# What pigeon to free fly?



## Pigeon maniac (Oct 7, 2016)

Hello, this is my first post! so I was wondering what breeds are best for free flying? I really like pigeons and can only have birds that can fly free. thanks in advance!


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Pigeon maniac said:


> Hello, this is my first post! so I was wondering what breeds are best for free flying? I really like pigeons and can only have birds that can fly free. thanks in advance!


Exactly what do you mean by fly free? Letting them out daily to loft fly? Or giving them free access to come and go at will?


----------



## Pigeon maniac (Oct 7, 2016)

I'm thinking of letting them come and go when they want but closing them in in the evening


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Then you probably want homers. But you need to understand that when you do that, and you leave the loft open for their return, that you are also leaving it open to predators that can get in and kill them.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I should also have mentioned that birds on eggs or babies should not be flown. If something happens to a parent bird, you then have orphans. Even if just one parent gets injured or killed by a hawk, often the remaining parent will abandon the babies. You would then either have to be prepared to feed them and wean them, or have them die.
Giving them so much freedom sounds good, but not really safe for them.


----------



## SRSeedBurners (Jul 22, 2015)

Jay3 said:


> Then you probably want homers. But you need to understand that when you do that, and you leave the loft open for their return, that you are also leaving it open to predators that can get in and kill them.


Jay,

Why would you recommend homers instead of something like some kind of Persian High Flyer? I'm new to this as well and sort of was looking for the same thing as the OP.

I was talked into buy some Iranian & Pakistani High Flyers as I could release them in the morning and they would trap back in when they're done flying for the day. Will homers do the same?


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Homers were bred to be able to home to their home loft. That is what they were bred for, so if trained right, they normally do this better than other breeds.


----------



## Pigeon maniac (Oct 7, 2016)

Good to now, if I want to free fly them what do you recommend I do


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If you are going to free fly, then not much you can do. When many racers let their birds out, they stay with them to watch for hawks, and to keep them safe when they land to come back in, as that is often when they are attacked. And predators aren't going to get in while they are standing there. You want free fly birds that only roost in your loft. Then you can't really keep them safe, or keep the loft safe, can you.


----------



## Pigeon maniac (Oct 7, 2016)

Hmmm, okay I really like pigeons and I'm not showing or racing, so I'll just take the risk. I also can close it when there out and open it when it's time for them to go in for the night


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You won't have birds long. They will get picked off one by one. 
And you can't just close it up when they are out. They will want to come back in and will be sitting all over the loft. That is setting a dinner plate for the hawks. What you want to do doesn't work if you want to keep your birds.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They need to be trained to come back in when you give them a signal. That way you can hopefully call them back in when you want to. You should be there when they are out, and stay till they are back in. If you don't want to work with them and spend the time and effort, then why do you want pigeons?


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

So actually, the answer to your question 
"What pigeon to free fly?"
Would actually be Any bird you don't want to have for long.

Doesn't take hawks long to know there are pigeons around. And once they do, they won't stop hitting them.


----------



## Chuck K (Jan 12, 2013)

*Free flying*

Find someone that has ferals. They are often called commons. Ferals / commons have survived in the wild for years, and they can be trained to home to a loft. They will be more adapt at avoiding predators but not predator proof. You can find them in all colors and markingst too. They are not all blue bars and blue checks.

If you want a pure breed, the Catalonian Tumbler might be an option for you, but I don't think they were intended to fly free. http://www.cichlidlovers.com/birds_cats_bill_hart.htm


----------



## Pigeon maniac (Oct 7, 2016)

Thank you all I'll think about what to do.


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Don't understand why you don't want to just keep them in a loft then fly them so they are safe like others do. Why not just watch birds with binoculars? The fun is having certain individual birds and knowing them and caring for them. ??


----------



## chayi (May 1, 2010)

Try some high flyers teach them to trap in your loft once they are well fed and clean water and have good space they will trap back in, you could let them out in the mornings let them fly all day and when they get hungry they will trap back in your loft. These aren't hommers so you won't be able to take them out say 40 or 50 miles and expect for them to make it back home but they could fly out a good 10 or 15 mile radius.


----------



## hamza syed (Jun 22, 2012)

just saying a I have kept free flying pigeons its not easy and it wont be long that they will leave your loft and start building another nest where they think is much better, this is leaving the chances of survival in the wild like predators, diseases etc. If you want to keep free flying pigeons build a loft or a dovecote and start feeding feral pigeon it wont be long, when a feral pair will start living in your loft as food and water source is easily accessible.


----------



## phoenixfarms (Feb 1, 2017)

wanted to throw my two cents in... I think we can all agree that free flying pigeons is more "dangerous" and has more risk then leaving them in the coop. You can expect to lose some. But more to the question of which ones are more suggested to free fly, i would say try to get some local feral pigeons that you can tame and breed and free fly them, they will be used to the local predators and will have a higher survival rate, and when you lose some they aren't high dollar pigeons... After that I would probably do homers, because they tend to be faster and sportier than other fancy pigeons, i dont know much about high flyers so idk what to say in their regard.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

phoenixfarms said:


> wanted to throw my two cents in... I think we can all agree that free flying pigeons is more "dangerous" and has more risk then leaving them in the coop. You can expect to lose some. But more to the question of which ones are more suggested to free fly, i would say try to get some local feral pigeons that you can tame and breed and free fly them, they will be used to the local predators and will have a higher survival rate, and when you lose some they aren't high dollar pigeons... After that I would probably do homers, because they tend to be faster and sportier than other fancy pigeons, i dont know much about high flyers so idk what to say in their regard.


Adult feral pigeons are not all that easy to train. And most of them would go back to where they came from when released. Squeakers would be no more used to the local predators than if you just got homers.


----------

