# Dometicating feral pigeons, your thoughts please



## lolliepopnz (Oct 4, 2012)

Hiya all, 

I've just received notice that my home for the last 8 years will soon be going on the market. Thanks to Peter Jackson - I live in the same suburb as his studios and since he hit it big rent prices have soared around here - and the slowly decaying state of my house (the only reason we could afford rent here in the 1st place), I can't imagine anyone but developers will be interested in buying in order to tear it down and put up 4 or more townhouses.
Anyway I look at it I'm fairly certain I will have to move.

ANYWAY, for the past 5 years or so my partner and I have been feeding what started as 2-4 pigeons. This group has grown (with babies as well as I guess pidgies that heard it through the grapevine) and now there is on average between 20-25. 

My dilemma is, because they've had the stability of a daily feed for the past 5years, do I take them with us when we move? if so how? 
At the moment they are fed daily and some readily eat out of your hand or perch on you when you go outside but not all of them. Would catching them, moving house and rehoming, be more traumatic for them than not getting food every day?

There are approximately 15 that I KNOW come everyday and have done for a while.. there are others who come occasionally who I can't identify as readily...

I'm mostly worried about my one legged 'Stumpy'.. she has one foot and only 2 toes on that foot. I know she has a mate, and I know she had babies with her last year. 
I don't want to leave her behind as I can't ensure her survival without someone like me looking out for her everyday, but then I don't want to tear apart a family unit either?

It's such a conundrum, I'm struggling as it is to find somewhere suitable for my family and I'm worried about the pigeons. HAHA!

Ohh well, anyway I'd really appreciate people's thoughts on what you all think is going to be best for this flock.

Thank you very much


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Hey there, Your in welly yes?

I would say leave the majority there but maybe take stumpy and its mate with you, aslong as they do not have babies at the time so winter would be your best shot. If stumpy and its mate are both there at the same time its a pretty good indication they do not have young or eggs. But not a certainty.

With regards to the others I think the best thing for them is for you to slowly cut down the amount of food you provide giving them a chance to find somewhere else to forage. The welly pigeons do have a hard time as there are nowhere near as many fields around as here in ChCH, The pigeons here in ChCH never go near people, they go out to the fields by the lake to feed and then fly back to the seacliffs at night to roost.

Its a hard one, If you do take some with you they will need to be prisoners and kept in a loft that provides all their needs. Thanks


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## jameswaller (Nov 4, 2008)

*pigeons release thereof*



lolliepopnz said:


> Hiya all,
> 
> I've just received notice that my home for the last 8 years will soon be going on the market. Thanks to Peter Jackson - I live in the same suburb as his studios and since he hit it big rent prices have soared around here - and the slowly decaying state of my house (the only reason we could afford rent here in the 1st place), I can't imagine anyone but developers will be interested in buying in order to tear it down and put up 4 or more townhouses.
> Anyway I look at it I'm fairly certain I will have to move.
> ...


---i face the same dilemma,-if my house sells,?-the question is will the domesticated pigeons fair well turned lose.??--if i have my way i will relocate with them,-the ferals will want to stay-,but my captives-will go-simply because i have raised them for 9 years,--released to the wild some animals can revert to a feral state--but i think that may apply to predatory animals,ie-pigs,etc.,prey animals-pigeons-are prey animals--or--just food,,-this is one reason i donot like the so called racing groups that only want recognition for the trophy bird,,---in ww2 a pigeon was the most decorated critter for heroism,-injured in flight by enemy fire-earing himself a purple heart,---sincerely james waller--


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

As a third choice, you could take them with you with the intention to settle them into the new location, and then let them free near your new home (and therefore near regular food). You could provide an open loft for them to return to at night, a permanent loft, or just let them go, knowing they had a food supply at your place. If you move, say, within 30km, they could possibly go back to their old roost spots at night, but you will have shown them where the new food supply is. They are so clever that I have no doubts about them being able to find you again when they were hungry.

This sort of thing could require them to be caged for a long time to rehome to your new place (they say up to a year, but it depends a lot on their age, whether they mate in the new location and have eggs there. I have some pigeons that rehomed to my place within a few months). Anyway its just an idea, it depends on so many things like where you move to and what you can offer them. Some of my wild pigeons feel like family to me too. If I ever move, at least a few of them will be going with me; I just can't take risks with them...they're family.


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## lolliepopnz (Oct 4, 2012)

Hi all, 

Sorry I'm so slow responding. I had my response all typed out about 2 weeks ago and then we had a power cut which lost me my computer and wifi :/

Yes Evan I'm in Wellington. And I dread the thought but I do think you're probably right. Wellington is a joke for it's greenery... apparently we have a green belt through town but it's pretty laughable. Also, trying to get my partner to cut down on feeding, he's gone and done the complete opposite, even found newer and yummier additions for them

We actually live right by the harbour entrance up on a hill. Down the other side of said hill is about 3 old abandoned wharves which I think is where they spend their nights.
In regards to my taking them with me, would I not be able to "rehome" them for a period of time and then let them come and go as they please?
This is the other conundrum, I don't want to cage a free animal.


James, it's horrible isn't it. They really do tug on your heart strings and become pets as much as any that sleep beside you or live inside the house. Mine are feral mongrels and I don't care, they are wonderful and they all have their own funny little personalities and idiosyncrasies. I've always been one for taking in the runts and mutts 
I didn't know they won Purple Hearts during the war but bless THEIR little hearts, they certainly deserve it. 


Thank you Bella for explaining the distance with them. I would love to take all of them and rehome them but wasn't sure if that would be more traumatic than just leaving them. Ever since I was a kid I figured a trip to the vets or human intervention's probably the animal equivalent of alien abduction  
I worry about birds and their speedy little hearts getting over stressed. Sadly I really don't know how far we're going to have to move. At the moment rental prices are looking to push us out into the countryside potentially 100-200km away ALTHOUGH having said that if I do have to move that far out it would be a beautiful environment and home for them 

Thank you all for your suggestions, I'll let you know how it all goes.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Thanks for writing back and letting us know how you're going. Moving is traumatic enough without worrying about your `other family'.

I have a little bit of experience with rehoming wild feral pigeons, as I have several with me. Mine seem to like the captivity- this is not just wishful thinking, I hope, but rather what I believe from observation and giving them choices.

The oldest one I have is a lovely hen who was sick when I took her in. She became mated to another pigeon who was with me at the time, and I gave them the option of leaving when she was well. But she didn't want it. I guess having a mate along with regular food means a lot to her, as she knows what starvation & struggle feels like. For a while, when I cleaned the coop, I sometimes gave her the option of going out for a fly. I even took her out once to see if she wanted some exercise, but no, she flew right back inside. This was after about around 4 months of being in my coop, with a mate & nest box. 

My other feral, squee, was younger when I took him in. I accidently locked him outside last Christmas day (long story). He was waiting for me, indignantly, to let him back in his cage when I got back home , lol. It was his turn to sit on eggs and he was pissed at me .

Anyway getting back to your birds, I do think you could successfully teach them to live near your new home. But you do have to be cautious, and its perhaps a commitment you may not want to take on. But it can be done. 

The advantage is you would ensure their continued food supply and probably save their lives. 

The disadvantage is if you take ones that were on eggs or had babies, or were separated from a mate, they will want to go back. But pigeons do move on, and they can do it within a week, if offered a new mate- I've seen this, when i've had to break up couples who were close family members, say siblings . They don't like the separation, but they will happily go with a new partner if offered that. I think the key is to give them what they need- a potential mate, nest box, food and water.. And they get used to the new place.

One other experience I'd like to share is the time I had to go away for 3 weeks. I don't like thinking about this too much, but it might help you. 

When i went away, some wild pigeons had been eating at my place every day, maybe 50-100. So i got one of those enormous chook feeders- 25kg- and filled it to the top with pigeon food. I hoped they would be able to eat this whilst looking for other food.

But when i got back, i found 5 or more bodies around the house. And one poor pigeon had got itself inside the feeder and was dead  The worst part is I had become attached to a king pigeon before I went and knew a couple of regulars. i never saw them again. I still have hopes they found some food around the local schools and train stations, and shops. I live in an urban area, so there are options. But seeing those bodies made me realise it's not as easy to find food as I might wish.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

you would slowley cut back on the feedings untill you do not feed, so they will go find other places to forage. As far as stumpy goes..he may just be happier to not be seperated from his flock.


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## nancybird (Jan 30, 2011)

I wish you & the pigeons the best.


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