# need some advice on homing pigeon



## ceribwfxd (May 23, 2015)

i have many regular pigeons come in my back garden as i feed them everyday, most of them are wild pigeons but a few have homing rings on but i see them everyday! i have had a fairly new (been coming for about 2 weeks) homing pigeon come to my house to be fed. usualy, all the pigeons are gone by the time the sun goes down, about 8.30pm, but ive noticed that the newest homing pigeo doesnt leave at night, he huddles on the roof by himself. its currently 10.20 pm and hes still there, is it ok for pigeons to be alone at night? i dont know a great deal about them but i gathered that they all go and huddle somewhere together, more covered than just a roof! im worried about the pigeon being up there by itself, they never stay at night! is this normal?? thanks


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

It sounds like you have a stray racing pigeon, that was lost from a race, or during training for a race. Two bands usually means it was lost from an actual race, one band means it was training. Sometimes they are starving and too weak to fly home, or it may have an injury, possibly under the wing. A lot of stray racing pigeons never make it home, so yours is very lucky to have found you.

In my experiences, its normal for them to sleep close by to the food when they are new to the area, but its not ideal or very safe to be on the roof. What may happen eventually is it will find a mate, then roost in a safer area with the new mate. If it is recovering from an injury, it may eventually feel well enough to try to fly home, but it may become lost again.

What I usually did when stray racing pigeons joined the wild flock I was feeding was keep an eye on them and try to tame them. I kept three of them because they were injured. A couple joined the wild flock permanently and had wild mates. A lot of them stayed a little while and flew away when they felt strong again.


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## ceribwfxd (May 23, 2015)

Bella_F said:


> It sounds like you have a stray racing pigeon, that was lost from a race, or during training for a race. Two bands usually means it was lost from an actual race, one band means it was training. Sometimes they are starving and too weak to fly home, or it may have an injury, possibly under the wing. A lot of stray racing pigeons never make it home, so yours is very lucky to have found you.
> 
> In my experiences, its normal for them to sleep close by to the food when they are new to the area, but its not ideal or very safe to be on the roof. What may happen eventually is it will find a mate, then roost in a safer area with the new mate. If it is recovering from an injury, it may eventually feel well enough to try to fly home, but it may become lost again.
> 
> What I usually did when stray racing pigeons joined the wild flock I was feeding was keep an eye on them and try to tame them. I kept three of them because they were injured. A couple joined the wild flock permanently and had wild mates. A lot of them stayed a little while and flew away when they felt strong again.


thank you for the help! i dont think the pigeon is injured, it seems to fly around fine in the day.. he has two rings so is lost from an actual race. ill keep an eye on him, thank you


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

That's great, he or she is so lucky to have you! I have a soft spot for racers because they are domestic birds that grow up on pigeon seed and a safe coup, and can't survive in the wild without people feeding them. But to their credit, they are exceptionally intelligent , strong birds and do adapt to the wild pretty well if they have human help with food. Also, many racing pigeon breeders breed highly disease resistant birds which helps a lot if they wind up living wild. 

I wish you the best with helping it. If its stayed two weeks already, it must feel very safe near you.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If he is staying around that long, and not injured, then he is most likely lost. He is probably staying on your roof because it's close to food, and is the closest thing he found to a loft, which is what he is used to. Unfortunately, most lost pigeons don't survive for long in the wild, as they are not used to having to find food and water on their own, and have no idea of where to roost safely. By staying out alone on a roof like that, he could be picked off by hawks or at night, an owl. Some do join wild flocks, but most don't. You could try catching him and finding his owner by the band number on his leg, but often the owner doesn't want them back. Some do though. If not, then you would either have a pet, or would maybe be able to find someone with pigeons who would take him in. Trying to find the owner may be the best thing, if you can figure out a way to catch him. Let us know how it goes. Right now, he is confused and scared, and not particularly safe out there.


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## MartieTyler (May 30, 2015)

We have a pigeon who has taken up residence here. He/she has a pink band on one leg and an aqua colored one on the other. I am worried about perching on the roof of our townhomes. We have been feeding the pigeon bird seed and keeping a bowl of water out. The pigeon will walk up to me. We haven't been able to catch it. Not sure what to do..catch and take to a rescue.Keep on as we have been or try to get a cage and bring it in or get a cage for outside in the backyard.


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## Scottsdaleaz (Aug 30, 2014)

We got into pigeons by rescuing the lost racing pigeon who showed up on our patio last August. We built an aviary. If the original poster is up for it, it's a wonderful experience. I was nervous about the commitment but don't regret it.


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## MartieTyler (May 30, 2015)

I would have to figure a way to keep it hidden from our HOA. Good news is I have a privacy fence and can be creative. Not sure how to build an avery.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

All depends on what you want. If you are looking to keep him outside, then a small loft or enclosure is also needed to keep him safe from predators and out of the weather, with an aviary attached so that he can go outside and get fresh air and sunshine. If you just want an aviary where he can be let outside for a while and brought back in again, then you just need an enclosure framed and covered in hardware cloth where he would be safe from predators. Go online and google it to get some ideas.


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