# How Do You Tame Pigeons?



## Heather-Mole (May 16, 2006)

I have tryed taming my pigeons the adults i have no chance the babys maybe but i carnt as the babys live in the same shed as the adults so i think the babys see the adults are scared and thn want to get away aswell i handle them all alot but nothing seems to work any ideas thnaks
Heather


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

It's a lot harder to tame a loft full of birds as opposed to a couple of "pet" pigeons. Some are as wild as the day is long, some will be calm as long as you are calm, but still don't want to be handled and then some are just sweet hearts.........just spend time with them, feed them some special treats by hand, and then just love them as individuals and respect their space.


----------



## Avalona Birdy (Apr 12, 2006)

I would suggest bread-feeding. I do that, and it keeps my birds coming to me....I haven't been able to REALLY tame a bird with it, but I have gotten them to come to me and realize I am not oging to hurt them, at least.


----------



## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

Heather-Mole said:


> I have tryed taming my pigeons the adults i have no chance the babys maybe but i carnt as the babys live in the same shed as the adults so i think the babys see the adults are scared and thn want to get away aswell i handle them all alot but nothing seems to work any ideas thnaks
> Heather


 The pigeons in the local park are very tame, now how do you think they got that way, without any "Official" training ? The answer is hunger. Birds must only be fed by hand. If they don't eat out of your hand, then they don't eat. Pretty simple really, people always make it difficult.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

SmithFamilyLoft said:


> The pigeons in the local park are very tame, now how do you think they got that way, without any "Official" training ? The answer is hunger. Birds must only be fed by hand. If they don't eat out of your hand, then they don't eat. Pretty simple really, people always make it difficult.


I guess it depends on what a person means by "tame"...........If by tame you mean you can pick up any one of over 100 birds in your loft, anytime you want, and pet and kiss and cuddle it, it ain't happening.........if by tame you mean, they don't scatter in the loft like something crazy everytime you go in, but remain calm and will "voluntarily" come sit on your knee or shoulder,,,,that's doable with some work and patience............No I'm not trying to make this difficult....... 99% of pigeons in a loft DO NOT want to be held, but the majority of them WILL calm down in time with a little work. You make it sound like it's possible to have a loft full of REAL PETS............ When birds come to eat out of your hands, that only means they are hungry enough to do so, but reach for any of them and the majority of them will back away.........that goes for the "park" pigeons too......


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I have a loft full of both untame, relatively tame, and 2 pet pigeons. It depends on their background too, as to what degree of tameness they are. 

Hunger can help train a bird, and it also will bring some to your hand, but they are never actually tame to the point my pets are that fly to my shoulder. (without actually being hungry)

If you find a snack that they absolutely love, they will almost do anything. I have a big old homer named Ken, who ignores me completely until he sees a peanut in my hand, then he falls all over himself with anticipation and flies on my hand and will stay and eat until every peanut is gone. Then if I move my hand to try to pet him he is gone like a flash. He is quite mesmerized when he is eating them and he probably could be quite tame to a point.

You can't just go and pick him up or any other bird, unless they are occupied and in a trance, like during an eating frenzy. I can pick Skye and Sonic up, and they will bite the heck out of me if I disturb them on dummy nest duties.

I also have several babies I was in close contact with when they were young, but not hand raised, and they will not leave their cubbies when I put my hand near me and will bite me unrelentlessly. They are my almost pets, and aren't afraid of me either.


----------



## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

Lovebirds said:


> I guess it depends on what a person means by "tame"...........If by tame you mean you can pick up any one of over 100 birds in your loft, anytime you want, and pet and kiss and cuddle it, it ain't happening.........if by tame you mean, they don't scatter in the loft like something crazy everytime you go in, but remain calm and will "voluntarily" come sit on your knee or shoulder,,,,that's doable with some work and patience............No I'm not trying to make this difficult....... 99% of pigeons in a loft DO NOT want to be held, but the majority of them WILL calm down in time with a little work. You make it sound like it's possible to have a loft full of REAL PETS............ When birds come to eat out of your hands, that only means they are hungry enough to do so, but reach for any of them and the majority of them will back away.........that goes for the "park" pigeons too......


Yes, perhaps we should bring up the dictionary and see if that sheds any light on the subject ?

tame ( P ) Pronunciation Key (tm)
adj. tam·er, tam·est 
Brought from wildness into a domesticated or tractable state. 
Naturally unafraid; not timid: “The sea otter is gentle and relatively tame” (Peter Matthiessen). 
Submissive; docile; fawning: tame obedience. 
Insipid; flat: a tame Christmas party. 
Sluggish; languid; inactive: a tame river. 

My experience with pigeons and in providing pigeons to small animal trainers, and working with them, indicates that yes "FOOD" is the key. Regardless of how you wish to define the word "Tame"...or even the degree of tame.

And not that I would suggest, or ever wish upon a pigeon, to endure hunger to the point of starvation, but a pigeon which has not eaten for a week or more, would eat out of your hand, even while being held upside down or sideways.... That would be one "Tame" pigeon.....


----------



## dovegirl (Apr 15, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> if by tame you mean, they don't scatter in the loft like something crazy everytime you go in, but remain calm and will "voluntarily" come sit on your knee or shoulder,,,,that's doable with some work and patience.


Hi Renee,

How do you tame a pigeon so that it remains calm and sits on your shoulder? 

Can you only do it by taming baby pigeons?

Ellie


----------



## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

dovegirl said:


> Hi Renee,
> 
> How do you tame a pigeon so that it remains calm and sits on your shoulder?
> 
> ...


It is easier to train them as babies, but an an adult pigeon can be "taught" to fly or jump on your shoulder and/or head.
It takes patience and winning the trust and loyalty of the pigeon. Some pigeons it takes a bit longer and I undertsand that some , well you just can not get to that level of performance. 

I have 4 and all but one will go for the shoulder/head.I have one, my most recent adoptee that was once a racer in 2001, and apparantly got lost and became accostomed to feral life until he became in need of help and was rescued by an Iowa couple in January. This pigeon probably endured a hard life for a good part of his life, but is now with us. I have him eating unshelled raw sunflower seeds from my fingers and he will now cautiously walk on my hand in the morning at feeding time when he is the most hungry. I leave my hand palm up purposely in front of his feeding dish making him have to go on my hand. He will now walk up my arm...but we still have some "quality time" to spend and a ways to go but it is a good start.They seem to listen very well when they have a hungry stomach...but never starve them.

Reward them when they achieve this level by giving them a treat, like a safflower seed, or a raw unsalted sunflower seed .I offer this slowy with my hand while speaking softly and even making soft "pigeon sounds." 

Do not be discouraged if you do not have instant results, as you most likely won't.It takes time and patience from both of you.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

dovegirl said:


> Hi Renee,
> 
> How do you tame a pigeon so that it remains calm and sits on your shoulder?
> 
> ...



Ellie, the only thing I can tell you is, yes, spend time with them when they are babies and the talk quietly and move slowly in the loft, never make sudden movements and try not to drop stuff or make loud noises. After the birds get older, get you a chair or a stool and go just sit in the loft. Don't try to grab the birds, don't even move, just sit there.........eventually curiosity will get the best of them and they will jump up on you knee, or stand on your foot, some will climb up on your shoulder or head. Just sit there and let them do whatever they want to do. They will play with the shoelaces on your shoes and if you've got on sandals, they will peck at your toes and toenails and that can tickle and make you jump, so just beware. The birds need to know that you are not there to catch them or harrass them or even feed them every time you come in the loft. We have 60 youngbirds, only one will follow me every morning as I clean, and sometimes she will get on my shoulder and ride for a few minutes.......we call her "Sleepy"......in my Hen breeding loft, I have Rosie......she ALWAYS rides on my shoulder while I clean but if my husband is cleaning, she goes out in the aviary. I've had her since 2002, raised her in my loft, and that's as tame as she will ever be. She'll ride on my shoulder, but if I reach for her (unless I have a peanut) she flies away. So, just spend time with them and let them decide whether they "like" you or not.


----------



## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

I think that they have good memories.....my fantail would fly to me every time he saw me coming, even across the fields behind the house. He rode on my shoulder or flew to my lap if I was sitting and enjoyed a tummy scratch. He developed Bumblefoot so, I had to catch him and check it out..I must have hurt him because since then, despite my tempting him with his favourite treats, he remains leery of me...approaches cautiously, grabs whatever is being offered and beats a hasty retreat.


----------



## ~Racer Pigeon~ (Jun 19, 2006)

We have some doves who we haven't tamed but they seem to be very friendly. They are very gentle and sweet! They don't really run away when we go near them but they do fly a bit when we try to catch one. They are quiet but very friendly. I was told by my brother that it would be best to tame a bird to be a pet when it is a baby, that way they learn to trust you straight away.


----------

