# Letting my Pigeons Free Range?



## Pigeonfan94 (Feb 15, 2010)

Hello everybody I currently have a pair of indian fantails. I don't have a special loft so the pigeons stay in the chicken pen. I let my pigeons and chickens free range during the day and both the chickens and the pigeons always come back in the pen when it starts getting dark. Well In the near future I plan on getting some more fancy breeds of pigeons to add to my flock. The question is if I do get more fancy pigeons and let them free range with my other birds will they come back when it starts getting dark like my other pigeons? Or do I just have a special pair of pigeons that do what they are told? lol.


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## Ross Howard (Nov 26, 2009)

If you get same type of pigeons (non prolific ) at flying & climatize to pen for 10 days you should be alright. I love the term freerange sounds good but just like freeranging your children be prepared for some loses from prediters by doing this. As a keeper of animals you are responsible for there care & protection so before you "Free Range "anymore birds thing about a larger aviary instead. Pigeons need food water shelter & mates to fullfill there being not to be tamed & then let loose in the wild to fend on there own.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If a hawk should go after them, and they scatter to parts unknown, they may very well not be able to find their way back to their loft, as fancy pigeons aren't great fliers, which makes them more easily caught by a predator, and they don't possess good homing ability, so they could get lost more easily. If that were to happen, they'd probably starve to death, as they wouldn't know how to find food and fend for themselves. Fancy pigeons aren't usually let out to fly free for this reason. As Ross Howard has mentioned, better to build a large aviary for them where you could enjoy them, and they would be safe.


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## Birdman79 (Aug 9, 2007)

Jay3 said:


> If a hawk should go after them, and they scatter to parts unknown, they may very well not be able to find their way back to their loft, as fancy pigeons aren't great fliers, which makes them more easily caught by a predator, and they don't possess good homing ability, so they could get lost more easily. If that were to happen, they'd probably starve to death, as they wouldn't know how to find food and fend for themselves. Fancy pigeons aren't usually let out to fly free for this reason. As Ross Howard has mentioned, better to build a large aviary for them where you could enjoy them, and they would be safe.


+1 what he said..


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## Pigeonfan94 (Feb 15, 2010)

Oh ok so it would be better to leave my pigeons in and just let the chickens out? Because the reason I let everyone out is because even though the pen is pretty big, it has a concrete floor so i worry that if they are on it for too long it could hurt their feet. So, its not cruel to leave the pigeons in the coop all day? I never thought it was but my mom thinks its so mean to do that to them lol.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Why are they spending so much time on the floor? Mine have perches and shelves, and are seldom down on the floor, except to eat.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Actually though, they should get outside. They need the fresh air and sunshine. Sunshine for vitamin D. But rather than to free fly them, or let them out, can you build them an aviary to get out into? That's important for their health. There are so many different ways of building one. Some are on the ground, some raised up a couple of feet off the ground. Would it be possible to add one onto the coop?


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## Pigeonfan94 (Feb 15, 2010)

Building an aviary is definitaly out of the question! If you met my mom you would understand, lol. She HATES my chickens and pigeons. she won't even let me get my incubator out of storage because she thinks I will try to hatch something. When I go to stay on my uncle's farm this summer we are going to first monday trade days flee market and we are buying me a pair or two of more pigeons (my mom doesn't know).

Ok. anyway building an aviary is definitley out of the question. Maybe someday (sigh)

But anyway, the chicken pen is pretty big. It is 13x21 feet. Oh and I have perches in there for the pigeons. I wasn't really thinking when I said that they were on the floor. I was probably thinking of the chickens. and I only have 8 banty chickens so its not like its that crowded. but I don't want to leave them in there all day if it is bad for their health.


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## Birdman79 (Aug 9, 2007)

You can let out when they're hungry,just make sure you stay near them in case of BOP.They should come back to your loft rather quickly when they're ready to be fed.

I have some fantails that i keep as droppers.As they were grazing with the rest of the birds in my yard on a summer evening ,a cooper shows up and scatters all the birds.I step out and look and i see one of my fantails flying 6-8 feet above ground heading straight towards my neighbors bushes.It was a funny and a scary sight.Luckily the cooper wasn't that hungry.The fantail came back last.

Stay close to them if they're grazing.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

An aviary can be as simple as putting up a wire fence enclosure with wire over the top so that they can't get out, and nothing can get in. If your Mom hates your birds, do you think it wise to get more?
I don't know what you mean by the chicken pen being 13X21 feet. Is it an open yard where they can get sun?


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