# ferals and homers



## james fillbrook (Jan 2, 2009)

i know lots of peaple have already asked this quistion but i jst want to known the facts about the homing abitly of ferals like if you had one blue bar feral and one blue bar homer would you be able to tell the diffence not inculeding size?


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Purely from my own observation, ferals look different even apart from size - unless they have homer in their recent ancestry, in which case it may not be so easy to tell. I have a feral in care now who has a very 'aerodynamic' shape to his head, but though he carries more weight than other male ferals I've picked up, his overall size and bulk does not approach that of our rescued but unwanted homers. Still, just the look of him shows his background.

Ferals do have the homing instinct, just as do the wild rock doves (rock pigeons). A feral with homer background may well have a much better homing ability than other ferals, but if you were to let a feral and a trained homer go from, say, fifty miles then you'd probably get your homer back pretty soon (barring accidents and hawks), whereas (my opinion) you may or may not get the feral particularly soon or at all, because they aren't trained and it might be kinda hit or miss. People have got ferals to home, but it seems to me that the reliability factor would be missing and they probably lack the stamina for really long distances anyway.

John


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## Brummie (Feb 16, 2009)

Ferals CAN, home to a point. It depends on how far removed from the homer. About 70% of ferals, originate from homers i have had them home from 50 miles. but they are "out bred" homers,and the ability is quickly "lost". Carl


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## teebo (Jul 7, 2006)

im in another pigeon forum,and they call feral pigeons nasty names,all the ones ,that i have rehabbed,and released were wonderful birds.


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## Bobcat (Feb 26, 2009)

*ferals are what?*



Brummie said:


> Ferals CAN, home to a point. It depends on how far removed from the homer. About 70% of ferals, originate from homers i have had them home from 50 miles. but they are "out bred" homers,and the ability is quickly "lost". Carl


where do you get the figures to support the 70% - from my experience homers that don't get home don't usually survive unless taken in by someone. 

With regard to pigeon breeders calling ferals nasty names - it is probably due to the fact that the public in general has a negative predisposition toward all pigeons (and the keeping of pigeons) because of the wild flocks and pigeon fanciers have to deal with that all the time.


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## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

Gee, bobcat, maybe you should spend a year or two removing/rehoming Pigeons from buildings. I did it for about two years, at the Lake county building in Waukegan ill., and Kenosha, Wis. Gary Wisby, a fairly well know Columnist in this part of the state called, and interviewed me. 
needless to say,THAT is how i got into racing when i lived in Zion Ill.
I found many, BANDED birds, of good blood, and reconnected them with their owners.(Most were on eggs). 
In fact i caught one red Cock bird, and after contacting the owner, said he had paid HUNDREDS of dollars for the bird at a futurity auction, and as much or more for birds related to the one i caught. He said, since he was so surprised, ( 3 YEARS) after it went missing he said i could have it, or he would come and get it. I kept it, he thought that was cool. Do not tell me what homers are tough enough to do, unless the bird is real inbred, it has an advantage over the ferals, I.E.= tougher better body and a better sense of territory. THIS is a point not even worth bringing up IF you know homers.
DO not push me on this subject, on this subject i have as much or more experience than anyone on this board. Dave


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## karijo (Apr 11, 2006)

Have you heard of these "Commie Races"?

Apparently in some country where folks don't have the money for racing pigeons, they are breeding and racing "commies" (common/wild/feral pigeons) and are thus able to enjoy and participate in a sport they could otherwise not afford. One of my racer friends was telling me about it. They're not breeding the birds down for homing ability, just raising and training some commies and well - they're doing the job.

Interesting. Probably can't compete with a kit of birds bred from champions, but still rather cool.


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## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

SO.... What is your point? Dave


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## karijo (Apr 11, 2006)

um... no point I guess? just thought it was interesting and pertinent since the topic had gone the way of homing ability in ferals vs homers... *shrug*
sorry.

geez, everybody really IS touchy around here.
i think i'm gonna take a break from PT for a while. way too hostile for me.

wow.


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## Pegasus (Feb 6, 2007)

*Karijo* don't back-off, that is only a part of our human nature...Like one member told me, "if we all will get along this world will be a boring place to live in", imagine a gov't with full of deomcrats or full of republicans...This is one place that we have to deal with, discussions, arguements and forever topics...

*James* you are right this topic has been discussed before and yes the ferals have homing instinct too but can not perform as the racing pigeons...Ability wise they have differences...


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## Guest (Mar 3, 2009)

karijo said:


> um... no point I guess? just thought it was interesting and pertinent since the topic had gone the way of homing ability in ferals vs homers... *shrug*
> sorry.
> 
> geez, everybody really IS touchy around here.
> ...


 I agree with karijo ,what she stated had lots to do with their homing ability even to the point where they had races with their ferals ,it was a great point  It has gotten way to hostile in here these days , everything doesnt have to be a competition of who knows more about what or who has done more then another .. I have learned that everyone has an opinion and you can either take it or leave it simple as that .


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## james fillbrook (Jan 2, 2009)

i only asked a fipping quistion


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## Bobcat (Feb 26, 2009)

LUCKYT said:


> Gee, bobcat, maybe you should spend a year or two removing/rehoming Pigeons from buildings. I did it for about two years, at the Lake county building in Waukegan ill., and Kenosha, Wis. Gary Wisby, a fairly well know Columnist in this part of the state called, and interviewed me.
> needless to say,THAT is how i got into racing when i lived in Zion Ill.
> I found many, BANDED birds, of good blood, and reconnected them with their owners.(Most were on eggs).
> In fact i caught one red Cock bird, and after contacting the owner, said he had paid HUNDREDS of dollars for the bird at a futurity auction, and as much or more for birds related to the one i caught. He said, since he was so surprised, ( 3 YEARS) after it went missing he said i could have it, or he would come and get it. I kept it, he thought that was cool. Do not tell me what homers are tough enough to do, unless the bird is real inbred, it has an advantage over the ferals, I.E.= tougher better body and a better sense of territory. THIS is a point not even worth bringing up IF you know homers.
> DO not push me on this subject, on this subject i have as much or more experience than anyone on this board. Dave


Not pushing Dave just posed a question - where does one come up with the figures that would suggest that 70% of ferals are from homing pigeons.
I get calls from people who have found birds with racing bands from time to time and the birds are generally worn down to the point of being nearly flightless - which for a pigeon is bad news, unless help arrives.
Maybe the lost homers do better in milder climates - but they are not racing them in the winter. I doubt the racing pigeon community would want credit for having strengthened the wild population to the tune of 70% - and I doubt very much that lost racing homers have contributed anywhere near those kinds of numbers. Perhaps in a few flocks but not in general.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

karijo said:


> Have you heard of these "Commie Races"?
> 
> Apparently in some country where folks don't have the money for racing pigeons, they are breeding and racing "commies" (common/wild/feral pigeons) and are thus able to enjoy and participate in a sport they could otherwise not afford. One of my racer friends was telling me about it. They're not breeding the birds down for homing ability, just raising and training some commies and well - they're doing the job.
> 
> Interesting. Probably can't compete with a kit of birds bred from champions, but still rather cool.


That is interesting, Karijo. I was actually thinking, "Well I'll be darned" while I was reading it. 

As for telling a homer and feral apart, that may be difficult. I have some of each and while each is different of course, they do look quite a lot alike in body. Like John mentioned, some of the homers tend to have more of that aerodynamic-shaped head. And every former-feral I've ever had escape has come back, except for one (who was fairly new and going to be released anyway lol). 

As with everything and everyone in life, each individual WILL be different from the others somehow.


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## racer123 (Mar 3, 2009)

james i though you know your stuff ferals and hommers tut tut tut


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## james fillbrook (Jan 2, 2009)

racer123 said:


> james i though you know your stuff ferals and hommers tut tut tut


o shut up i tought you everything you know lol


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## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

Karijo, sorry, i did not mean to snap at you, just a poor reaction. The commie race thing i have heard about. Heck all homers were commons at one time, in FACT all pigeons were wild at one time.. But Bobcats reply set me off. You can not compare a homers ability to make it on its own to a fancy.
It is a completely different ball game, unless real inbreed. Yes, brummie, was right to a point, 70% might be high, BUT, all are Ferals, are bred down from lost breeds of "kept" Pigeons. In years of interest on the subject, i find no reference to some one from any other country missing the park pigeons, and importing them just to release. UNLIKE, the starling, the English Sparrow, Ring Necked Pheasants, the Red fox. many others brought in BUT these were brought in to remind people of the "homeland" Againkarijo, i did not mean to snap at you and should have replied sooner. Dave


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## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

Karijo, sorry, i did not mean to snap at you, just a poor reaction. The commie race thing i have heard about. Heck all homers were commons at one time, in FACT all pigeons were wild at one time.. But Bobcats reply set me off. You can not compare a homers ability to make it on its own to a fancy.
It is a completely different ball game, unless real inbreed. Yes, brummie, was right to a point, 70% might be high, BUT, all are Ferals, are bred down from lost breeds of "kept" Pigeons. In years of interest on the subject, i find no reference to some one from any other country missing the park pigeons, and importing them just to release. UNLIKE, the starling, the English Sparrow, Ring Necked Pheasants, the Red fox. many others were brought in BUT these were brought in to remind people of the "homeland" Again, karijo, i did not mean to snap at you and should have replied sooner. Dave


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## Keith C. (Jan 25, 2005)

I have a friend that had a feral pigeon he got from under a bridge when he was in his teens, that flew from the Texas, Mexican border, back to Huber Heights, Ohio twice. 
It was built like a regular common pigeon, but obviously had good instincts.

I have another friend that had a feral trap in with his with his homers.
He took it on all of his training tosses up to 300 plus miles for several years.

Keith


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Thank you Keith C. Ferrals don't get the credit they deserve. Particularly it seems, when you are talking to people who breed and race homers.


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