# new pigeon and some questions



## abzantz (Jun 26, 2011)

Hi guys. OK 2 years ago I went abroad to Pakistan and found that everyone kept Pigeon they fascinated me. I loved them so much that when I came back to the UK. All I thought about was pigeons. As I was only 12 years old I didn't know were I could get some so I left it. So I got a parrot instead that I still have called Muffin. So at Easter me and my farther made a out door cage for her. She doesn't really use it that much. So two days ago my grandad out of the blue brings me a pigeon as a present. So I was really shocked and surprised. At first I noticed that it didn't have any tail feathers then in closer inspection its wings were clipped so it can not fly. So I didn't know what to do with it. So I put it in the out door parrot cage for a couple of hours while i did some research. In the end I dug up my old rabbit hutch. Unscrew the door that was on it and placed it at the bottom for the cage. I then placed some flat wooden perches in the rabbit hutch for the pigeon to stay in the day and in the hutch at night.

Here are some pictures:










This is the whole cage set up










The hutch for her to sleep in.










My pigeon called snowy








4

Here is the feed I have her on. I have in this mixture. Barley, millet, sun flower, peanuts, yellow and green peas, yellow popping corn, yellow and brown lentils and some other stuff. lol

I have some questions. At night I have to put Snowy into her hutch and in the morning I put her into the day time area were she eats and drinks. My problem is Snowy gets a little stressed and panics. I want her to go up to her perces by her self but she cant fly and just walking in circles on the bottom of the cage for hours and she will not eat until I force to get to the perches. I don't want her to unlike her stay with me and leave and never come back when I fly her for the first time I try. I want her to like it her in my garden. What can I do until her wings and tail grow back which can be some time. 

PLEASE HELP ME WITH MY DILLEMA.

Sorry for my spelling mistakes

Abzantz


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## Revolution Lofts (Aug 7, 2008)

Something that really will help her is finding her a mate. Pigeons are very social animals and like living in flocks. So her being alone isn't right. If you could find her another pigeon to live with, that might be a step in the right direction!  Nice looking pigeon though, good luck!


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## abzantz (Jun 26, 2011)

Ok thankyou for the advise I will get another one very soon. I have some more questions regarding getting another pigeon. Does anyone know what kind of breed of this is. So I can get another one of the same breed? Also how can I tell if it is a male or female?
Also is this loft ok to keep them in?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

yes, I would get her or him a friend..a hen if possible..two hens can get along but two males may not.. and I would rewrap the cage in a smaller wire so mice can not go in there.. the grains attract them and can make the bird sick if they ingest their droppings. also... because the bird looks like a mature pigeon if let out it may fly back to it's home. I see it has a leg band or ring..was this a found pigeon or purchased?


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## abzantz (Jun 26, 2011)

My grandad bought it from his friend who keeps pigeons.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

spirit wings said:


> yes, I would get her or him a friend..a hen if possible..two hens can get along but two males may not.. and I would rewrap the cage in a smaller wire so mice can not go in there.. the grains attract them and can make the bird sick if they ingest their droppings. also... because the bird looks like a mature pigeon if let out it may fly back to it's home. I see it has a leg band or ring..was this a found pigeon or purchased?


housing pigeons.. they need shelter from rain and wind or drafts..it needs to be dry in the cage or loft..so I would make sure that is the set up you will have for them.. it looks to be a homing pigeon to me...and a pretty one at that.


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## abzantz (Jun 26, 2011)

What do I do to get it to stay with me in my loft?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

abzantz said:


> What do I do to get it to stay with me in my loft?


with homers you need to get them when they are young like 30 to 40 days old and then trap train them to come in to eat..usually they can be let out when they learn that..but a mature pigeon may or probably fly off to it's old home if let out..there is nothing you can do to stop that as they are homing pigeons.


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## abzantz (Jun 26, 2011)

Ok now I have a problem. The pigeons wings have been clipped so she can't fly I didn't clip them by the way. The owner lives hours away. What do I do?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

abzantz said:


> Ok now I have a problem. The pigeons wings have been clipped so she can't fly I didn't clip them by the way. The owner lives hours away. What do I do?


they will take time to grow out... he or she should not be let out anyway..unless this is an unflown young bird..but it looks like it is over the age of trying to settle., hard to tell.. does the band have this years date on it..can grandad find out how old he is?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

guess not.....


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## Don Fischer (May 13, 2011)

Those cliped flight feather's will get replaced when it molts. If you want them sooner, pull them out. They'll be back soon then,.


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## YaSin11 (Jul 23, 2009)

Abzantz,
Welcome to Pigeon Talk  Great story,really enjoyed it. Nice looking bird, can you read the numbers on the band on it's foot? That should give you the birth year, looks like a mature bird to me. Talk to the previous owner, as about the sex of the bird, and if possible try to get another pigeon so that S/He does not feel lonely. As for 'relocating' ie. having it/them fly back to your place, well it all depends on the age of the bird, but in my opinion best to keep this 1 captive, have babies and then fly the babies.Good looking bird. Don't worry, the wing/tail feathers will grow back with time. This 'down-time' is good as it gives a chance to get used to your loft. I would use smaller wire, to keep out rodents and other pests [as Spirit Wings said]. Your feed mix seems ok,check out this link : http://www.racingbirds.com/feed.html . Hope it helps, and good luck with your pigeon. Peace 
YaSin.


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## abzantz (Jun 26, 2011)

I am very shocked. The bird is 10 years old. It says 01 on the band. I have some good news. My grandad is bringing a male Monday. As i think mine is a female as she dosent coo at all.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

abzantz said:


> I am very shocked. The bird is 10 years old. It says 01 on the band. I have some good news. My grandad is bringing a male Monday. As i think mine is a female as she dosent coo at all.


a pigeon alone will not coo.. so really it could be a male as well..The only way to know if it is a hen is if she lays eggs., and if this one is a hen she is a bit old to go into the brooding business IMO.


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## abzantz (Jun 26, 2011)

So guys I got a new pigeon on Tuesday. The owner said that mine looks female. I think he is telling the truth. So I put the male in and the first day they were fine, but them the seconds day when it was feeding time they would peck each other and wing slap each other. The male started it the first time. So on day 2 my female was not letting my male come near her. Oh and I just forgot. MY male was making coo noises when feeding time at the female between fighting. Normally the female is very scared of people she hate people but my male will happily eat out of my hands. So my male always tries to get close to the female but she bites him and he bites back them he moves away. She hates him. 

Here are some pictures:




























So How do i get my pigeons to stop fighting and start mating? lol


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

First off, when you get a new bird, it is best to keep it quarantined from the other bird for a month, just to make sure it isn't sick. Secondly, You don't just put them in together. You could put the new bird in a cage where they can see each other, but not get at each other. After a while, if they show interest in each other, you can try putting them together. A male can really hurt the female if he is very aggressive. If one doesn't like the other, there isn't anything you can do about it, but by keeping them separate first, you have a better chance of them getting used to each other, and maybe getting interested in one another. If they don't get along, you need to separate them and start again. 

Also, as mentioned before, you really should put hardware cloth up on that chicken wire, as snakes and rodents can easily get in there. They will make your birds very sick, and can even kill them.

Oh yes, and I forgot to mention that they may be of the same gender. You can't know for sure.


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