# Feral parents used to raise fancy breeds.



## tjad25 (Feb 6, 2012)

Let me start from the beginning ..so about three years ago I went to the Oregon coast and caught 2 pairs of very unique (icy blue with boots) feral barred pigeons. They are very good parents so I decided to swap eggs with my Uzbek tumblers, Dragoons and Trumpeters eggs because the ferals feed their chicks so much more. But now the offspring are not pairing up or breeding. could swapping eggs do this?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

tjad25 said:


> Let me start from the beginning ..so about three years ago I went to the Oregon coast and caught 2 pairs of very unique (icy blue with boots) feral barred pigeons. They are very good parents so I decided to swap eggs with my Uzbek tumblers, Dragoons and Trumpeters eggs because the ferals feed their chicks so much more. But now the offspring are not pairing up or breeding. *could swapping eggs do this? *


I don't think so. How old are the offspring?


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## tjad25 (Feb 6, 2012)

Their from early spring to early summer of 2011


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

May I ask....why did you catch the Ferals ?


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## tjad25 (Feb 6, 2012)

They where pretty


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## almondman (Aug 22, 2009)

Ice pigeons?


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## tjad25 (Feb 6, 2012)

I don't think so, ill add pic later


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## almondman (Aug 22, 2009)

That would be great! Thanks.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

tjad25 said:


> But now the offspring are not pairing up or breeding. could swapping eggs do this?


I can't speak for breeds like trumpeters etc, but a local breeder of Modena and King pigeons (same size birds, roughly) told me recently that it can be much harder getting the two separate breeds to mix. Its not impossible, but he said you have to isolate the couples and work a bit harder to get them to accept one another. 

Your offspring might think of themselves as ferals, since they bonded with feral parents, so they might be looking for feral mates as a first preference.Either that or they are all the same sex?


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## tjad25 (Feb 6, 2012)

Maybe.. ,i'm pretty sure theres cocks and hens. thanks


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## newday (Dec 12, 2004)

*Breeding*

Being different breeds has nothing to do with it. 

Certainly pairing them in small pens will accelerate their matining, because it forces them to focus on the other bird - even then sometimes a cock and a hen just will not pair up. In an open loft if there is an inballance in cocks/hens (especially extra cocks) it will delay pairing because of the competition for the hens. Also nesting can be disrupted by the extra cocks.


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