# New to pigeons



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Basically, I am new to pigeons. I have had 15 pigeons that I recieved from a friend at work in early January. I have already built a coupe and just opened the coupe today March 23.

Some of them have flown out, I am hopeing they will return...

Can somebody tell me if it was the right thing to do? Its been 3 months _(90 days)_ past the day they were brought to me. I made sure of this by setting it in my phone calendar.

Does anyone know? 
How do you work it to where they wil deliver messages to friends and family?
Where/ How do I get tags?
Should I get tags?


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Actually, you should have asked these questions BEFORE you let the birds go. Your friend should know the answers to these questions too. There's not enough info for anyone here to give you a good answer, except that if the birds are flying, it's to late to "tag" them............we call it banding and that's done when they are around 7 days old.


----------



## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

I'm sorry but is this REAL?....lol.


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

So...... Should I leave the loft open? Throw me a bone here....

What do you need to know, to answer my questions?


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

What KIND of pigeons?
How old are they?
Does your loft have an aviary?, traps/bobs?


----------



## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

RjSteed - I don't think that the birds will return if they haven't been exposed to the surroundings of your yard. Are these young birds or old birds? I would recommend that you talk with your friend who gave you the birds and find out how he would resettle birds to a new loft.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

I just re-read your post. If all the birds haven't left the loft, my advice is to close it back up until we get this sorted out. Hopefully you won't loose ALL of them.


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

g0ldenb0y55 said:


> I'm sorry but is this REAL?....lol.



This is sad...

I just found this site, I have looke high and low for info on pigeons until I was blue in the face... Today I happen to stumble on this site.

And I get crap the first [email protected]!

For your information, the person who gave me the pigeons told me to keep them in the coupe for 3 months not a day less.. Thats what I did.

I run a website with a forum where people are a hell of alot more helpful than the two posters thus far...

Does anyone who has some good intentions want to try to help me?


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

If they are homers, they are probably gone to the preowner, if they are rollers,tipplers.they may come back. how long have they been out?


----------



## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

RjSteed said:


> This is sad...
> 
> I just found this site, I have looke high and low for info on pigeons until I was blue in the face... Today I happen to stumble on this site.
> 
> ...


Please don't be offended. We have non registered folks post here frequently that try to get us all stirred up and most often they succeed.
As for you birds, you will just need to wait and see. If they don't return, they likely have gone back to your friend's house and you can collect them there.
What kind of pigeons are they?


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

RjSteed said:


> This is sad...
> 
> I just found this site, I have looke high and low for info on pigeons until I was blue in the face... Today I happen to stumble on this site.
> 
> ...


OK. Look, sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. If you'll notice, I've made 13,000 plus posts and the VAST majority of them were helping someone just like you. If I came off a bit snotty, I'm very sorry. The last thing I want to do is upset someone and new member especially......
Let's start over.......
Answer these questions and lets see what we can do.

Age of birds.
Type of pigeons.
Loft set up.


----------



## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

Sorry that I offeneded you with that post...we have had a few jokers that have posted false threads just to get a kick out of the tension that builds up with questions similar to yours. This forum is full of great and helpful members with a lot of knowledge. As a fancier of pigeons, the first thing I did when I got my birds was pick the brain of the guy who gave them to me. I got a lot of great information just by talking with him alone. That's why Renee(Lovebirds) and I mentioned that you talk with him first. You got the birds from him and he would be your best resource for information. Specially information on his birds.


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Lovebirds said:


> What KIND of pigeons?
> How old are they?
> Does your loft have an aviary?, traps/bobs?


 I'm not positive how old they are.. I am not positive how long my friend had them and they are not certain how old they all are either. Because, they kept them in thier back yard for _(however long, I don't recall)_ in a metal shed they used for a coupe.

Yes loft has two aviarys on each side of coupe, one has the water container, one has the food container. I will have to take pics, I do have one in my profile/ gallery...

There is a Trap _(I think it is)_ it allows them to go back in, Ill link to the site where I got it... They did not exit from the trap though. They exited from the door I put in the one aviary.

Currently there are nine birds left in the Coupe, so 6 have flown out.

What is a BOB?

I dont know what type of pigeon... Some of them look like pigeons you would see in a park, with the purple color. A couple are whit with brown markings, and a couple are light brown with white markings.


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

spirit wings said:


> If they are homers, they are probably gone to the preowner, if they are rollers,tipplers.they may come back. how long have they been out?


Since about 20 minutes before my initial post.


----------



## wolfwood (Jan 26, 2009)

Was your friend the original owner? Have you spoken with him/her? The birds might have returned to HIS house - THEIR loft as they know it.

*IF* your birds come back or *IF* you have others in your loft or* IF* you get more: 
1. It is generally suggested that birds born elsewhere NOT be flown free, but that they live a happy, safe, well fed/watered/loved life in their (your) new loft. We are also relatively new to pigeons, now have 15, and WILL NOT (by choice) let any of the adults out free....maybe those born here will be trained to return...but maybe not. We have wayyyy too many hawks and other predators to take a chance with our pets' lives.

2. That having been said, YES, banding is a good idea and "snap on" bands can be bought at several pigeon supply houses. You can also order personalized, stick-on labels (our's have our phone number on them) so that IF the birds get out unintentionally, they have some hope of getting home if they are found. Because these are "snap on" bands, they can be put on adults.

3. In addition to "What kind of pigeon?" and "How old are they"?..... Are you planning to race your birds, show them, or "just" keep them as pets? Did your friend not give you any advice about settling the birds into their new home and/or training them to their new loft? Did he, at least, give you some information about feeding, breeding, loft design,...in general....basics of keeping these birds healthy?


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Charis said:


> Please don't be offended. We have non registered folks post here frequently that try to get us all stirred up and most often they succeed.
> As for you birds, you will just need to wait and see. If they don't return, they likely have gone back to your friend's house and you can collect them there.
> What kind of pigeons are they?



Do you perhaps have a link with pics so I can identify them? Other then that I dont know.
P.s. I shouldn have responed a lil different to what I thought was iggnorance. I know how forums can be, and should have expected it... I know there are a lot of idiots out there. I do my darnedest to keep them out of mine.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

rollers/tipplers/tumblers, can be resettled to a new loft, and flown. homers will try to go back "home" to preloft, so if they don't come back, perhaps you can call the person you got them from to see if they show back up there.


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Lovebirds said:


> OK. Look, sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. If you'll notice, I've made 13,000 plus posts and the VAST majority of them were helping someone just like you. If I came off a bit snotty, I'm very sorry. The last thing I want to do is upset someone and new member especially......
> Let's start over.......
> Answer these questions and lets see what we can do.
> 
> ...


Answered in another posting. Sort of....


----------



## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

RjSteed said:


> Do you perhaps have a link with pics so I can identify them? Other then that I dont know.
> P.s. I shouldn have responed a lil different to what I thought was iggnorance. I know how forums can be, and should have expected it... I know there are a lot of idiots out there. I do my darnedest to keep them out of mine.


Oh...there are so many hundreds of different kinds of pigeons. It would be very hard to do that.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

RjSteed said:


> Do you perhaps have a link with pics so I can identify them? Other then that I dont know.
> P.s. I shouldn have responed a lil different to what I thought was iggnorance. I know how forums can be, and should have expected it... I know there are a lot of idiots out there. I do my darnedest to keep them out of mine.


If you can post a pic of the ones left, perhaps we can make some good guesses on what they are. If he told you three months to keep them in, something tells me they may be rollers or tumblers, but sometimes folks think homers can rehome if you keep them up for awhile, but it usually does not work.IMO


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

g0ldenb0y55 said:


> Sorry that I offeneded you with that post...we have had a few jokers that have posted false threads just to get a kick out of the tension that builds up with questions similar to yours. This forum is full of great and helpful members with a lot of knowledge. As a fancier of pigeons, the first thing I did when I got my birds was pick the brain of the guy who gave them to me. I got a lot of great information just by talking with him alone. That's why Renee(Lovebirds) and I mentioned that you talk with him first. You got the birds from him and he would be your best resource for information. Specially information on his birds.



Not likely, they mostly were new to it from the sounds of it... They had gotten them for something to do with thier children who had out grown them. They had taken them out about 40 miles and released them to go back _(fly)_ to thier house a couple of times.

Other then that they stayed in thier back yard/ coupe and were allowed to come and go as they pleased. Except with the occasional hawk attack...


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

RjSteed said:


> Not likely, they mostly were new to it from the sounds of it... They had gotten them for something to do with thier children who had out grown them. They had taken them out about 40 miles and released them to go back _(fly)_ to thier house a couple of times.
> 
> Other then that they stayed in thier back yard/ coupe and were allowed to come and go as they pleased. Except with the occasional hawk attack...


oh....they sound like homers then, they will show up at the pre owner most likley. sorry.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

All right then...........yep, sound like homers to me. Best thing to do is contact the person you got them from and see if they returned to his house and then go get them.
Homers (that's what I think you have) CAN be re-homed SOMETIMES, but it's HARD to do and I would say that 95% of the time, it just doesn't work. These guys have a strong homing ability and home is where they were born and raised, now wherever they happen to be living at the moment.
If you want birds to fly from your loft, your best bet is to let these old birds raise you some babies.
Bobs are the aluminum rods that most of us use on our trap.......the birds can go through them to get IN the loft, but can't come back through them to get out again. 
Don't just give up on the birds that are missing. They MIGHT come back, or some of them anyway, but I doubt it. If they're decent birds are all, they're heading back to where you got them from. How far is that by the way?


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Well,....I just had a look at your coup. It LOOKS like a kitbox that people build for Roller pigeons. Did you come up with the coup idea or see it somewhere or what? If someone told you to build it like that, then you just might have roller pigeons and after three months of being at your house, they just might show up. 
I wonder how far the previous owner took them trying to "get rid" of them? Rollers can home somewhat.........a few miles maybe, sometimes........


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

wolfwood said:


> Was your friend the original owner? Have you spoken with him/her? The birds might have returned to HIS house - THEIR loft as they know it.
> 
> *IF* your birds come back or *IF* you have others in your loft or* IF* you get more:
> 1. It is generally suggested that birds born elsewhere NOT be flown free, but that they live a happy, safe, well fed/watered/loved life in their (your) new loft. We are also relatively new to pigeons, now have 15, and WILL NOT (by choice) let any of the adults out free....maybe those born here will be trained to return...but maybe not. We have wayyyy too many hawks and other predators to take a chance with our pets' lives.
> ...


After 3 Months?

I like that Idea, I was curious as to what was put on the bands, that would identify them as mine. Granted I also was told that after 3 months they would stay here... I wish I had foudn this site sooner...

I have them for a couple of reasons really... I use the poop in my compost, I think I can use the feathers as well _(the ones that fall off of course)_. I also want to use them to carry messages to friends and family, I have also considered using them when I go camping to send messages back home for fun... I would like to utilize them for as much as possible. I am into being prepared, so they are more for utilitarian purposes for me... With that, I know I need to take care of them so that I have them for as long as possible

Here is the coop I built:
http://www.gundogsupply.com/-3720-.html

Here is the trap I have on the front of the coop:
http://www.gundogsupply.com/-3724-.html

here is the cage I have to transport them..
http://www.gundogsupply.com/-3728-.html

I purchase food for them from a feed place where it is pigeon food, and I do have the gravel stuff that smells like liquorish... I need to get more of that soon which I know I can get from the feed supply place...


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Lovebirds said:


> All right then...........yep, sound like homers to me. Best thing to do is contact the person you got them from and see if they returned to his house and then go get them.
> Homers (that's what I think you have) CAN be re-homed SOMETIMES, but it's HARD to do and I would say that 95% of the time, it just doesn't work. These guys have a strong homing ability and home is where they were born and raised, now wherever they happen to be living at the moment.
> If you want birds to fly from your loft, your best bet is to let these old birds raise you some babies.
> Bobs are the aluminum rods that most of us use on our trap.......the birds can go through them to get IN the loft, but can't come back through them to get out again.
> Don't just give up on the birds that are missing. They MIGHT come back, or some of them anyway, but I doubt it. If they're decent birds are all, they're heading back to where you got them from. How far is that by the way?


I am expecting a call if they make it back to the original owners house... Its about 30 some miles or so... I would think I would have gotten a call by now... Granted, I dont know where they pigeons will hang out since thier home has most likely been destroyed there.. So they may not notice them... I saw her yesturday when I was leaving work, and told her I was letting them out today. So perhaps she will take a look around outside today... I would imagine as long as they made it, they are there by now...
I have read some can fly up to a mile a minute...

Initially one flew the coupe and took a couple of rounds around the yard before the next joined it... I think that was the lead bird... He _("I think")_ always ate first... And I think stayed at the top of the coop.

I work 12 hours a day, so I didnt get much time to hang out by the coop to see them...


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Lovebirds said:


> Well,....I just had a look at your coup. It LOOKS like a kitbox that people build for Roller pigeons. Did you come up with the coup idea or see it somewhere or what? If someone told you to build it like that, then you just might have roller pigeons and after three months of being at your house, they just might show up.
> I wonder how far the previous owner took them trying to "get rid" of them? Rollers can home somewhat.........a few miles maybe, sometimes........



It was the only coop I could find plans for... Seems to work alright... Plus it had to pleaseing to my wifes eye... Im thinking of intergrating a pigeon coop with a chicken coop... Would that be ok?


----------



## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

No. Chickens and Pigeons are not a good match. I had to learn the hard way.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

RjSteed said:


> It was the only coop I could find plans for... Seems to work alright... Plus it had to pleaseing to my wifes eye... Im thinking of intergrating a pigeon coop with a chicken coop... Would that be ok?


That was going to be my next question..............when I looked at your link above and saw it came from a "dog training" site, I wondered if that's what these birds are for? 
As long as the pigeons and chickens are kept separate, then yea, you could do that. 
One thing that I should mention is, the size of this loft, 4 X 4, is WAY to small for 15 birds. You really shouldn't have more that 6 birds in there. 
We always warn people not to overcrowd their loft. Especially homers........if they're overcrowded and have to fight for their space, they'll leave home and never come back. 
If you're plans are to raise babies, you're going to need a much bigger loft....


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Funny enough, the fist one to leave is back... No buddy though.. I hope the hawks didn't get him or her...


----------



## wolfwood (Jan 26, 2009)

We looked at those same plans (when we were planning to build one) but then decided on this







so they would have more space. This is actually a chicken coop! We'll also be building an attached 10x8 screened "room" - called an "aviary" - later this Spring. If you have the room, you might consider doing the same with pressure treated 2x4s and hardware cloth, so they have room to be outside, in the sun, AND do some flying at home. 

The birds do have to be "trap trained" - how to get back inside the loft through that trap you have. If they've never seen one before, they have no idea what that thing is or how to use it.


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

I plan to build a larger coop sometime... Just been difficult as of late... Having built this one, I have come of with ideas on how to improve on a larger one....


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

RjSteed said:


> Funny enough, the fist one to leave is back... No buddy though.. I hope the hawks didn't get him or her...


That's GOOD!


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Here is what a couple of them look like...









He flew onto the roof as soon as I walked outside...









When I walked over to the coop he flew over towards it...


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

So do I now hope he figures out to go into the bob?


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Hes really checking things out, I just looked outside and saw him landing on the pile of grass I have outside, and then I looked again and he is now on the top of my steel building...
I hope a hawk dosnt get him..... Im not going to chase him down, Cause I know I wont catch him...


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

I think he communicating with all the other pigeons now.. Telling them that thier old home is gone... Hes on the top of the aviary now, looking down on the others


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

RjSteed said:


> I think he communicating with all the other pigeons now.. Telling them that thier old home is gone... Hes on the top of the aviary now, looking down on the others


Or he is looking at the food bowl, wishing he wasnt gone so long... SHould I open the door he left from?


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Now he is pacing the ground around the coop... lol


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

And now he is hanging onto the side of the aviary...


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

What should I do?!!????? Nervous here.....


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

We wouldnt want him to think he is not welcome would we?


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Do you know if the old coop had bobs?


----------



## wolfwood (Jan 26, 2009)

Congratulations on his return! Can you catch the other birds that are still in the loft? Put them in the cage you have. Then you can open the loft door and see if he (and maybe even the others) will go in?

Alternatively, I suppose you could try putting a dish of feed in the cage to see if he will go into that. Then you can take him back into the loft. (This is less apt to wrk tho'. He's been in that loft for 3 weeks and probably now identifies with it...but NOT the cage.)


----------



## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

RjSteed said:


> I think he communicating with all the other pigeons now.. Telling them that thier old home is gone... Hes on the top of the aviary now, looking down on the others


That's probably what he's doing.... It will be difficult for him/her to figure out how to get back because there was no trap training prior to you releasing them. I would suggest that you breed your remaining birds and use their youngsters to home to the loft. Your taking a seriouse risk when trying to rehome Old Birds to a new loft. I lost 3 birds that were given to me that way and I will not try it again. The funny thing is, is that I actually rehomed the birds and I was tossing them from 20 miles out. I was as happy as can be and then a hawk chased them one day which scared the crap out of them and they never returned....lol.

Good luck - Henry


----------



## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

wolfwood said:


> Congratulations on his return! Can you catch the other birds that are still in the loft? Put them in the cage you have. Then you can open the loft door and see if he (and maybe even the others) will go in?
> 
> Alternatively, I suppose you could try putting a dish of feed in the cage to see if he will go into that. Then you can take him back into the loft. (This is less apt to wrk tho'. He's been in that loft for 3 weeks and probably now identifies with it...but NOT the cage.)


I would suggest that you do this if you can. He's obviously wanting to get back into the loft!


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

K, that took about way to long...... Im exhausted now....

He is finally back in, I had to coax him into the door from which he left... Now just wait to see if the others return...


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Thats one thing I dont like about the loft I have... I can go into it to get them... So, its difficutl to get ahold of them to put them into a cage to teach them how to use the bob....


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

Have to run to the store now, thanks guys for the info... Ill check back later if anyone has more to add to this....


----------



## wolfwood (Jan 26, 2009)

So...did you cage the others or just kept them from flying out?


----------



## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

RjSteed said:


> K, that took about way to long...... Im exhausted now....
> 
> He is finally back in, I had to coax him into the door from which he left... Now just wait to see if the others return...


Awesome! Welcome to world of pigeons! lol.


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

They are Homers.... Dave


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

I just kept opeing and closing the door... He would goto the other side, I would close it... He would goto the side he came out I would open it...

Finally he was on that side and looking.. I opened it and backed away.. He finally flew it... I think I was boring him with what I was saying...


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

I guess we can say I earned my title young bird, eh? LOL


----------



## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

RjSteed said:


> I guess we can say I earned my title young bird, eh? LOL


Yes and all in one day!


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

oh my gosh Im out of breath just reading this.....


----------



## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

This is a nice read. It is like watching a thriller movie with all those excitement. Such excitement is normal in resettling birds.

Your birds (some) will probably be back. If you haven't trap trained them, then perhaps you can raise those bobs all the way up or what I did on mine was to raise several bobs together so that the birds wont get intimidated. Those bob trap intimidates bird even the experienced ones. Maybe you can try a simple trap like those in RedroseLoft.com starter loft. 

You may even sprinkle some food inside to lure them in. For example, sprinkle some food near the entrance of the trap, some inside, etc.

It always pay to do research before tackling new stuff. Maybe you could have found us earlier before you released them. But I can't blame you for that. I did the same when I was a kid. I know nothing about pigeons and I lost them, too.

Keep looking for your birds. When I lost mine some I can see from the sky searching my place. I lured them when I flew my trained birds. Unfortunately you don't have that one yet. If they haven't returned in 5-6 days, their return will look dim.

Keep the faith for now and enjoy the intensity of resettling old birds.


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

I hope they return, but and not to sound mean, I kind of hope they dont cause it creates space... At the same time I need the poop... More poop for the fruit...


----------



## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

RjSteed said:


> *More poop for the fruit...*


ROFL!!!


----------



## Guest (Mar 27, 2009)

Just wanted to add this link:
http://www.ablesentry.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=22&func=view&id=624&catid=18

This link has pics of my coop and the pigeons...


----------



## RjSteed (Mar 23, 2009)

http://www.ablesentry.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=22&func=view&id=624&catid=18

Just wanted to add this link, it has pics of my coop and all the pigeons... The former owner called me and said they now have 3 pigeons in a tree over at thier house now...
They tried yesturday to capture them, without success...


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

RjSteed said:


> http://www.ablesentry.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=22&func=view&id=624&catid=18
> 
> Just wanted to add this link, it has pics of my coop and all the pigeons... The former owner called me and said they now have 3 pigeons in a tree over at thier house now...
> They tried yesturday to capture them, without success...


2 ft per bird for space my friend. best head it or you will have problems.


----------

