# 1/2 Homer 1/2 Feral



## dogging_99 (Apr 21, 2009)

My Half & Half pij The result of allot of work and allot of research from this site.
Thanks: Mike


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

That's a beautiful bird. What was your purpose in doing it? Have you flown him? How old is he/she?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

that is one pretty bird and a nice pic of it too. will you be racing this bird?


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## JGregg (Jul 28, 2003)

Where you going for a sprinter? I heard that ferals can out sprint homers.


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## Airbaby (Aug 9, 2008)

JGregg said:


> Where you going for a sprinter? I heard that ferals can out sprint homers.


I wish that were true, cause there is Dairy Queen by my house with about 100 ferals on it, i could go band my 2010 young birds down there then if this is the case


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Gorgeous bird. Sweet face. She [?] looks very smart.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

She's a pretty bird  At first when I saw it, I was like "What? It's not a feral, it's banded!" Then I realized, duhhh you bred it, you banded it 

As for ferals out sprinting racing homers, not likely, since they've been selectively bred for speed, but their (the ferals') area of expertise is in the shorter distance homing though


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

Congrats. Ferals pigeons are slower than homing/racing pigeons and they home less. The advantage of feral pigeons could be their sturdiness. They probably have stronger immunity than always treated homers.


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## Glyn (Jun 29, 2009)

my Little Baby Feral Fly Fast lol 2bhp


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

JGregg said:


> Where you going for a sprinter? I heard that ferals can out sprint homers.


Wanna put some money on it ? We will keep it short, say 100 miles. Your 20 barn pigeons and my 20 racers.  If you win, I might even make some people happy and quit racing !! ......


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

The speed of homers compared to ferals is obvious. Now unless that feral is actually a lost homer, then the speed is the same.

It would be hilarious though if 20 barn pigeons beat Warren's 20 racers. But at 100 miles, I think those ferals are lost. They will probably drop down the first time they see left-over food on the ground.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

RodSD said:


> . They will probably drop down the first time they see left-over food on the ground.


Not if they are fed as well as the homers before the race.


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## dogging_99 (Apr 21, 2009)

*1/2 Homer 1/2 Feral My Story*

Ok I will explain, I started out with a beautiful smart energetic pup “Ruger” Welsh springer Spaniel.

I planned on trapping feral pigeons to train Ruger. I was successful the first attempt after baiting for a week. I trapped 6 pigeons at a grain elevator only a couple of blocks from my house.

I have a wood shop that I dink around with and I built a loft in my shop to hold the captured pigeons. Well it was still winter when I trapped the pigeons so I put them into the loft in the shop and feed them cracked corn wheat and I could change water and not have to worry about ice.

Over a couple of weeks I hobbled a couple pigeons and with Ruger on a check cord he learned to flush. After about 3 times I took the hobble of the pigeon and then when Ruger flushed the pigeon it was free, it made a couple of circles and headed back to its loft were ever. I figured the pigeon erned and deserved the right to go free. I only wanted to train Ruger not to chase birds and sit on flushing game. 

Well it turns out one of the birds had a band and a racing band on the other leg. I researched the band found the club it was banded with and in the mean time got interested in Homing Pigeons. Well the homer mated with one of the feral cocks in the mean time so through my research I put a plastic dog dish with wood chips and pine needles in the loft and in a week there was an egg in it and a day later another egg.

Well those two birds are grown up and one was sick with Paratyphoid or something and I treated it with beytril as suggested by “Trees Gray” and it puled through and because me and wifey had to hand feed it, it is a friendlier bird than its nest mate witch is also friendly I can just pick both up. Well so those two are half & half and again the two, hin and cock laid two more eggs, one is the 4 week old in the picture funny thing that bird is very friendly and I don't know why, the nest mate runs and dodges me but that little guy is not afraid and when I go into the loft/pen it climbs up on the toe of my boot.

In the mean time for my own interest I installed a benzing clock in the loft and banded the chicks, I don't know were this is going but I plan to train them to home and maybe take them camping let them fly home and with the clock I will be able to know there speed! Who knows maybe I will start a club here. 

I will say this about the Feral Cock he is an onry bird and he is definitely more intelligent than the homer he learns fast, things like the trap is not hard for him to figure out especially when he knows the food is inside. he learned the trap in my shop I would let them both out when I got off work and they got to were they expected it. they became friendly and seamed to like the loft but now that I have relocated it to the back of the dog pen they think they own it and I'm having a lot of trouble training the other birds. I purchased 4 young birds from Foy's and the feral fights the other birds when they try to come in through the trap. 

It's been a lot of work but I think once the birds are free flying it will be worth it. Ive maid a lot of mistakes along the way. I introduced two new birds (Rollers or German Owls) before quarantining them and the other four Foy's before quarantine them also, now I have a sick homer one of Foy's that me and wifey have been force feeding for a week and giving Foys 4 & 1 but I think we is pulling through felling better. because of the troubles Ive decided to vaccinate with PMV-1 and Sal-Bac. I'm fearing the pigeons will go visiting the ferals and bring back who nows what back to the loft.

Its' been a real learning experience but allot of fun.

Mike,


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## Muzza (May 17, 2009)

RodSD said:


> The speed of homers compared to ferals is obvious. Now unless that feral is actually a lost homer, then the speed is the same.
> 
> It would be hilarious though if 20 barn pigeons beat Warren's 20 racers. But at 100 miles, I think those ferals are lost. They will probably drop down the first time they see left-over food on the ground.


And that about sums it up!

That baby is a little cracker! I bet it's "feral" parent is a lost racer. 
If it's parent had found it's way into a loft it would be called a stray. 
If the same pigeon is found under a bridge, it is called a feral.

Good luck with it! Just be aware that there may be a psychological reason why it's feral parent reverted to the wild. Dont be too disappointed if it answers the "call of the wild"


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## Glyn (Jun 29, 2009)

i have 5 pigeons and there parents were feral but they go back to my loft because thats the only place they know , so in the future get a baby feral/racer and the only place it will know is your loft and the only place it will fly to is your loft because it knows theres food , water and shelter bleave me lol i was shocked when i tossed them into the air and he bolted back to the loft lol 

Thanks Glyn


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Any pigeon raised in a loft will come back to it. A pigeon is a pigeon. Homer or racer, doesn't matter. I believe homers can home from further away, and faster. They are bred for that. They should. But ferrals do have homing ability. And I think they're smarter. They have had to use their brains to survive. Think about it, the homers would probably just race straight home. The ferrals would, if they were hungry, stop for the food, then be on their way. Who's smarter. The one that drives straight through on a 10 hour trip, or the one who stops for lunch at a rest stop?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Jay3 said:


> Any pigeon raised in a loft will come back to it. A pigeon is a pigeon. Homer or racer, doesn't matter. I believe homers can home from further away, and faster. They are bred for that. They should. But ferrals do have homing ability. And I think they're smarter. They have had to use their brains to survive. Think about it, the homers would probably just race straight home. The ferrals would, if they were hungry, stop for the food, then be on their way. Who's smarter. The one that drives straight through on a 10 hour trip, or the one who stops for lunch at a rest stop?


and may even find a mate from under the overpass and bring her home!


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2009)

I think just because its got feral in its background it doesnt mean it will have the same tendencies a feral would have in the wild, those things are taught while living in the wild not in a loft ..just my opinion on this subject


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## FreeFlyer (Jul 21, 2009)

hey dogging 99 what part of Colorado are you from? I'm in a similar situation that you are in except I have a black Labrador pup...haha...


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

spirit wings said:


> and may even find a mate from under the overpass and bring her home!


LOL!!!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

LokotaLoft said:


> I think just because its got feral in its background it doesnt mean it will have the same tendencies a feral would have in the wild, those things are taught while living in the wild not in a loft ..just my opinion on this subject


Some things which are instinct, they would probably keep. Things learned would change their behavior. Be interesting to watch.


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## cotdt (Apr 26, 2010)

My feral pigeons are very fast, and I have tested them out to 50 miles. I wonder how they would fare in a 50 mile race against homers.

They do have the annoying habit of circling over my house several times before landing into their loft, though.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

How old were they when you got them? I ask because I feed a feral flock, and they do the same thing when they visit.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

cotdt said:


> My feral pigeons are very fast, and I have tested them out to 50 miles. I wonder how they would fare in a 50 mile race against homers.
> 
> They do have the annoying habit of circling over my house several times before landing into their loft, though.


Join a club, pay the dues and fees, buy yourself a clock, and let's find out. The only thing is, 50 miles is not a race distance in any club I know. You should figure at least a 100 miles is needed for the shortest races up to 300 miles + or - for YB's and up to 500 or 600 miles for OB's. My guess would be, that you should kiss them on shipping night, because most likely, that is the last you will ever see them. At any rate, it will only cost you a few hundred $$'s to find out. I say go for it !!


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## cotdt (Apr 26, 2010)

Jay3 said:


> How old were they when you got them? I ask because I feed a feral flock, and they do the same thing when they visit.


They were rescued by my uncle. The older ones were probably around a year (not sure) and a couple were babies. They all seem to do it, though.

I've had homers in the past and I don't see any speed difference when they are flying around the house. All seem fast compared to other birds. Never raced pigeons though.


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## conditionfreak (Jan 11, 2008)

As I have said in another thread, I have banded and on my young bird team, two ferals. They came from a barn and I saw the parents. They do not appear to have any homer in them, but sho knows.

I am going to train them with my young bird team and just see what happens. As with any young bird training, birds will be lost. Young homers as well as young ferals can be lost. Her's hoping I lose none.

Now that my ferals are no longer ferals, I think I should refer to them as something else.

Any suggestions?

Maybe Domesticated-Ferals (everything has a hyphen nowadays) 

How about "Black Sheep Homers".

I know what Warren is going to suggest, before he even suggests it.

"Long Gone Birds".


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## cotdt (Apr 26, 2010)

conditionfreak, you can call them conditioned ferals =) i await your results with great interest, not expecting the ferals to win anything but just to see how they fare. if you have the money, you can install GPS trackers on your pigeons to prevent them from getting lost. micro-GPS devices start at $100 each though.

if the ferals are able to keep up they could just follow the other pigeons? my ferals like to stick with other pigeons they see, especially large flocks.

the races will probably have to be short distance, not sure how much homing ability ferals have.


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

Either a lot of people posting in this thread don't understand homing pigeons or you are just 'funning' around. A homer vs. a feral? Come on! 1000s of years of breeding which allows these birds to fly 600 miles regularly or a bird under a bridge? When I first started with birds I tried the same thing, thought heck if I can catch my birds instead of buying them it will save me money. Ferals MAX at 50 miles, and even then I think they were following the homers. To each his own on the experiments but its not going to work.


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

A person i know used to have ferals/ commans / barn pigeons Which erver a person likes to call them. He trained his out 150 miles AND they came home I would think base speed of a feral and race bird would be near the same Which base speed has been set at 45 miles per hour NO winds But race birds do have A better way of finding the old loft from distances. Never tried much with ferals But Race birds did start with The wild pigeon Back long ago. Just like race birds not selcetive bred and trained over time they to are not race winners any more BUT they do get home some times days or weeks late. Most pigeons can adapt fast to the wild Some better then certion breeds. BUT the wild has its methods of keeping life span shorter.


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## conditionfreak (Jan 11, 2008)

No. I do not think that ferals can even come close to racing homers in homing ability. They may "come close" in speed over a short distance. Say twenty or thirty miles or so. But that is it.

I am doing this experiment for three reasons.

First is that I always "wondered" how good or bad ferals would do. I have heard stories that it has been done before and the ferals usually get lost after 40 miles or longer. I also have heard stories that so and so crossed a homer with a feral and won a few races with the offspring. So, I just want to find out for myself what they can or can not do. I only have two so the experiment may end quickly as young birds, be it homers or ferals, can be lost on day one. If I lose two YB homers and two YB ferals on the first toss, did the experiement prove the ferals are vastly inferior? I think not.

The second reason is that anyone (well, almost anyone) can win a hundred mile race now and then. But not everyone can do it with a feral. I have always said on this forum that good homers and great homers are so close in genetics and abilities that the main reason for winning or not winning is the handler. Not the pigeons. So, if I can finish in the top ten percent in a 100 mile race with a feral. I have done a little to prove my point.

Or I just got lucky. 

The third reason is: why not? It might be fun.

Here are some pics of my ferals. I put a homer basically the same color in with them for comparison. The ferals do seem a little bit more skidish (afraid). Must be genetics. though, as I treat all of my young birds the same.

First pic has racing homer on the left and feral on the right.










Second pic shows both ferals. Not bad looking ferals I must say. To the untrained eye, they might seem the same as homers. But there are differences in form. Noticeably the head. There is quite a "break" in the forhead/nose area. I'm tempted to say that they are smaller, but I have seen some very small racing homers.










The ferals are the only birds I have that are double banded. I do not want to cross them into my homers.

Unless they win!


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## conditionfreak (Jan 11, 2008)

Ha Ha.

My wife just came into the office and asked what I was looking at. I showed her the above two pics and told her that these were birds I was considering buying one of. I told her that they were all from the same parents and I had to choose one for purchase. I asked her to help me choose one of the four birds in the two pics above. Even though there are only three birds actually pictured. I didn't let her see the captions above the pics.

Anyway, she decided on the bird on the right in the second pic. One of the ferals. Said it looked the best of the four. Ha Ha Ha Ha.

She didn't even notice that the background in the pics is our back yard. That overturned can actually has some firewood in it and we intentially turned it on its side to keep the wood dryer.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.

I love my darling. I think I will wait a little while longer before I bring all of this to her attention.


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## cotdt (Apr 26, 2010)

How can one be sure that it is truly a feral and not an escaped homer? My homers had black eyes, and my ferals have bright red-orange eyes, but there seems to be some exceptions. Eventually my homers found feral mates and bred.

None of my ferals have the "break" in the forhead/nose area though. Here is one of my juvenile ferals:



I wonder if there is anything definitive that can visually tell apart ferals from homers?


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

Its very easy to tell ferals from homers, put a feral and a homer together and I can pick the homer out each and everytime. First is the head, homers and ferals have much different shaped heads. Eyes look different (not talking eyesign, I don't know a thing about that), wattles are very different, eye cere is very different, feather quality is different, they are just different from each other. Watch a group of ferals flying, if there is a homer in with them, even one thats lost, you can pick him out from the group even as they fly, a very different look to the birds. Maybe I just have too much time on my hands, haha.


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