# new to pigions



## longflight (Oct 1, 2009)

i have just inherited 16 birds mixed tumblers and so on that where all going to another house how long do i need to house them before they will want to return to my house.


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## rudolph.est (May 14, 2009)

Firstly... I think this thread would be better suited to the _Homing & Racing Pigeons_ or _Performing Breeds_ forums. An administrator should move it to the right sub-forum.

To answer your question though, it is difficult to say how long you need to keep your birds before they will return home. Some homers get used to a new loft in three months, others never do.

A good rule of thumb is that you should breed at least two rounds of babies from each pair. This means that if you loose one parent or both you have enough of their progeny to enable you to breed similar quality pigeons.

After breeding from them, slowly accustom them to their new surroundings. Ways to do this includes taping up one of their wings so they cannot fly away(dish washing liquid works too) and then letting them walk around outside and bathe and teaching them to trap at the new loft. 

The babies will home to your loft immediately, since they were born there. It is much quicker to teach them to trap at your loft than it is to teach the older pigeons.

Just a word of warning though. 16 pigeons quickly can become 32 and then 48 and then 64... A flock of adults can double it's size in a single breeding period (about two months), since every pair lays two eggs. 

The young take about five months to mature and then start the doubling too, before you know it you may have too many. So be careful how many babies you allow them to breed. It is much less traumatic removing their eggs (and replacing them with wood or plastic eggs) than it is trying to find people who will take the surplus off your hands, or even having to cull the birds you do not have space for.

Good luck to you...
Rudolph


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