# should we let our hand reared pigeon fly outside?



## sally&morgan (Aug 12, 2009)

We rescued a baby pigeon at about 4 days old, he is now 2 months old and flys around the house and outside in the garden a little but doesnt go more than about 2 meters high and can only fly for about 6-10 seconds before he is knackered!! Should we keep letting him fly outside or will he fly away when he is strong enough to do so? Im worried that if he flys away he wont survive as he wont know how!! (He sleeps in a large dog crate in the kitchen and we let him loose in the house when we are in)
Thanks


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

do you have birds of prey in your area? if so, then no, he is a pet now so treat him as such. he should be protected from preditors.


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## sally&morgan (Aug 12, 2009)

i know what your saying but do you not think its cruel just keeping him under raps all the time? we just want him to be happy, yea there could be birds of prey in my area as there are open fields not far away


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

if he is dead how can he be happy? , your interaction and flying around in a safe aviary or house will be fine.


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## sally&morgan (Aug 12, 2009)

thank you for your help


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## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

Absolutely no!!!! Your bird has been hand raised and has not developed instincts of fear of humans, cats, dogs ect. Also if he were to get lost, he has no idea how to forrage for himself and would propably starve to death if a preditor did not get him first.

He is a pet now and no longer a feral bird.

Love him, protect him and enjoy his companionship.


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## PigeonQueen (Aug 13, 2006)

Please do not let your pet pigeon outside. The pigeon does not have the instincts of a wild bird or fear of predators. Your pigeon will therefore be vulnerable and may get lost. Also your pigeon does not have the protection of a flock and does not know how or where to find food.

I can understand that you worry about your pigeon being happy. Your pigeon does not miss the outside if it has been raised by you. Also it has your care and protection and does not have to struggle to find food.If you release the pigeon it will miss the support you have given it and will probably not survive.

If you give your bird time outside the dog cage and buy some PG wear. Your pigeon will beable to fly around for longer outside the cage without poops messing up the house. You can buy the pigeon wear from www.birdwearonline.com. 

You sound like you really care about your pigeon and I suspect your pigeon is very happy and content to have your loving care and support. Please dont take this from piggie by releasing or letting the pigeon go outside and possibly get lost.

best wishes Jayne


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## starlinglover95 (May 6, 2009)

I let my hand-raised pigeons fly outside, but we don't have many B.O.P. out here where i live and they were 2-3 weeks old when they were rescued and given to me. if you let them outside then you need to supervise them, or get a harness and leash for each of them (www.birdwearonline.com). Do you have a loft?


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## starlinglover95 (May 6, 2009)

lwerden said:


> Absolutely no!!!! Your bird has been hand raised and has not developed instincts of fear of humans, cats, dogs ect. Also if he were to get lost, he has no idea how to forrage for himself and would propably starve to death if a preditor did not get him first.


That is not absolutely true. My Birds are afraid cats, as I have taught them to be, and as cats in my neighborhood have taught them to be. And due to a trauma in their past, they are very afraid of people except when I am with them, and even when I am with them they are still very aware of people.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

starlinglover95 said:


> I let my hand-raised pigeons fly outside, but we don't have many B.O.P. out here where i live and they were 2-3 weeks old when they were rescued and given to me. if you let them outside then you need to supervise them, or get a harness and leash for each of them (www.birdwearonline.com). Do you have a loft?


their are many B.O.P in Ga you just have not seen them yet....one bird flying is a target so in her case I would say it would not be wise. here are just a few B.O.P that are in GA.

Order: Falconiformes Family: Accipitridae

Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey and include hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight. There are 233 species worldwide and 25 species which occur in Georgia. this is long so won't post it here , but you get the idea.

and here are the other kinds as well.

Order: Falconiformes Family: Falconidae

Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their feet. There are 62 species worldwide and 7 species which occur in Georgia.

Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni 
Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 
Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus 
Merlin Falco columbarius 
Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo 
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug 
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus


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## starlinglover95 (May 6, 2009)

I know that there are B.O.P. in GA, and I have seen many of them. What I meant was that there are not many around my neighborhood. I have seen Owls, Mississippi Kites, Black Vultures, and Turkey Vultures, around my house but there aren't that many. Sorry for the confusion.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

starlinglover95 said:


> I know that there are B.O.P. in GA, and I have seen many of them. What I meant was that there are not many around my neighborhood. I have seen Owls, Mississippi Kites, Black Vultures, and Turkey Vultures, around my house but there aren't that many. Sorry for the confusion.


Im not confused, I said you just have not seen them yet. Sally&morgan only have one pigeon which would not be good to let fly outside, as one bird is a target for birds of prey and other preditors, it only takes one time and the bird would be gone. so I still would advise against it. if she had a team of homers that were savvy and fast that would be different. IMO


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## starlinglover95 (May 6, 2009)

You are very right about that, and if she is going to take him outside she needs to get a harness for him unless she gets another pigeon or more pigeons that can be let out to free-fly.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Welcome, and let me add. . .absolutely not!  Your pigeon would be an ideal target as a single pigeon out flying for a hawk. Also, being hand-raised, generally they are not savvy to predators or other people. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule. But to be on the safe side, unless you add to your pigeon numbers, I would keep him inside. I have had a rescue for over nine years and none of my birds fly free. I had them living indoors for some time and now they are outdoors in large aviaries (flight pens). They are perfectly content--as far as I can see/tell--and never try to "escape" or seem mopey. If you give him plenty of time to fly around the house he should be more than happy. They adapt extremely well to being house pets and love every minute of it. They are very personable birds as I'm sure you noticed. You can try getting him some toys (stuffed animals, tennis balls, koosh balls, cat balls with bells in them, etc.) to play with. Also, they often like different parrot treats so try some of those as he gets older. Good luck and enjoy!


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## Margret (Jun 23, 2010)

I changed my mind after my hand-raised pet pigeon was attacked by a hawk and I was so close to lose him. That was a Sunday afternoon, I heard "bang" like something hit my car so I rushed out of my house. I saw a hawk chased my pet pigeon and nothing I could do .... Luckily my pigeon saw me and flu to me but he lost some feather around his neck. That terrible feeling was so overwhelmed which I will never forget. Since then, hawks come to my house from time to time. Of course, I won't let my pigeons out. It has been a year but I still see hawks around my house. I don't recall seeing any hawks until I have pigeons. 

I do think buying a fly leash so I can take my pigeons out.

p.s. I do have feral pigeon visitors all the time. They always come as a group and they are very alert. They would suddenly take off altogether even I don't see any predators. There's no way my pet pigeons can compete with feral pigeons... just look at the speed they eat


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

spirit wings said:


> if he is dead how can he be happy? , your interaction and flying around in a safe aviary or house will be fine.


Lol - No beating round the bush with that one


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

NZ Pigeon said:


> Lol - No beating round the bush with that one


I had forgotten about that..lol.. the thread is from 2009..


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Margret said:


> I changed my mind after my hand-raised pet pigeon was attacked by a hawk and I was so close to lose him. That was a Sunday afternoon, I heard "bang" like something hit my car so I rushed out of my house. I saw a hawk chased my pet pigeon and nothing I could do .... Luckily my pigeon saw me and flu to me but he lost some feather around his neck. That terrible feeling was so overwhelmed which I will never forget. Since then, hawks come to my house from time to time. Of course, I won't let my pigeons out. It has been a year but I still see hawks around my house. I don't recall seeing any hawks until I have pigeons.
> 
> I do think buying a fly leash so I can take my pigeons out.
> 
> p.s. I do have feral pigeon visitors all the time. They always come as a group and they are very alert. They would suddenly take off altogether even I don't see any predators. There's no way my pet pigeons can compete with feral pigeons... just look at the speed they eat


Thats a sad story with a nice ending - I let my pigeons fly all the time but they are a big group and as we have limited BOP in NZ they do not generally go for pigeons as there is a plentiful supply of easier prey for them. we all know how fast a racer can be, We have harriers above on occasion but they are far to slow for a pigeon. They don't even bother my rollers.


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

spirit wings said:


> I had forgotten about that..lol.. the thread is from 2009..


Lol, Yes I didn't notice that, I just saw it had been updated today by Margret


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