# When are they ready to fly?



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

Hi all, I have 2 homer pigeons. They're both 6 weeks, got them at 26 days. Now, I've had bad history with pijis. So I'm very nervous about flying them. I'm not going to be tossing them from far off, I plan on just letting them flutter about the outdoors near the avairy. But I'm so scared about letting them out, and it just taking off  should I let only 1 out? They haven't yet responded to shaking the bucket during feeding times, but I've only just started doing it. ATM, they also have 24/7 access to chicken food (have an Injured chicken and a brooding girl in there), but I put piji food in there for 10 min every night/ morning. Sometimes they eat, sometimes there don't.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

with two birds it would be dumb to even let them out. a hawk will make dinner of them in no time. 

flying homers esp where you live would be better to fly a flock, I would say 20, they work as a unit with more eyes to look for predators and if and when they do see one they fly as a group very high and moving swift. it puts the hawk off unless he can single one out of the crowd, which is what two pigeons let out would be.


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

We have owls who live up in the woods, but no hawks. We have ravens, but a BB gun out while the homer is flying does pretty well agaisnt those guys. Right now it's like 5 ravens, they bring up they're fledgings each fall to our house, so it's a pain w/ our chickens, but the new guys are shy agaisnt us.
And the owls are at least a mile away, and I only know of them because our neighbor has seen them, but I've never seen nor heard them, and we're closer to the woods then he is. 
So no predators, really. And I would be out there w/ them, which would deter the ravens as well as a BB gun.


----------



## likebirds (Oct 22, 2012)

Ravens wont hurt your pigeons, in fact they will help keep hawks away.


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

likebirds said:


> Ravens wont hurt your pigeons, in fact they will help keep hawks away.


Yes and no.  They keep away hawks, but tell that to the, at least, 50 dead chickens he's killed over the years. Pigeon wouldn't be any different


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

RockPigeon<3er said:


> We have owls who live up in the woods, but no hawks. We have ravens, but a BB gun out while the homer is flying does pretty well agaisnt those guys. Right now it's like 5 ravens, they bring up they're fledgings each fall to our house, so it's a pain w/ our chickens, but the new guys are shy agaisnt us.
> And the owls are at least a mile away, and I only know of them because our neighbor has seen them, but I've never seen nor heard them, and we're closer to the woods then he is.
> So no predators, really. And I would be out there w/ them, which would deter the ravens as well as a BB gun.


Here is a list of birds of prey in your state. so yes you will see one eventually if you let out pigeons....... period.

Hawks, kites, and eagles[edit]Order: Falconiformes. Family: Accipitridae

The family Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey and include hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures. These birds have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight.

Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus 
White-tailed Eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla 
Steller's Sea-Eagle, Haliaeetus pelagicus 
Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus 
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus 
Northern Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis 
Swainson's Hawk, Buteo swainsoni 
Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis 
Rough-legged Hawk, Buteo lagopus 
Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

Ok.... Thank you for telling me BOPs which I'm aware our state has? All I was asking was when could I tell that they've been 'homed' here, if its been long enough, or if I just have to let them out and take a chance.
And I believe that I will not see them, since if I would have seed them, period, I would have seen them this winter when we had, quite frankly, stupid 7lb geese running around outside. Instead, a raven killed one. Or now a days, when we have, slow, 3lb chickens running around. Or when we had 5lb Cornish, who all they did was sit around and eat.
There's so many more food sources that every one of those could take down here, so why would flying pigeons attract them? I had pigeons flying around all winter - no hawks, no owls, only ravens.
The ravens keep them at bay, so until those ravens are dead, I do doubt Im gonna see them, since I'm sure I would've have seen them a while ago.
Not trying to be rude, but flying pigeons isn't a very strong argument to attracting them, since not only did all winter and sometime during spring, we've had MUCH more food sources for them to eat then 1/2 pound pigeons.
Ill keep an eye out for them, but I have a family of ravens to do that too


----------



## 50FootQueenie (Feb 16, 2013)

I don't understand the idea of letting pet pigeons fly outside an aviary? It's not reasonable to expect that birds of prey won't attack them if they aren't with a flock (and please, for the love of god, don't shoot native birds like Ravens with a BB gun or anything else--Ravens are just doing their thing, that seems unfair to shoot one because it's interfering with a hobby. Why not keep your pet pigeons close to home where beloved pets belong?


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

50FootQueenie said:


> I don't understand the idea of letting pet pigeons fly outside an aviary? It's not reasonable to expect that birds of prey won't attack them if they aren't with a flock (and please, for the love of god, don't shoot native birds like Ravens with a BB gun or anything else--Ravens are just doing their thing, that seems unfair to shoot one because it's interfering with a hobby. Why not keep your pet pigeons close to home where beloved pets belong?



Agree!...........................


----------



## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

50FootQueenie said:


> I don't understand the idea of letting pet pigeons fly outside an aviary? It's not reasonable to expect that birds of prey won't attack them if they aren't with a flock (and please, for the love of god, don't shoot native birds like Ravens with a BB gun or anything else--Ravens are just doing their thing, that seems unfair to shoot one because it's interfering with a hobby. Why not keep your pet pigeons close to home where beloved pets belong?


aside from shooting at the raven. homing pigeons love to fly Even in small numbers. Sure risks apply. . and these birds are at the training age. They need settled then flown. It is much greater risk to fly rollers and many do that. There are many aspects to the pigeon hobby. Racing showing and then the pet backyard pigeons.


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

I'm not going to shoot a raven with a BB gun... He would not DARE do anything in front of me and I absolutely love the guy... I said that but... Well I was quite frankly in a bad mood with him... He ate another chicken. But like I said, I'd have to be AWFULLY POed to shoot him with a gun
And I would like to fly homers as a hobby...they're not just pets.. Hoping to get some Czech Baghdad pigeons as well, which I would also like to fly as speed but no one has specified if they're speed or distance.. Want to do my current homers as distance homers... 
Yes I'm aware they aren't responding because they have access to chicken food,but like I said they will eat the piji food sometimes, not always though....
Next weekend I think I'm gonna fly them... There's one chicken left in the aviary and she can be moved around very easily. I've been doing they get 10 minutes every morning / night they get access to food... Oops.... Should I do 10 minutes access to food 3x a day, or just an hours worth of food 2x a day? Seems like they can only eat so much at once, so 3x a day seems like more sense and then they'll have a better attitude about coming for dinner.. Thanks, sounds like they're ready but I'm still a nervous Nellie so I'm gonna wait until when I shake the can, they fly to the feeding station... Or when I put the food up, they're eager to come... Don't want to hold them in too long...
the buggers were supposed to go to the fair with the other birds, but out of EVERYONE in the aviary, they're the only 2 with lice and didnt make it in. Even the feral rescues had no lice... Bleh. So I deloused them again, and guess the next week will be devoted to flying them and prepping them...

I FIGURE any homer can be trained to be speed vs distance? My friend does sled dogs and she trains them for distance, and I know the training is different for sprint.... So.... Difference for pigeons? Lol.



Eta;;
Shorty.. Great vid...is the one black w/ white wings? Looks so, very pretty any who.. And yes, freedom always has a cost... Sometimes it means being locked in an aviary for a while, sometimes it means being eaten by a hawk...


----------



## jafacanyan (Jul 17, 2013)

I too have new baby's getting ready to fly, but just like you I think twice, so I think I will let them out one by one till I feel comfortable good luck


----------



## sev3ns0uls (Jul 2, 2011)

If there are no hawks in your area, why not. 

i say if you really want to train them, i suggest, wait for a least another month or so until they are 2-3 months old. Just let them hang out at the aviary daily so they can get a good homing sight of the loft. Also they will be stronger flyer too and may evade predator ambush but not always a success. Its a 50/50 for a homing pigeon vs hawk. Other breeds are easy meal. 

You have to consider the many downsides: 
Those are young inexperience flyer. The safety in number is too small. They can get lost if spooked by crow or other predators. they have very low chance of escaping if there's a ambush(which i hope not at all).

But as homer are flying performer breed, sometime as their trainer; you have to take chance and go against the odds. Sometime you get lucky and other time you are not.

I start letting my young birds out with the older birds are around the age of 2 months+ old. I think they can learn from the older birds and get experience from them. But every time is a risk so i always stay by and keep an eye on them.


----------



## Miss-Sassypants (Sep 25, 2010)

50FootQueenie said:


> I don't understand the idea of letting pet pigeons fly outside an aviary? It's not reasonable to expect that birds of prey won't attack them if they aren't with a flock (and please, for the love of god, don't shoot native birds like Ravens with a BB gun or anything else--Ravens are just doing their thing, that seems unfair to shoot one because it's interfering with a hobby. Why not keep your pet pigeons close to home where beloved pets belong?


I agree with this SO MUCH! No bird deserved to be shot by a bbgun. No matter what species.


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

In a month, it's gonna be 10F, with an inch of snow on the ground? That ok to fly em in? 

Btw, did get pics and a LOT so be warned! 


























These 3 are the homers and I think one of the feral boys popped up in one? Any who, there sitting on there 'box'


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

Inside of their box.... The water jug was originally for chickens, but they don't really use it. They have another one that isn't as deep, so they can water bathe. Should I take this out in fear of drowning?


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

Just them again
















The garden. Its potatoes. The chukars hide in here


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

The netting








The tarp


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

This is there winter loft.. The little coop door (we added a door, no worries) 








The roosting / nesting boxes








The little roost at the top. It's tall








Btw, it's not that dark here. This is a shot of the sky, and its not exaggerated. Like 12:30 am here. Idk why, but the camera makes it look REALLY dark.
Sorry if this is considered spamming xD



ETA ;;
Miss sassy pants, you'd be surprised how easily a grouse can be killed with some thing as simple as a BB gun. Won't shoot anything but grouse though, can't aim well enough to shoot / kill anything else (grouse are, to put it kindly, slow)


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Kind of hard to see anything pics are too small.


----------



## sev3ns0uls (Jul 2, 2011)

Ohh if its too cold, i wont let any birds out. wait until its warm.

if you keep feral pigeons, you can let them out with your 2 homers. They get along and do flock together. I think they are a littler smarter then homers. They are great flyer too but just that they dont have long distance homing ability. 

Nope, this dose not even consider spamming. This is like a homepage of your topic and you are free to throw anything related on this thread.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Ferals have better homing ability than you think. Some ferals were brought from Portland to Washington to another loft. When they were let out months later, a bird came home almost 150 miles.


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

Enlarged the pics 

The feral boys hate my house, and hate captivity. Makes a huge difference between Mature males and squeakers. Either way, want to release them come spring. They were nuisance pigeons a friend trapped, and I got them when he was done (he uses them for pointer training, and will sometimes eat them)

From the sounds of it, my little homers will be kept outside for a homer view, but won't be let out till spring. That's cool though, they'll be much more attached to our home.
And I flew our last year squeakers in cold weather.. Usually just for the day or 2, but that's also what had killed them  one boy couldn't handle it and when brought inside to recover, it was just too much and he didnt make it, the other girl must've got caught in wire and died. They were supposed to be out for the day when it was -20 (warm day for all of us)but they didnt come back and it dropped to -60 the next day and well... /: well, freedom ain't always free /:
Course those were native birds and were supposed to be able to handle it, vs homers who haven't been here for generation after generation. 


Shorty2- very good point, but I was asking if they were bred for speed / distance? ^^ like malamutes will almost never be seen in a sprint race, they were bred for distance, big muscles that can work for a while. While huskies are much leaner, so they're pretty much always used in sprints, but can also be used for distance (though malamutes are usually used as well). But moo point now, the person selling wanted cash, so we got a different one (surprise  )


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

LOL, I'm artistic? XD 

Nope, not imported but the parent stock / grandparent stock might be. I got them from someone else here, who may have imported but I doubt, but for all I know they've been here for only 4 generations and still haven't adapted quite. But, I know they're parents aren't Imported and likely the grandparents aren't (the person I bought them from doesnt remind me of someone who would pay for imported birds, if ya know what I mean?)


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

Shorty -
No idea. It gets pretty cold though, so I'm sure it'd take a bit. We have warm coops for them, though. 
I could do a test. Not sure how to execute it, but somehow see who gets cold before any one else as it gets colder. Getting some rollers from a warm state (can't think of it), that'd be easy to see how many generations before they start getting thicker feathers or just handling the cold better (I know with livestock they tend to get thicker coats as they adapt to our little mini Antarctica)


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

A Raven ate a chicken!? Im glad Im not one of your pigeons!


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

And like a 3 month old goose.
But we've worked it out. He eats animals when he wants protein, but generally leaves us alone. In return, no hawks nor owls dare venture by our house.


----------



## pigeonjim (May 12, 2012)

Shorty2, Well said and thanks for the vid


----------



## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

Oh and the raven hasn't eaten a pigeon, too much work for too little reward (I mean, c'mon, we got 3 lb chickens in the yard and now have 5lb Cornish, and he ate a goose too!)
Picking up some Swiss mondaine pigeons.. Eh. Not sure my opinion on those. I know someone I can sell the squabs Too, but this guy also has fantails and I'd rather have fantails then meat birds, personally, and Ive set my limit to 3 pigeon breeds (rollers, homers, and now meat I guess)
For those who sell pigeon meat or ever bought some - how much does it for?


----------

