# pet indoor pigeons feeding schedule and possible aggression/behavior questions



## Sarahanne1984 (Aug 15, 2013)

i have a male indoor racing homer pigeon. he is now about 7 weeks and a few days ago is now totally weaned and feeding himself pellets and grain and seeds. and i am no longer giving him supplemental feedings. i had been leaving food down all the time because i wanted him to learn to feed himself and practice all he wanted. he is out of his cage most of the day but doesnt fly a lot and prefers to walk around or sit on me and will just fly up to get up on something and has food and water available in both places all day.

I had read somewhere that indoor birds should be fed on a schedule once or twice a day and extra food removed after 10 minutes. this would be to keep them from getting overweight since they dont get quite as much exercise as birds that fly around outside all day. does anyone else feed their indoor birds on a schedual like that? if so, at what age should i remove his free feeding and start him on his schedule? should i let him free feed up to a certain age for his growth? when will he be fully grown?
i've only had pigeons that i purchased as adults in the past.

he has a basket with a towel in it in his cage that he sleeps in, its the basket that i had kept him in as a tiny baby while feeding and caring for him. is there an age where i should take it away? will he become aggressive over it like a nest? he has boards for roosting on in there and i have seen him roosting and sleeping now, but sometimes he chooses to sleep and snuggle down in the basket still. he seems to like it so i want him to have it for his comfort if its not going to hurt anything, but i also want him to have a nice personality and dont want to encourage anything that will give him bad behavior later. 

also i have so enjoyed having this hand fed pigeon that i have been considering handfeeding and keeping one more. we are very close and he prefers me to all other people and he likes to cuddle on me all the time and go places with me and i rather enjoy it. i wouldnt want to ruin our companion relationship by getting other birds if it would.

i was wondering about; since he is male, would i have to try to get females? would he fight with another male? i prefer male birds for pets as i get stressed always worrying about possible problems with eggs and egg binding and breeding etc. (i wouldnt intend on letting them breed) is there a chance he'd fight the new baby? or be jealous over me? or lose interest in me all together due to having more pigeons around and get mean? (the breeder i buy from is pretty good at feeling the pelvis to predict gender). also- would he share a large cage or be territorial? he is in a large rabbit hutch type of cage now, since i needed easier access to him to feed him and he wasnt flying before, but i bought him a large cage that i havent put him in yet. it is 7 feet tall 3 feet wide and 5 feet across. i was wondering if 2 or maybe up to 3 pigeons could share a large cage? as i wouldnt have room for multiple cages like this one. or if i should wait to put him in the new one so that it wont be like only his territory when i want to add a new bird to it and put them both in at the same time or something like that? ive been trying to do some research but havent had much luck in finding info about possible aggression or behavior in hand fed male companion pigeons. 

any advice on weather i should just scrap the idea of another bird or how to best introduce him to a new bird or the best combination of genders or how a new bird might change his personality or our relationship would be welcome. id love to hear from some multiple indoor pigeon owners about how your whole dynamic works. thanks!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I'm wondering how you know he is a male? Is his color sex linked? If not you really won't be sure what sex he is until he matures and acts out, or lays an egg to tell you it is a hen. If you wanted a companion for it another hen would work even if he/she is a hen. Two hens can get along, two cock birds may compete of they see you as a potential mate. If you got a more mature bird to know it was a hen for sure from past egg laying, I would introduce slowly, and they should bond together eventually. Pigeons do like the company of other pigeons when they get used to the other/s, it is time consuming to fulfill that need, a huge part of a mature pigeons life is attracting a mate and nesting, it's hard for a human to put that much time in for them , at least for the long haul , they can live into their teens and longer.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Pigeons are social birds and they love to have companion. If u spend time with both of them they both will stay close to u.Way back, I had a indoor pair and they just loved sitting on me. But when breeding(especially cock) they wouldn't let my hand near their nest. I raised young from them and given them for free to people who wanted to have pigeons as their pets.
And yes as already stated its early to say for sure that he is a male. If space is enough he will be accustomed to company of a new hen and fighting won't be that of a problem.


Sarahanne1984 said:


> he is now about 7 weeks and a few days ago is now totally weaned and feeding himself pellets and grain and seeds. and i am no longer giving him supplemental feedings.


Hunger could become a great motivator. If he's weaned completely then he should eat without motivation. To encourge a bird to eat I would feed him twice. A pigeon eats a tablespoon of feed twice daily. I would show him feed when he is hungry and he would eat all. If we avail feed all the time he can get picky and may not eat those seeds which he don't like but those seeds could be important for him to eat. When given the needed amount of feed he will readily eat all. To enjoy a lasting relationship I would offer him seed in the palm of my hand so that he knows that I'm his friend,he is dependant on me and I'm here to take care of him.

Adult pigeons like perches more than nest. Infact they need nest only when breeding. He sits in the basket cuz he has spent his childhood in that basket. He is used to it. Eventually he'll be more inclined towards perches.


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## Sarahanne1984 (Aug 15, 2013)

The breeder i buy birds from thinks he is male. by his eye height on his head and by feeling the spacing of the legs/pelvis. he is right most of the time. but i realize the chances are still 50/50. I am a responsible adult and realize that pet ownership is a lifetime commitment. he is with me all day every day and even goes to work with me. the plan is that he will have my undivided attention for the long haul. i have always had a bird as a constant companion. i'm not a social person, and the opposite gender does not tolerate me, so i will never be married or have a family or any situation that will change my ability to put attention and time in with my animals. i dont know that he needs a companion as he seems happy as he is and he is not lonely. i was asking about the possibility of more birds because i enjoy them, but dont want him to be upset by it or change his demeanor toward me. i like to be able to handle my birds with out being pecked and bitten, so i prefer to handfeed my indoor birds from babies rather than just buy older ones who will not appreciate a person trying to pick them up and wouldnt be used to living in a house. if i did get any more birds as i said i would NOT be letting them breed. because i wouldn't want to get stuck with too many birds and no where to keep them and no one to give them to and not enough time to keep them tame and happy. and eggs would be replaced with dummy eggs. one other bird, would probably be the limit. i supposed i could just try it but be prepared to give away the new bird if he doesnt like it.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Sarahanne1984 said:


> The breeder i buy birds from thinks he is male. by his eye height on his head and by feeling the spacing of the legs/pelvis. he is right most of the time. but i realize the chances are still 50/50. I am a responsible adult and realize that pet ownership is a lifetime commitment. he is with me all day every day and even goes to work with me. the plan is that he will have my undivided attention for the long haul. i have always had a bird as a constant companion. i'm not a social person, and the opposite gender does not tolerate me, so i will never be married or have a family or any situation that will change my ability to put attention and time in with my animals. i dont know that he needs a companion as he seems happy as he is and he is not lonely. i was asking about the possibility of more birds because i enjoy them, but dont want him to be upset by it or change his demeanor toward me. i like to be able to handle my birds with out being pecked and bitten, so i prefer to handfeed my indoor birds from babies rather than just buy older ones who will not appreciate a person trying to pick them up and wouldnt be used to living in a house. if i did get any more birds as i said i would NOT be letting them breed. because i wouldn't want to get stuck with too many birds and no where to keep them and no one to give them to and not enough time to keep them tame and happy. and eggs would be replaced with dummy eggs. one other bird, would probably be the limit. i supposed i could just try it but be prepared to give away the new bird if he doesnt like it.


I guess there is really nothing you need help with, you seem to have it figured out. YOU are the only person to choose to get another bird. 

Iam not sure if you have had pigeons before, but even hand raised ones can be defensive esp about their nest or cage. they can grunt and grab skin with the beak handraised with lots of handling or none. they are allot different then pet hookbills from the pet store. pigeons are mate driven, busy either finding one, mating with one and nesting and sitting eggs, it is a huge part of their life. It will look to you as another pigeon and if a male want you to nest and when you don't they can get aggressive it is called driving the hen to the nest. IMO I don't think a pigeon would like to go to a humans work, they don't like change of enviroment. I think you probably have to learn as you go about pigeons and how different they are to other "pet" birds.


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## Sarahanne1984 (Aug 15, 2013)

spirit wings said:


> I guess there is really nothing you need help with, you seem to have it figured out. YOU are the only person to choose to get another bird.
> 
> Iam not sure if you have had pigeons before, but even hand raised ones can be defensive esp about their nest or cage. they can grunt and grab skin with the beak handraised with lots of handling or none. they are allot different then pet hookbills from the pet store. pigeons are mate driven, busy either finding one, mating with one and nesting and sitting eggs, it is a huge part of their life. It will look to you as another pigeon and if a male want you to nest and when you don't they can get aggressive it is called driving the hen to the nest. IMO I don't think a pigeon would like to go to a humans work, they don't like change of enviroment. I think you probably have to learn as you go about pigeons and how different they are to other "pet" birds.


i have had pigeons before. and when i have had pigeons that i just bought as adults they would bite ALL the time when you had to pick them up and didnt want much to do with people. a few of them were a little more friendly, but not really. i dont have them anymore since i didnt realize that my neighbors were feeding wild hawks and they came over in my yard and ate my outdoor birds. and since then a pair of eagles have moved into my backyard, so i dont keep small animals outside anymore. i had a hand fed pigeon in the house as a kid, but my father raised him and not me, i think he lived like 12 or 15 years. i know that all birds bite. but there are reasons behind it. when my current bird bites me there is a reason behind it like he is getting hungry or doesn't like the person sitting next to me or a stranger trying to touch him. and when i correct the situation and give him a minute to calm down he is back to his old self again. it isnt just because i picked him up. i think he does like to go to work with me. he sits by the window on the ride and watches the world go by and spends the day on my shoulder. he doesnt act scared or bothered by it so i dont see the problem with it. otherwise he would be left alone 8 hours a day, and if i was going to do that then i wouldn't have gotten him. all birds even hookbilled petstore ones are mate driven and become aggressive when in season, and become cage aggressive when you lock them up all the time. parrots also view their owners as mates. when i was rehabbing macaws and cockatoos several males couldnt be handled without leather gloves in breeding season. my pigeon doesnt live in a cage. he is out all day, except at night and if i have to leave him home for an hour or two. i was asking about aggression behavior with other birds simply because i have never seen pigeons fight or kill eachother and wansnt sure if that was something they did or not. we used to give my dads bird a nest of fake eggs in season and that would calm him down. hed sit on them a couple weeks and then be back to his old self. it seems that everyone always thinks other people are "doing it wrong" when it comes to types of animals that they also like to keep. so far people have replied with a bunch of random things but no one answered my original questions which was the point of the post. other than yes if he is male he could be aggressive toward another male. i wanted to know if at 7 weeks i should start him on scheduled feeding or if he needs more food for continued growth, and if i should take away his basket.


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