# how to handle my pigeons



## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

hi i have 4 pigeons and i've had the for about 4 months i feed them and give them water but they still act like they hate me i really want to know how to get along with them like every time i try to pet them they run away or peck me i want to know how i can make them comfortable with me holding them and petting them please help me.


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## almondman (Aug 22, 2009)

Most birds do not like to be held. How old are your birds? Younger birds may be easier to hand tame than older ones. I would spend as much free time as you can spare around them, even if it means sitting/standing in their cage/fly pen.
Keep all your moves slow and smooth. Stay as quiet as you can and keep outside noise down to minimum. Extend your open hand/finger to them slowly and don't push them to hard. You should also offer feed and/or treats after things quiet down in the loft.

Some birds may never calm down enough to be actually hand tamed. But with time and effort they should come to accept you.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

i dnt know how old my pigeons are i dnt know how to tell how old they are


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## almondman (Aug 22, 2009)

Do the birds have a metal band on either leg. If so, this should have at least the year the birds were born on the band


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

no i dnt know how to get tags on them plus i usually catch my pigeons from a farm


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

and can you tell me what pigeons like to eat or what treats they like because i just buy them wild bird seed from wal mart


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## almondman (Aug 22, 2009)

Are these birds from the farm. If they were born wild, it could be much more difficult to tame them. In their minds, you are a prey animal. 

You might have to wait until you have young from these birds to get truly hand tame birds. At least you can work with the squabs from when they first hatch. You can still try to tame the adults, but please don't get discouraged.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

ok its good enough for me


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

but can you tell me what kind of treats pigeons like


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

someone plz help me what treats do pigeons like??


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## almondman (Aug 22, 2009)

Chopped kale or Spinach, unsalted peanuts


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

Sunflower seeds ( no hull)


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

what is no hull


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

sorry im 12 years old im still learning


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

No hull means that they have had the shells taken off.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

ohh thanks


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Feral pigeons are more difficult to make friends with. They are living wild, and like any other wild animal, they value their freedom. As was mentioned, they view you as a predator. For them to learn to trust you would be difficult and take a lot of time. How did you catch them?


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## Miss-Sassypants (Sep 25, 2010)

Wait... you caught the pigeons from the wild. Just like that?

They could be parents of babies, or mates with families... why would you do something like that?

There are a LOT of pigeons who needs a home. If you are intending to keep a pet, do *adopt* one - one who really needs someone to love (from our adoption page) - instead of catching them outright from the wild.

Having a pigeon is REAL responsbility, just like any other pets, and you must be willing and prepare (and ABLE) to give them a good home. A SAFE home, away from predators, give them proper food and nutrition, give them a lot of love (and not abandon them when the situation suits).

I hope you took all these into consideration before you 'caught' them.


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## Michy (Jul 29, 2011)

One of the easiest "treats" to find for them are the black sunflower seeds with the shell (hull) still on. You can find these in the same aisle as the wild birdseed. These are treats and they will get fat if you feed them too much of them.


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## thepigeonkey (Oct 12, 2011)

My pigeons love sunflower seeds whole (hull on) and safflower which is like white sunflower seeds. Sorghum otherwise known as Milo is a good treat for pigeons. It looks like raddish seed but is much better. Aslo popcorn, canary seed, millet, brown rice and brown lentils are good treats.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

Miss Sassypants in right. *Why don't you adopt some tamed pigeons*. Let the wild pigeons be in the wild..unless they are sick and you want to take care for them until they get better..but then they have to be released back into the wild. 
You should release whatever you caught back to the place you got them from.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

ok i take care of them very well and i have 1 that is tamed already i dnt no how to adopt neither does my dad so we just caught them and if i try to release them theyr probably going to die because they depend on me for food plus my pigeons like their house if i let them go they'll just come back


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

and how can i tame a pigeon


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

Just spend time with them talking or "cooing" ( if you are one of the crazy people) and offer them mentioned treats from your hands.It takes time. some are going to want to eat and come to your hand and bite it, just stay still, until they trust your hand..some will be shy will look at your hand but not dare..time , patience and treats is all about. You cannot pet them like a dog or cat..
Also allow your pigeons to bathe ( this is not part of taming, but it keeps them happy)


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

can i give them baths in the winter


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Well I do, but then mine go back into a warm loft. Pigeons like to bath all year.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

guys i can take a picture of my loft


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

We love pictures, and we love seeing other lofts.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

can u tell me how to upload photos plz


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I use photobucket. It's easy. But this link tells you how to post photos here.
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/faq.php?faq=vb3_reading_posting#faq_vb3_attachments


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

here is my loft


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

That's cute, but I would find a way to close it up at night with the winter winds blowing. And hardware cloth would keep mice out better than chicken wire.
How many birds do you have?


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

i have 4 birdis and how would i make the cloth stay on the wire


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I have heavy pet screening that I drop down on the aviary on dark damp days when mosquitoes are around. You could do the same thing by attaching heavy plastic just over the top of the door, that you could drop down at night or on windy days, and you could roll it back up when you want it not covering the door. If you use heavy clear plastic, it would still let light in so that it wouldn't be dark if you had it down on a stormy day. It would work. Your loft is nice though.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

do u no any way i can keep my water from freezing


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

My screening is stapled to a length of wood that goes across the side of the aviary.I then screwed the length of wood onto the aviary at the top. I can drop it down, or roll it up and tie it in place with a piece of rope.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Not without electric.
But you can change the water in the morning and again in the afternoon.
I have electric in my loft. Makes things easier.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Now that I have seen your loft, I can understand why you are having a hard time getting them used to you. You see, I can walk into mine and sit there with the birds. I can watch them and spend time with them. You can't do that, as you don't have a walk in loft. That does make it lots harder for them to get to know you.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

would u mind taking pictures of ur loft and where the electricity runs through u can do it tomorrow if u want


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Mine doesn't show as my loft is built onto the back of the house, so you can't see the wire. But people do sometimes run a cord, (an outside electrical cord) to the loft. Like you would use for Christmas decorations.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

How far is your loft from your house?


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

its about 4 meters from my backdoor its not attatched to a wall it just has 4 stands and its standing by itself


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You would have to run an outside electrical cord from the house or basement.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Can you just change the water morning and afternoon? My birds drink at different times of the day, but it is a must after they eat.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

what if it rains


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

What do you mean?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Are you talking about the electrical cord?


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

yea the electric cord


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

The weather proof electrical cord is made to withstand the weather.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

where do u get it


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Hardware stores, or home Depot or Lowes, or something like that.
Do you have somewhere you can plug it into on the house?


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

yes do u no how much they cost


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

No, I'm sorry, I don't. But you could call them and ask. You would need enough to run from the electrical outlet in the house, to the loft, then a few extra feet.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

ok thank you jay u have been a great help


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Is there a place in the house that you can run the cord from? And get it outside?


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

yes there is


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## rasheed.rubeena (Dec 29, 2011)

There is no need to be sad or scared.when I got my pigeons they were like that too.If i used to get near them they would fly a km away from me.Just be patient and show them your good side.You won't believe after having them for 6 months i first hand feeded them but now it has been 1 year and 2 months and they are crazy for me.They trust me very much and sit on me as soon as they see me.Everywhere they get a place to sit, even on my head and shoulders.Even if i try to shoo them away they still come back.Just stay patient.GOOD LUCK!


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

alright thanks rasheed


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If you had a fenced in area around the loft, with the fencing also across the top, you could go inside and open their door, where they could come out, but not get away. That way you could go in and spend time interacting with them. Kind of like a small walk in aviary.


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## rasheed.rubeena (Dec 29, 2011)

thepigeonguy said:


> alright thanks rasheed


MY NAME IS RUBEENA!!


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## rasheed.rubeena (Dec 29, 2011)

Dima said:


> Just spend time with them talking or "cooing" ( if you are one of the crazy people) and offer them mentioned treats from your hands.It takes time. some are going to want to eat and come to your hand and bite it, just stay still, until they trust your hand..some will be shy will look at your hand but not dare..time , patience and treats is all about. You cannot pet them like a dog or cat..
> Also allow your pigeons to bathe ( this is not part of taming, but it keeps them happy)


DO PIGEONS UNDERSTAND OUR LANGUAGE!!??(I am only 13)i bathe my pigeons twice a week


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## nancybird (Jan 30, 2011)

It takes time for them to trust you .


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