# introducing new pigeons?



## chayi (May 1, 2010)

today my wife got me a pair of pure white homers they look so different than my black and my gray homers. They are taller, more slender at the neck and stronger, even there wings look longer. They are banded 2010 so they must be at most 4 months old I guess. It seems like one of the new white homer is bulling around is this normal when introducing new pigeons to the loft?
About how long should i keep them locked up before leting them out? My other 4 homers are about 5 and 7 weeks they are starting to fly from roof top to roof top and helocoptering over the loft. I guess if i let the white ones out in a month or so would they hang around or go back to where they from?
If they leave would they drag my other 4 homers with them? Because my 4 homers when let out they just play follow the leader back and forth.
all was relax now im stressing lol.


----------



## Symbro (Oct 28, 2005)

you are going to have to soap their wings... but otherwise you really should have a problem. 

is their original owner near? did he fly them? If so then it will be a little harder... but the process will be the same.


----------



## chayi (May 1, 2010)

Whats this about soap there wings you mean real soap? if so what does that do? and how you do it?


----------



## Symbro (Oct 28, 2005)

try searching on youtube to see it...

but yes its real soap... liquid dawn soap product...
some will tell you to soap both wings... others suggest only one wing.

the idea is simple though. you liberally apply the liquid soap to the last flight feathers. so that you can make them thin as possible. depending on how many you do and how well you do it... the bird will have a retarded flight ability. 

if it were me... id let the birds onto the landing board often... training them to trap for food for about two weeks. then soap their wings so they can reach the landing board. and then reach the roof. if you soap them now... they will learn to compensate too soon. after they trap and play on teh roof... you can just wash off the soap. Do NOT let them wash it off in a bath.

as far as how long and how much... everyone differs.


----------



## Action (Oct 18, 2009)

*Hawks?*

I guess there are no Hawks in Kansas? Soap the wings here and they turn to Hawk bait. If you try it I hope it works.
Good luck.
Jack


----------



## Symbro (Oct 28, 2005)

how do you settle your wing strong YB or resettle older birds?

lol and i did this in Cal where, yes, i had to keep an eye out for the hawks.

ps... Kansas is 10min drive from where i live in Kansas city, MO...


----------



## Action (Oct 18, 2009)

*Not sure?*

I am very new at this. Soaping the wings just sounds like a bad idea-Maybe not but doesn't sound good to me. Resettleing old birds? Not sure soap will work there. I guess it works for you and others but I am not going to try.
Good luck.
Jack


----------



## chayi (May 1, 2010)

So when do we call a bird an old bird or a young bird about what age? I guess these birds must be between 2 to 4 months old.


----------



## Guest (May 15, 2010)

older birds even unflown can be imprinted on an old loft if they got the lay of the land thru their flypen at their old loft , so its still a risk letting them loose outside the loft... the soaping of the wings just keeps them from being able to fly to far when they are let out for the first time so it sometimes helps them to not just take off into the sky and get lost which is called strong on the wing (birds that are older and let loose outside the loft that cant find their way back)


----------



## Guest (May 15, 2010)

chayi said:


> So when do we call a bird an old bird or a young bird about what age? I guess these birds must be between 2 to 4 months old.


old birds are birds over a year old and young birds are birds born within the year they are born


----------



## sky tx (Mar 1, 2005)

Banded 2009---Old bird even if banded Dec 31 2009 --still old bird Jan 1 2010
Banded 2010---youngbird

I would say it is a youngbird until it is 1 year old--Just My Opinion.


----------



## Symbro (Oct 28, 2005)

i never flew old birds myself... i helped my father.

i believe the old bird season is during the time you are raising and training your YB's?


----------



## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

Depending on the part of the country, old bird season usually runs sometime in april to sometime in june.


----------



## Big T (Mar 25, 2008)

How long has your older birds been flying at your loft? Wait about a month to get your whites settled to your loft before you release them. The older birds are already homed to your loft so there is no problem about them leaving, but the younger whites may or may not leave, you are not going to know until the day you release them. Soaping the wings is good for new young birds the first time out of the loft because if they get frighten they cannot fly too far from the loft and get lost but it sounds like your whites are too old for this. Also you have older birds that are already homed to the loft. After about a month of settling release the whites late in the afternoon with the older birds for about a week. Make sure you trap trained the whites before release day. That is the best you can do.


----------



## Big T (Mar 25, 2008)

Action said:


> I am very new at this. Soaping the wings just sounds like a bad idea-Maybe not but doesn't sound good to me. Resettleing old birds? Not sure soap will work there. I guess it works for you and others but I am not going to try.
> Good luck.
> Jack


Soap, tape, or cut the flights is so new young birds cannot fly too far. This is because sometimes when the new young birds are first released from the loft if anything frightens them they fly out in a panic to never return. Many folks have lost a lot of birds the first time out because of this. I lost three of my six when I first started. This is good when you are only releasing young birds the first time so they can home to the loft. Soap and tape are better than cutting the flights because it is just for that time period, no waiting for feathers to grow back. 
I find I do better to loft fly my young birds late in the afternoon, (less daylight and hawks have eaten, I hope), with my older homed birds until they start routing. Then I road train the young without the older birds.


----------



## chayi (May 1, 2010)

hey big t how is it you soap the wings? Is it with soap and water or just pure soap alot of soap? Do you leave it after they trap do i wash it of once there in the loft just how one dose it?


----------



## Big T (Mar 25, 2008)

chayi said:


> hey big t how is it you soap the wings? Is it with soap and water or just pure soap alot of soap? Do you leave it after they trap do i wash it of once there in the loft just how one dose it?


You use pure soap on the last two or three end flight feathers on each wing. It drys on the feathers and stays on until they bath. I just let them bath the next day to wash it off. But really, older birds are better teachers when loft flying young birds. 

Tony


----------



## Symbro (Oct 28, 2005)

i have resettled old birds who have flown around other lofts. yes it does not always work... and i did have one go back to its old loft after it flew around mine for a month. 

make sure you let the soap dry. also i let them out around three times like this. but like i said in a previous post. everyone has their own way to do this.

on a side note... if you can get them sitting on some eggs... that helps... some say letting them out near dusk is helpful... others have put them in a open pin out in the yard. I used a crate that had mesh sides, this way they can see more of their new home.

when i was ready to wash off the soap... i used the hose... i would not let them wash it off themselves. that lets the soap spread. again thats in my opinion.


----------



## Symbro (Oct 28, 2005)

http://books.google.com/books?id=Aa...&resnum=8&ved=0CC4Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false

start on page 16... then continue on page 18


----------

