# How to Tame a New Adult Pigeon



## hk_1 (Apr 6, 2009)

Dear Fellows,

I bought 6 pigeons about a week back, two days back I opened their cage so that they enjoy the open air, 
one of them jumped out of the balcony and a cat took full advantage of the situation. Yesterday I again
made a mistake of opening their cage which is in my balcony and one of them again became lunch of 
a big cat by jumping out and falling because its wings were clipped, besides this one flew off to some
unknown destination (probably his previous owner) as I became a little impatient for seeing him fly.
My question is that how much time will these pigeons take to except my house as their home, for how
long should I keep them in a closed cage? I am upset because of the loss of three pigeons and any
expert's advise will definately help me get through this learning phase

Best regards,
hk_1


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

hk_1 said:


> Dear Fellows,
> 
> I bought 6 pigeons about a week back, two days back I opened their cage so that they enjoy the open air,
> one of them jumped out of the balcony and a cat took full advantage of the situation. Yesterday I again
> ...


performance breeds are the only nones that should be let out to fly, breeds like homers, rollers and tipplers, tumblers. the homers need to be young birds 30 to 40 days old to train to come back to your loft,or they will/may fly away to find their pre home. the pigeons need a loft not a cage, they need an aviary and plenty of room. If you have a cat problem then letting any bird out is a death waiting to happen. it's too bad the three birds had to lose their life for you to learn this way. read up on the care of pigeons before going further into this hobby, because these are living things that should be protected and cared for properly.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello and thank you for your questions.

I'm upset that you made the mistake twice allowing your birds freedom when predators are close by.

If these birds have been previously released or are not properly trained to "home" to a coop, or they don't even have the homing instinct you cannot release them at all, as they will most likely be lost, if they don't fall victim to a predator.

If you want to fly them, why not fly them within the confines of an aviary, or inside an empty room, where they are safe from predators. Also, hand feeding them will allow them to be somewhat tame.

If you would to have birds return to you, please check out the training thread in the homing & racing pigeon forum, in the pigeon for sport section. You should start with young "homing" pigeons that have never homed anywhere, and they should be trained properly before they are released, for their own safety as well as to help you gain an understanding of what is involved. They have the instinct, but it is up to you to educate yourself responsibly for the safety of these creatures.


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## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

I am very upset reading this post. The loss of three birds due to your inexperience is unexcuseable. Why would anyone let out a bird with clipped wings, into an area where cats are present, knowing the bird could not even fly away to save itself?????

Sounds to me like you are more intrested in training your cats to kill pigeons than you are in training pigeons to return to you.

It is the responsibiliy of all persons when they adopt any living creature to protect and care for them.

What the heck are you thinking??????????????


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## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

HK 1...........I am sorry for being so harsh with you. I hope you have learned a valuable lesson from your bad experience. I know you must also be upset with the loss of your birds.

As the owner of these birds it is your responsibility to protect and care for them.

You have come to the right place for advice........please check our resorce sections on how to care for your birds. There is a world of information and advice available to you here.

I wish the best for both you and your birds.


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## Georgina (Jun 24, 2008)

Hi!

Uhhh, I kind of agree with everyone else in that it would of been a good idea to do a bit more research before letting the birds out, but we're only human and we all make mistakes. I did the very same thing when I got my first pigeons and on day one of letting them out, I'd lost one to a sparrow hawk.  It's a pretty tough learning curve but hopefully it's one you learn from very quickly! 

I moved house last year and of course took my birds with me. They are cross breeds and don't have that great homing ability but I do let them fly free around the garden. When I moved, I shut them in for three whole months and when I let them out for the first time, they still got in a flap about where they were but they all returned when I called them.

Try and get your pigeons used to your voice and a keyword at feeding time. I'm always chatting away to my birds and they know that 'munchies time' means they're about to get some fresh seed so if I want to get them back in, more often that not shouting 'munchies time' and shaking the seed dish will do the job. Of course, it's not foolproof and if they don't want to come in, there's not much I can do about it!  

They will be more likely to return if they actually like and enjoy living where they are too so try and provide them with the biggest housing you can afford. If you are keeping them in a little cage, then they're probably not going to be too keen to return. Also make sure you always feed them inside their housing so they know that's where they need to go for seed. 

I'd let them grow their flight feathers back before you let them out again. I know it seems a good idea to clip as you'd think they'd stay on your balcony but pigeons are bred to fly and they'll try anyway as you've learnt already. Also, if they can fly, they'll have more chance of getting out of the way of the cats. And very definately, if there are a lot of cats, don't let them out at all! Cats are hunting pros and a pigeon is generally seen as a really big slow moving meal for them.

Best of luck with your pigeons and I hope the remaining three will live happily with you!


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## Georgina (Jun 24, 2008)

Oh, and I should add, whilst they're not being allowed free flight, try to let them out for some exercise in a closed room indoors daily. Portly pigeons aren't great at flying and they'll need to be in good condition if you do let them loose again.


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## hk_1 (Apr 6, 2009)

Dear Spirit Wings,Trees Gray, lwerden, Georgena,

(OUT OF THREE ONE FLEW OFF HE HAD A GOOD FLIGHT)

Thanks for takeing out time for my post, Dear All, trust me I am sorry about what happened and thats the reason why I posted, having said this I would like to tell you that last time about 8 years back I bought a few pigeons and after bringing them home I opened them after three days only one out of 8 flew off, all the rest of the pigeons used to fly round and round and round in front of my house and used to come back , but I think that was simply because I was lucky. This time I did the same thing with bad results. Offcourse now I will be carefull and I thank you all for giving me your opinion I will certainly keep it in my mind. Thanks again.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

I'm sorry to hear about your pigeons. As some people said, it's perfectly fine to keep them in a nice roomy flight pen/aviary outdoors if you like, especially if it's not safe to let them fly much outdoors. I have had pigeons for nine years and none of them fly free, but have large aviaries and enjoy their lives very much. None of them ever try to escape, I swear.  It is a good solution to the safety problem, and you can enjoy them easily by sitting in there with them, or in a chair outside the pen watching them. Good luck!


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## pudlovespigeons (Apr 6, 2009)

Thats easy i breed tons every year. Leave them in for 1-2 weeks and they should hopefully ecsept your home as there home .

from pudlovespigeons x x aka katie dawkins x x


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

pudlovespigeons said:


> Thats easy i breed tons every year. Leave them in for 1-2 weeks and they should hopefully ecsept your home as there home .
> 
> from pudlovespigeons x x aka katie dawkins x x


NOT FOR older HOMERS...........perhaps yes for the other performing breeds. and fancy breeds should not be let out at all........


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

pudlovespigeons said:


> Thats easy i breed tons every year. Leave them in for 1-2 weeks and they should *hopefully *ecsept your home as there home .
> from pudlovespigeons x x aka katie dawkins x x


HOPEFULLY maybe....but it is "iffy" There are just too many exceptions for a newcomer to just take your word for it.

Even with young birds it's BEST to release them after 3 or 4 weeks of training.


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## Mindy (Apr 2, 2009)

I think its awful that 2 had to die and terrible death and 1 flew off to his death most likely. If you want to see pigeons fly, go to the park and feed them. If you want pet pigeons to love for along time, keep in an aviary and enjoy them. I have mine indoors in a free flight room. 
Since I just read this, and its been almost 4 weeks, how many do you have now??? mindy


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