# My pigeon didn't come home



## screamingeagle (Oct 16, 2002)

Ok, I know I'm going to get kicked in the bottom for this, but this is kinda a repeat of the last girl's post.
I've had my pair of homers for almost 2 years, since they were a few weeks old. I've lived in this house for 1 years and a few months. I had a loft made for them outside and they've been there a month or so. I started letting them out to fly, but I kinda scared the male out and he flew off and never came back(2 weeks ago). He was a feral, and the local club (I'm just getting started with them) said he might not home. My female whom I've always been pretty close with used to fly around a bit outside, and went on a 2 hour flight once, but the last 1-2 weeks she hasn't wanted to at all, and will only perch on her loft or a perch I made on the front porch, and tries to come back indoors every chance she gets. She refused to leave the property, even if she was on my head and I left, she'd fly back to her perch.

She was a bred racer, dad was a racer and mom was a wedding release bird, so she should have had no problem. BUTTT, I took her out for her first release to start training her to home, and she never came back. I released her maybe a half mile from my home, in our housing complex. When she flew out, she didn't do the normal overhead circle that homers usually do (correct??) but started swooping here and there and flew off in the opposite direction, then came back swooping, but not close. That was Friday at 4pm, and she left probably hungry (she got a few treats about 1pm).

There isn't much to eat here, in Las Vegas, but I am wondering if maybe she ran off with another male? or is it possible she "homed" back to our old apartment (we were there 6 months).
There are hawks here, but that night and the next day there were some pretty good wind storms.

She is banded, but they aren't registered to me.

What do you think happened, or what did I do wrong? Should I have maybe released her closer to home to start out? I almost did, but thought that'd be too easy.

Any help, advice comments appreciated. I am going to try to talk with the head of the pigeon club here.

Thanks!

Suzanne


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Birds that are older Are stronger winged and will fly futher. And you need to settle a bird to a loft. By letting it fly around the loft area first befor you take it down the road. I would recomend getting young birds loft train them when they are still weak in the wing. then they will become acustomed to the loft and home to it. Having them one place then moving them sometimes the will not settle to the new area.


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## screamingeagle (Oct 16, 2002)

She has flown over the loft many times, and would swoop about our house and a few houses down when I would usually let her out, and this was the first location in which she has ever been outside. Actually, I guess you could say she has been "homing" to our front window since that's where their cage looked out of when they were indoors at this house for the last year. The first few times she was out she kept trying to fly to the window, so that's why I just made a perch there on the porch.

So where do you think she went? Just flying here and there, or maybe with another group of pigeons? I only had two, so I think she'd be scared of a group.

Suzanne


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## screamingeagle (Oct 16, 2002)

*even more interesting!*

I put up flyers around the housing complex here on base, and someone came by the very next day. They said they saw her at the school, in the very spot I released her, and at about the same time. I guess her son was trying to chase her thinking she was a feral pigeon, and she just sat there looking at him.

I have been by there several times and have not seen her though, so it's still a mystery. 



Hey, I have heard stories on here about people moving with their loft and everything, and after a few months letting the birds loose and having almost all of them come home.

Suzanne


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