided with clean housing and water.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

What happened to my post? My computer messed up and sent the reply several times but I thought I left one of them alone and edited the rest?

 

[Timmy]

Quote:
That was here https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=491768