# Cross breeding pigeons?



## Pigeonfriends

I know pigeons have been cross bred with other species like the Swallow to make fancy pigeons.

So is it possible to cross breed a pigeon and a hawk together? i mean it would be awsome to have a hawk racing pigeon hybrid, because they your racing pigeon would take down your competition.


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## NZ Pigeon

I was going to put are you crazy.... but I won't

The swallow is a type of fancy pigeon, Pigeons are all variations of the columba livia species. They are bred to look different through select breeding within the species.

I know some types of dove can be crossed with pigeons but I don't think they have been crossed with swallows and I am sure you won't have much luck breeding a pigeon and a hawk. Firstly fertility would be an issue, And secondly, have you ever seen a pigeon after a hawk is finished with it?


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## Pigeonfriends

what if you get a pigeon to hatch a hawk egg? would the hawk think he's a pigeon?


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## NZ Pigeon

Pigeons are grain eaters, Hawks eat meat.


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## MaryOfExeter

Probably not, hawks have predator instincts. You would have to take the baby hawks out to hand feed and they would probably be too big for the parents to sit on anyway. It's also likely they would abandon them because they won't eat.


As for crossing, pigeons have 80 chromosomes and hawks have about 68 chromosomes so it would not work. They are just too different.

Here's a list of pigeon x dove hybrids and whether they are fertile.
http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/Articles/hybrids.htm


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## MaryOfExeter

Here are some Swallows


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## Pigeonfriends

awwwww but can't they splice the egg? i was at a farm before and the farmer had people splice the chicken egg to make featherless chickens but splicing it's dna with a naked mole rat.


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## NZ Pigeon

Mate, The answer to your original question is no, for many reasons. I don't think you are going to convince anyone here that it could work. You sound like you don't want to take no for an answer though, Why not give it a go, Let me know how you get on lol.


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## spirit wings

may I add it is impossible... lol..


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## NZ Pigeon

We have this lame ad on the radio advertising a company that builds homes, It says, Nothings impossible, The word itself say's I'm Possible. and then goes on with its little jingle. Ridiculous Isn't it.


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## Quazar

spirit wings said:


> may I add it is impossible... lol..


NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE ......






























...... Its on the web


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## NayNay

Quazar said:


> NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE ......
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Awesome, LOL


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## Libis

Pigeonfriends said:


> awwwww but can't they splice the egg? i was at a farm before and the farmer had people splice the chicken egg to make featherless chickens but splicing it's dna with a naked mole rat.


You mean transgenics? Yeah, you can do that. It's expensive and you can only change a few genes at a time--so you would not get a true hybrid. Not to mention I'm pretty sure there are laws about it where you have to have a good reason to be allowed to do it.

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/T/TransgenicAnimals.html

http://people.ucalgary.ca/~browder/transgenic.html

http://www.kumc.edu/TGIF/faq.html

This is also how you make goats who have spiders's silk proteins excreted in their milk.


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