# overwhelmed



## Lisa C. (Sep 1, 2005)

I just got three pigeons. And i mean just, like 20 mins ago. I thought i was prepared enough but now that their here i'm in a blank panic.

Its 7 in the evening here so i don't want to disturb them but i'm wondering if there's something i've forgotten.


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

H-m-m-m...sounds like the way I felt when I brought my first baby home from the hospital! If you have your new pigeons in a secure, draft-free place with food, clean water and grit, they should be fine. The rest of what you need to know can be learned. Have you read any of the "basic care" threads on this forum? Do you have a good book on basic pigeon care? If not, I recommend you get one. Where did you get your pigeons? If you bought them from a breeder, he/she should be able to give you good advice on their care. 

Is there something happening with your new birds that is making you feel nervous? We need more information before we can give you advice. In the meantime, be calm and don't worry. Pigeons are tough, adaptable and forgiving creatures.


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## upcd (Mar 12, 2005)

*congratulations*

On your new pigeons. Shelter, food, grit and water. This is a good safe place for you to learn about pigeon. Take a few deep breaths and relax.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Congratulations on getting your pigeons!

What kind of pigeons did you get?
Will you be keeping them inside or outside?

While they are asleep read one of our threads here on the basic care for pet pigeons:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=10848

Here is a thread for finding an avian vet in your area, always good to have one picked out should an emergency arise:

http://aav.org/vet-lookup/


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## Lisa C. (Sep 1, 2005)

The breeder is the brother-in-law of my mother's cousin. I was originally planning on getting 2, but he brought 3. Two are homers, one is a brown pigeon he called "tal-borma" which literally means of the pot, since they were originally bred as food (he doesn't eat them though). 

The cage is well protected with two screened off "bedrooms" at the back. Since i now have three pigeons i removed a partition to make it one big compartment.

One of the homers went straight inside. the other two remained outside. Its not cold so i'm not really worried, but will the one inside claim it as his own?

Also i don't know their sex. They are fledglings of a few weeks old.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

At a few weeks old you won't know their sexes for sure for a while. But they should get along fine.
Sounds like you provided them with all they need.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Reti


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## Lisa C. (Sep 1, 2005)

When i went up this morning they were all in the sleeping compartment though there was a bit of squabbiling. I was expecting some squabbling but how do i know when they're actually fighting?


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## upcd (Mar 12, 2005)

*Hello*

LisaC, pigeons do tend to peck at one onother from time to time.


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Some squabbling is normal; what you don't want to see is pigeons really hurting each other: wounds around eyes, etc. If one of your pigeons takes over the entire sleeping quarters so that the others are forced to stay outside, you'll need to divide it into individual boxes or add more before it gets cold. Space recommendations for pigeon lofts are a minimum of 2 square feet of space per bird. If you don't have that, they will fight. More space is always better.


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## Lisa C. (Sep 1, 2005)

thank god they stopped squabbling!

Though i think the loft is too small for three pigeons. They don't all fit comfortably in the common area. 
I put sawdust as a bedding and i already had to clean it out. They sure poop a lot. 

Also i'm not sure how to go about bonding with them. their fine with me sitting at a distance reading, but as i get close they dive for the bedroom. If i don't approach them they won't become tame but if i do i just scare them, especially if i put my hand in the cage.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

The fact that they settled for sharing is good. If you don't already have them, most pigeons seem to like a brick or just a half brick to perch on. Makes em feel safer, for some reason, even tho it's a low perch.

My ferals on the balcony do some muttering and pecking before they settle down at night, even though they all know each other and have their particular roosting places.

As they get older then you may need to consider some changes. If you have two males (or three!) then it is part of being a male pidge to be 'top dog' (so to speak  ), and you may then need to divide or make some other suitable 'privacy' arrangement.

What size is your setup?

John


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

What breed are they? Some breeds are more aggressive than others.


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## Lisa C. (Sep 1, 2005)

The cage is almost 3 ft wide and 1.5 ft deep.

They seem to have settled. The one who used to fight more ( now known as Mo) is now gently pecking or nibbling at the others ( Wollip and Fudge) beaks and necks.

Also i think i found a way to make more space for them. 
Lets see if i manage to explain...The depth of the cage is divided in two, making a common area aprox18" deep and almost 3 ft wide, and a "bedroom" area of aprox the same size.

The bedroom area was originally divided into 2 using 3 wooden screens. one to divide the two compartments and 2 as screens between the front and back.

When i ended up with 3 pigeons instead of 2, i removed the centre screen dividing the bedrooms to end up with one large bedroom instead of 2 smaller ones.

This morning i took out the screen on the right to clean it and they seemed to be more comfortable with out it. They moved about more. 

I'll put it back at night for them but i think i'll make it a habit to remove it during the day.


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Lisa C. said:


> The cage is almost 3 ft wide and 1.5 ft deep.
> 
> They seem to have settled. *The one who used to fight more* ( now known as Mo) *is now gently pecking or nibbling at the others *( Wollip and Fudge) *beaks and necks*.
> 
> ...


Hello Lisa,
It seems like the transition for us is nearly as tramatic as for the birds.  We all go through adjustments. 

From your description, it sounds like Mo may be a male & Wollip and Fudge (love the names) might be females. 

Ideally, I believe the enclosure should be large enough for each bird to spread it's wings without touching the sides of the cage. The more space they have, the less bickering you'll see, hopefully.
It sounds like things are already beginning to settle down.  

Please keep us updated. 

Cindy


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## Lisa C. (Sep 1, 2005)

hmm... if there's only one male thats good. Though i was begining to think that fudge (the other racer) was also male. Fudge has a few glossy feathers on the neck that i would usually see on the feral males. 

Oh! and do all pigeons reverse to poop? 
I used to see some pigeons with really lose poop that i'm sure wasn't healthy. but theirs seems too solid to be bird poop.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Lisa C. said:


> Oh! and do all pigeons reverse to poop?
> I used to see some pigeons with really lose poop that i'm sure wasn't healthy. but theirs seems too solid to be bird poop.




Hi Lisa,

I have seen birds with wattery droppings or other poop issues really back up like they know it is going to be a messy one. Maybe they experience gas and cramping, and anticipate it arriving.

I haven't seen it with solid droppings.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi Lisa,

You've spotted the poop shuffle  Pigeons learn in the nest to shuffle back a little to poop, so they don't foul their immediate space. Firt I saw was a baby on the balcony who was gently tapped on his back by father, whereupon he slid out from under pa pigeon and did a little squirt. They mostly retain that action as adults. 

Poop is normally a neat rounded dropping dark brown or brown/green with a cap of white. 

Often in the mornings, a bird will do a very large squidgy poop - we call it a 'hen poop' from where the hen sits on the nest all night.

Sometimes they get messy temporarily from stress, changes in envronment or even change in food. Prolonged messy or very wet poops may signify a problem, however.

With the feathers, depending on the general color of the birds, both male and female wil eventually develop the glossy multicolored sheen round neck and upper breast.

John


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## Lisa C. (Sep 1, 2005)

deep breath...thank you. I thought he was ill already.

God i must seem really paranoid, but the last bird i had was a diamond dove and after a month got sick and died. Then i got a dwarf rabbit who died after 2 weeks (both from the same pet shop, needless to say i never went there again.)


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## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

Hi Lisa C,
Welcome to Pigeon owning (or should I say being owned by pigeons  )
Sounds like your pigeons are starting to settle down nicely, you will notice them getting more comfortable as the days go by, pigeons are great at adjusting to changes in their environment.
Make sure you give them Pigeon Seed (a specific mix for pigeons, not like a wild birds mix, it's higher in protein), and have Pigeon Grit avilable at all times (it's red in colour), these along with fresh water should keep them in good health, then just watch their droppings for any sign of changes that can indicate illness.
Here is a pic of what pigeon food and grit look like:
http://www.pixalbums.net/post.php?site=Pigeon&album=Alaska&pix=pfood.jpg
Goodluck , and keep us posted on the progress
Regards
Alaska


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