# Breeding a Feral Pigeon with a domesticated Breed of Pigeon.



## scooter1989

*I am getting a Feral pigeon from this women who has no time for her young feral pigeon. I was just wondering if I could mix the feral with my other domesticated breed of pigeons? I want to try to breed her with my racing homers. Is that safe? What types of offspring will they make? Will they be great flyers?

I have many rare colors or racers. They all are Sion strains "Long distance Flyers". Please help*


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## Revolution Lofts

I would advise you not to breed the feral pigeon with any of your pigeons. There's a VERY good chance that the offspring of the feral pigeon and one of your pigeons will lack characteristics of both breeds and will be an outcast pigeon. Breeding a feral and racing pigeon will give you a homing pigeon. It's been done in the past and the results have never really been quite positive. The babies of a feral X racing pigeon, will home, but they will not be fast like racers. The feral blood will slow them down, and making their flying quality poorer (not capable of coming back home from long distances). The most I heard recently of a feral returning from a training toss was 30 miles, which isn't bad for a feral but it isn't the same as a pure racing homer that can come back home from hundreds of miles.

Also, keep in mind that if at any given time, you cannot keep these feral X racing pigeon offspring, it will be much much more harder to find a good home for a feral, than a racing pigeon. Good luck!


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## whytwings

scooter1989 said:


> *I am getting a Feral pigeon from this women who has no time for her young feral pigeon. I was just wondering if I could mix the feral with my other domesticated breed of pigeons? I want to try to breed her with my racing homers. Is that safe? What types of offspring will they make? Will they be great flyers?
> 
> I have many rare colors or racers. They all are Sion strains "Long distance Flyers". Please help*


I have a number of feral pigeons in my loft , to date I've only allowed 1 to mate with my ( non feral ) birds and rear chicks , the offspring have been good flyers around the loft and are pretty birds . I have no intention of racing them .


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## spirit wings

when you breed usually there is a goal in mind, if you think you can improve the homing pigeon with a feral or mixed breed pigeon then that is not going to happen, (unless the feral is a pure homing pigeon).., You will only cancel out the quailites of the homing pigeon breed..and just have a mix breed non discript pigeon.. when you breed you want to breed same to same..and improve the breed..this will not. I have been curiouse myself and let mix breedings happen..and have been disapointed.. really the birds are just non discript...and then those mix babies will need mates and a place to live when they mature and take up space that you may not want them to take if you can not use them in a breeding program..


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## ValencianFigs

What you could do is pair him with a racer that doesnt race well and let them foster eggs... They still will have the experience they would naturally and you can use them in your breeding program.


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## scooter1989

Wow I didn't know having a Feral breed with my (non Feral) can get a little out of hand. Thanks you all for the quick reply!!!  I do have five mix breeds of pigeons, in my free flying pen. I use them to get the other birds down. But I do have a pair of mix, I might use for foster parents next year when they are at age 2. And I will pair the Feral with another of my mix for fostering. I really like the feral pigeons because, they are much tamer and more bond to humans, when they are hand raised. They have a whole difference personality. 

Thanks for the reply! All of you really helped me understand more on feral pigeons.

One more thing. Would it be a good idea if a breed a Feral with another Feral? Or is it to hard to find home for them. Could I sell the offspring?


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## spirit wings

usually there is not many looking to buy mixed breed pigeons, each pigeon breed has a purpose and usually that is the hobbie they are into..like racing the homing pigeon, or flying the preforming breeds in competions or just around the loft, because they do special things for that breed that has been developed becasue of thousands of years of selective breeding. The fancy show breeds have their distinct conformation and colors like frillbacks, if one likes frillbacks why would they breed it to another mix pigeons to cancel that out ? just an example. There is nothing wrong with mixed pigeons and keeping them if that is what you like, but for resale there will not be a market for them. and as you said there are so many feral pigeons that are in need anyway. Any breed or mix breed of pigeon are bonded to humans when hand raised not just ferals.. I have a cute little American fantail I had to hand raise and she is a doll and very tame.. so any breed IF hand raised is going to be special..it is the hand rearing that makes it that way.


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## scooter1989

I get the picture now. I did hand raised five baby pigeon at one time. They where all only four days old. I scoop them from the parents because, it was in the middle of winter. the temp was at 5'F or colder. It was two years ago when I did it. That when I first got into to the hobbies and now I live off of it. They where tame but all they got about three months of age, they started to being a little afraid of me. But they would still fly on my head and follow me around the house. They where my very first flying stock. But not all the same breed. Most where mix and one was a roller. And today they are so afraid of me but, I see a little trust in them to me then the other birds. The one that i raised come to the loft first, them the other 20 homers come down. I might do another hand raise soon, since I'm off for break this summer. I believe if I only raise one bird it will be very tame and a good pet. I think when there are more they bond more with the other pigeon when growing up then to there human who is raising them.


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## lordcornwallis

the great Alf baker wood green London told a story in his book about a fancier who's wife found a young feral under a bridge, she took it home and gave it to her hubby who hand fed it and put it in with his racers.when the breeding season came he was one hen short so he mated it to his spare cock.one off the offspring was 67th London north road combine out off a convoy off many thousand pigeons ! as Alf said in his book what price pedigree. lc


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## PomboLover

You should get the FERAL a FERAL friend so they can get along ... They're street birds. Unless they feel like lying around nesting having a family. Don't break up a family. I loved my FERAL rescue babies but let them leave for the roof. I ordered them vitamins... Antibiotics.. Calcium and worm and mite stuff.. That means treating the whole flock on the roof when necessary. They'll sit on me and eat. They need each other and freedom and animal rights. I wouldn't keep a FERAL as a pet unless it wanted to be one and wouldn't leave. They're wild!


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