# Young birds first time out



## mypigeoncoop (Oct 21, 2010)

Hello everybody, yesterday I let my homers out for the first time, they have been trained on their surroundings for 3 weeks. I don't have a trap yet but I have this little doors that I open to put the feed tray in without having to enter the loft and I show them how to get in a few times by hand. Yesterday I left the mini doors open and they exited the loft by themselves and flew around the backyard for a little bit and stayed on my roof for about 3 hours and night time came and they still didn't trap. Today when I get home from school I have to check if they're still around. I'm scared they might be gone, but maybe I didn't train them to trap enough, what can I do to get them back in? Thanks -Hiran


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## kingdizon (Jan 14, 2013)

I don't know if you did this or not, but, NEVER fly your birds on a full stomach.
That being said, not much you can do. If they are still out they will be hungry so shake some feed in a can and place it through the door on your loft. Make sure you keep shaking the can and do whatever call you make when you feed them to let them know it's time to eat. They should fly in eventually. If they are young birds flying for the first time a lot of them will be scared to land as well. Just give the food thing a try. And if you raised them from eggs there isn't many places they will know to go besides where you live and their loft. I hope you left the lil door open for them while you were at school so they have a way in.
When you get home see how many are around.
My advice is don't feed them until you want them to come down from the sky. Don't feed them a lot either one tablespoon per pigeon is enough. Always try to fly at the break of dawn.
I hope your birds all come back in. Keep us updated


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## mypigeoncoop (Oct 21, 2010)

Thanks for the information, only three of the four returned and are back in the loft. I think the other one got spooked by a sharpie. I will be keeping an eye out for her, I'm surprised she left when she had squabs, they are around two weeks old but I think they'll be fine with just a dad or I can hand feed


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## kingdizon (Jan 14, 2013)

That's good. Yea don't fly your breeders. Hand feed could work just keep an eye on them you might not have to if they're a couple weeks old you can try to start weaning them


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## pigeonjim (May 12, 2012)

Kingdizon is giving you good advice. Don't beat yourself up, but your lucky to get 3 back. Build yourself a little box with all wire sides and a door that slides out. You can put your young birds in it and push it up against the door to your coop and let them go in and out for about a week while you watch them (not all night). I lock mine out when there hungry and let them hear me with the food can and open the door so they can come in and eat a couple bites, then back out and do it again over and over. Then when your sure they know let them out early b4 feeding and they should know what your feed can sounds like. If your breeders were not born there, I would keep them locked inside til you got your training under control. Good luck, Jim


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Just goes to show you, even with mates and babies in the nest the hen wont trap in. Not for love nor money. The only way mine trapped in when spooked was when I put out 4 more birds, safety in numbers was the only thing that would get her to come back.

Im not saying to do that now as u stated u had babies and ya, NEVER fly parents when babies r in the nest as u will have this exact problem. 

Not much u can do but wait until the babies are grown and weaned and then try to fly a few adults to see if she joins back up and traps in. I had a hen spooked from injury hangin around and I didnt see her for 24 days. I let 3 males out for a flight and she trapped right in with them. So she IS probably around, keep looking and keep shakin that feed can and even toss seed on the roof of your house for her to see and come too. I also have, dont laugh now, (dont care if u do lol) fake plastic crows and I painted one white, I put one on the flight deck and they trap right in, some even land on the fake black ones heads and sit there. But the decoy works, so if u can go to dollar store and or get a fake bird of any kind other than an owl or hawk and put it near the coop entrance, she may come down.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

It helps with training if we put the younsters out in a settling cage near/over trap door for over a week before setting them free. When we open cage door towards trap/door their flight gets restricted into loft. They learn to go into loft without wandering.
When we let our birds free for the first time we shall not fly all of them together. We shall break the band and keep few YBs behind in the cage so that freed birds after flying can see them as a beacon on a settling cage and come back to the entrance on their own.


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## moye loft (Dec 30, 2020)

I have been raising my young birds, from eggs . I have 17 young now ! My problem is I am scared to fly them. I have a landing board and bars that i put a small cage on it and let them come out and look around . I have let the bars down and they go back in with ease ! I live in Florida ,all my young birds are half breeds .Homers & one feral and one tippler ! the moms & pops are prisoner birds !what should i do? MY Dad and I raced birds back when I was a kid ,to day Iam the Dad trying to remember what he did , Boy things have changed today !


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