# "taming" feral pigeons



## randymcone (Nov 19, 2008)

I am just getting back into raising pigeons. Planning and building a loft and aviary now.
In the past I raised rollers and a few fantails but haven't decided on what breed to concentrate on now. My children are always fasinated with the carmel colored street pigeons around town and I have to admit they are beautiful birds.
Some of the local business and city governments pay to have them removed and some of the services kill the birds or sell them to hunters for dog training.
Is there an issue with keeping feral birds in a loft? My idea would be to take some off of the removal services hands to breed them. My thought process was that even if the original loft kept birds never adapt, their offspring will.
It also seems to be a cost saving measure to start since I'm not Bill Gates and my wife isn't sure that this hobby isn't going to be expensive.
Any thoughts or ideas?

Thanks,
Randy


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

randymcone said:


> I am just getting back into raising pigeons. Planning and building a loft and aviary now.
> In the past I raised rollers and a few fantails but haven't decided on what breed to concentrate on now. My children are always fasinated with the carmel colored street pigeons around town and I have to admit they are beautiful birds.
> Some of the local business and city governments pay to have them removed and some of the services kill the birds or sell them to hunters for dog training.
> Is there an issue with keeping feral birds in a loft? My idea would be to take some off of the removal services hands to breed them. My thought process was that even if the original loft kept birds never adapt, their offspring will.
> ...


you can find non feral pigeons for very resonable prices and sometimes for free, if you want to save ferals great, but they would need time to adjust and may leave if let out. if you just want some pigeons and not homers or roller or fancy pigeons, then go for it.....can't be 100 percent sure they would stay, but after a while maybe you can train them to trap in to the loft for food so they are safe. also they may carry bugs and disease from wild birds so beaware and treat with the right meds. they will act wild as they are feral so it will be hard to convince them to go back to domestication.at least the parent birds.


----------



## tuxedobaby (Sep 9, 2008)

we have a roof flock of ferals some of whom are very tame,hand feed,let you pick them up etc,the babies are tamest!and yeah caramel coloured pigeons are cool,we have 2 in flock(called "caramel log and caramel wafer")ferals are as good as any birds as far as im concerned


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

randymcone said:


> I am just getting back into raising pigeons. Planning and building a loft and aviary now.
> In the past I raised rollers and a few fantails but haven't decided on what breed to concentrate on now. My children are always fasinated with the carmel colored street pigeons around town and I have to admit they are beautiful birds.
> Some of the local business and city governments pay to have them removed and some of the services kill the birds or sell them to hunters for dog training.
> Is there an issue with keeping feral birds in a loft? My idea would be to take some off of the removal services hands to breed them. My thought process was that even if the original loft kept birds never adapt, their offspring will.
> ...


Although you're heart is in the right place, and we commend you for that, I personally don't think it's fair to try to take a wild animal of any kind and try to "keep it safe"..........our members do rehab ferals, but if they are able, they turn them loose once their injuries/sickness/whatever is complete. The only ones that are kept are non-flighted birds that wouldn't stand a chance back in the wild.
YOU know you're trying to help the bird, but the birds wouldn't know that. All they would know is that you took them from the life they knew and were born to live. 
Spirit Wings is right..........you can easily find some birds for next to nothing or even nothing if you just want some birds in the back yard. 
Just having a few pigeons is not expensive. It CAN be if you let it, but it doesn't have to be. Now, if you want to get into racing and/or showing....THAT can potentially cost some $$'s........but just as a back yard hobby..........it ain't that bad and it's way better IMO, than most anything else you could get into.
That's MY 2 cents.


----------



## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

*Go For It!*

Being one of the self proclaimed 'Queens' of Feral Pigeons, I have a totally different take. For those that haven't spent any amount of time with the ferals, they just don't understand them. 
Your heart is in the right place and IF you are saving these Pigeons from dog trainers or poison, please do rescue them from pest control. Just as released Pigeons 'wild up' quickly...they also 'tame up' in a loft.
Feral Pigeons are semi-tame to begin with as they do live in communities populated with people with whom they are dependent for food.


I have non ferals too and I really don't see any difference at all.


----------



## randymcone (Nov 19, 2008)

I see your point and I agree that trapping wild animals to keep as pets isn't something I want to do. I was looking at this from the "dog pound" adoption point of view.
It's better to keep an animal as a pet than to have it killed.
I'll have to think about that. Thanks.
Randy
.


----------



## tuxedobaby (Sep 9, 2008)

our ferals are a local roof flock who we care for ,feed,and treat if sick etc,they are "wild" but mutual trust has grown and they have become tamer as time goes on,they all have individual characters and temperaments,we have tried to make our garden space "pigeon friendly",my neighbour also cares for them so they are lucky little birds lol,we have done things like build a "landing board"for them to sit on,made feeding spaces and maintained regular feeding times(although they still try and steal from the food tub lol),some are very tame and have no probs hand feeding,sitting on (mostly)my daughters hand,being carried(only if neccissary),they seem to enjoy ineraction and are responsive to us calling them and rattling tubs etc,we have our regulars and some who enjoy chance of a free feed,and soem occasional visitors such as "cutin",who is an attractive white and grey grizzle ,the babies are freindliest,as they have been used to us from an early age


----------



## Ivor (May 12, 2008)

Hi,

I wish to have my own loft, but I will just take the ones that are in need of adoption, are so many in shelters, ferals in need, or sometimes you find markets that keep them alive for food, those are the ones that I will like to take home, Unfortunately I don't have the room for that, but I hope to have it in the future.

So if you want to do it for hobby but also because you care all these creatures, go ahead and help, check websites around your area, shelters and some organizations that have birds, Craigslist is a good website also, anyways that's my 2 cents.

Ivette


----------



## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

I think if you contact the organizations that are being paid to poison/kill the birds, and they agree to hand some off to you rather than kill them (I am thinking mostly babies, as the babies are usually left behind in nests to die after the parents are poisoned ), then go for it! Also, check your local shelters regularly; you'd be surprised how many of them get ferals in, often with an injury or other problem making them unreleasable. Most shelters don't really cater to pigeons so they don't often last long there. You could definitely save some lives. Many of mine come from shelters, or are ferals that are unreleasable due to various things. They make just the most wonderful pets, even the ones that aren't tame are lovely to watch and enjoy. Good luck and bless you for trying to help out.


----------



## tuxedobaby (Sep 9, 2008)

as mary jane says there are ALWAYS ferals/rehabs who need a loving home,so many are abused and unloved due to the many misconceptions people hold about pigeons


----------



## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

tuxedobaby said:


> as mary jane says there are ALWAYS ferals/rehabs who need a loving home,so many are abused and unloved due to the many misconceptions people hold about pigeons


Absolutely. Craigslist is a good idea too, not that I think it's a nice site to visit (not the pets section anyway, with all the bickering and nastiness) but you can simply keyword "pigeon" a few times a week and see what comes up. Often people will find one and not know what to do with it.

It would also help to know your general location, as likely we have members nearby who might have rescues for adoption.


----------



## Ivor (May 12, 2008)

Hi again,

We have some members here that are in a non profit organizations, Elizabeth is one of them her website is www.rescuereport.org and she has many king pigeons all white and some ferals that are always looking for a home, she is a wonderful person, and she is one of our members. is located in SF California. 

Ivette


----------



## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Ivor said:


> Hi again,
> 
> We have some members here that are in a non profit organizations, Elizabeth is one of them her website is www.rescuereport.org and she has many king pigeons all white and some ferals that are always looking for a home, she is a wonderful person, and she is one of our members. is located in SF California.
> 
> Ivette


That is a fantastic idea, I think she mentioned she is open to shipping. She just had a tragic loss in her family recently so maybe give her a few weeks before inquiring. She is a local rescuer and in SF there are always too many pigeons in need of homes. The white kings make awesome pets as they are not great fliers (generally) and are somewhat "couch potatoes", often calmer and tamer by nature than many other breeds. They are very comfortable being in an enclosed aviary.


----------



## Mighty Heart (Aug 29, 2008)

*Ferals as pets*

I would not encourage taking a feral unless it needed rehab but, If you know the services that offer removal are selling to hunters for the dog training you could at least purchase (pretty cheap I'm guessing) from them. Not that I condone what they do....I look at it like saving a life. My birds are all ferals, most are very tame. Good luck. (You could also jus t start feeding in your yard...sooner or later you will be rescuing birds as well that may become good breeders/pets)


----------



## Critter (Jul 20, 2008)

If this removal service is willing to give them to you, I say go for it. 
There's a feral flock on the property where I work and though some of the birds keep their distance, others are often within a few feet of us and that's without being fed by us or anything. 
I did just start feeding them a last week now that there's snow on the ground (and I now know where to find pigeon food) so I suspect that some of them will warm up even more. I rescued one of the babies from the flock that was injured and she is an absolute love. She lives with me and she likes to ride on my shoulder & play with my hair.


----------

