# Next Steps With My New Pigeons



## CooCooBird (Dec 1, 2016)

I think my two new pigeons are starting to settle in. Now they often sleep sitting down (as if they're in a nest) and they show no fear when I spend time at the cage talking to them. One of them seems more interested when I babble at them than the other does. Now, how do I start with taming them? I haven't found any detailed instructions anywhere. Do I use food treats? 

They seemed calm this morning when I changed their pads and scraped their bricks and perches clean. I had to pick up and move one of them so I could clean where he was sitting. I guess they're used to being handled, but they're still not friendly. I sprayed some vinegar on the spots where there was poop, to disinfect and break down any remaining poop. 

They've been eating and drinking, I've given them pigeon mix seeds, a bit of cooked brown rice, and a dish with some shredded lettuce and carrots. I dust a bit of mineral powder on their greens and mix some grit (oyster shell/charcoal) in with their seeds. I gave them a bit of bee pollen with their seeds today, it's supposed to be very rich in omega-3's and nutrients. 

Would a probiotic be a good idea to help them get through the stress of relocating? I make my own organic plain yogurt, would that be appropriate for them? I also have organic apple cider vinegar which I add to my other bird's water. 

I also noticed they have feather lice. I'm planning to get a residual bird/aviary spray for those. Another option could be a bath salt, do those kill bugs or are they just to prevent bugs from coming back? I'm also going to order a worm medication that kills tapeworms. How long should I wait before treating them for parasites?

They do seem to spar regularly. It's mainly slow head bobbing back and forth. They seem to peck at each other, but there's never any contact. They look like those toy water drinking birds. Perhaps their ruffs prevent contact, but this sparring seems to be normal for Jacobins, from what I've seen on YouTube. When they do it, they always coo, and one of them raises and lowers their wing tips. I'm not sure what that gesture means. Usually within a minute or two they're fine again. Just now they stopped sparring and went right to eating together from the same dish. One is apparently male, I don't know yet about the other. I guess I will know when and if one lays eggs. The one I think is male is a deeper red, and his feet are a deeper shade of greyish pink than the other, whose feet are bright pinkish red. I was told the second one is younger, so may not be fully sexually mature yet. 

My other concern is exercise for them. They have room in the cage to stretch their wings, but I'd like for them to get some flight time. I was watching a YouTube video today of a loft full of Jacobins flying around. Is it better to wait a week or two to let them out, so they are settled in and not stressed? Or do they need flight time before then? I plan to shut the cats away before letting them out, of course. Speaking of the cats, they totally ignore the pigeons unless they happen to make an unusual sound, like wings flapping. Even then, the cats just glance up to see what's happening without moving from where they are at the time. They used to be attracted by the cooing, but now they ignore that as well. 

Here are some pics I took today. I still have to think of names for them!


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You don't have to put straw in their nest bowl. They like doing that themselves when they want to build a nest. 
The grit/charcoal and such doesn't go in the feed. It goes in a separate dish that they can go to when they want it.
You can wait to let them out to fly. Doing it later in the day works well till they are tamer, as you can just turn the lights out and walk over to them and pick them up to put them back in the cage. That way you don't have to chase them around the room, which really doesn't help in getting them to trust you.


----------



## CooCooBird (Dec 1, 2016)

Jay3 said:


> You don't have to put straw in their nest bowl. They like doing that themselves when they want to build a nest.
> The grit/charcoal and such doesn't go in the feed. It goes in a separate dish that they can go to when they want it.
> You can wait to let them out to fly. Doing it later in the day works well till they are tamer, as you can just turn the lights out and walk over to them and pick them up to put them back in the cage. That way you don't have to chase them around the room, which really doesn't help in getting them to trust you.


Re the straw, I read somewhere that they like it, but these guys are ignoring it anyway so I'll take it out.

I've put out a separate dish for their grit, they can have that from now on. I'm thinking of getting them one of those "pick blocks" that contains grit and minerals. Might be less messy - they're messy eaters, sometimes standing in the dish as they eat or trying to perch on the edge of the dish. I don't mind because they eat it from the bottom of the cage as well. Another question re grit - I have crushed oyster shell bought from a feed store, the pieces are a bit bigger than standard aquarium gravel. Is that size OK for pigeons or should it be crushed smaller?

Re flying, that's good advice about doing it in the evening and then turning out the lights to "collect" them. I've been watching videos of Jacobin shows to see how the "pros" pick them up and handle them. I was a bit clumsy this morning and there was a bit of wing flapping, but overall they seem fairly blasé when it comes to my hands being in their cage or near them. That's why I had to pick one up to move it today, my hand being near didn't faze it a bit. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better and taming them!


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Really beautiful birds! They will tame soon.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

CooCooBird said:


> Re the straw, I read somewhere that they like it, but these guys are ignoring it anyway so I'll take it out.
> 
> They do like it, but they like for it to be left where they can collect it and put it in their nest. Not you building the nest. They aren't interested in it now because they are not a mated pair preparing a nest for eggs. When a mated pair is getting ready to have eggs and babies, they then want to build a nest.
> 
> ...


...................................................


----------



## CooCooBird (Dec 1, 2016)

Re the hay, I have to admit that I was hoping its presence might stimulate them to nest, and that would help me to figure out if one is female. I guess that won't help much if the second one turns out to be male!  There's still a small amount under one of the shelves, I left it there since they're ignoring it anyway. 

Re the grit, I'm not using aquarium gravel, just the crushed oyster shell mix. I mentioned the aquarium gravel to give an idea of the size of the pieces. There are quite a few smaller pieces in the stuff that I had. I tried crushing it smaller but I don't have anything that can do the job. I tried it with a coffee grinder but ended up destroying the blades. I'll get the pigeon variety next week.

So what's the first step to taming them? Just talking to them, the way I've been doing? What do I do next?


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

CooCooBird said:


> Re the hay, I have to admit that I was hoping its presence might stimulate them to nest, and that would help me to figure out if one is female. I guess that won't help much if the second one turns out to be male!  There's still a small amount under one of the shelves, I left it there since they're ignoring it anyway.
> 
> Re the grit, I'm not using aquarium gravel, just the crushed oyster shell mix. I mentioned the aquarium gravel to give an idea of the size of the pieces. There are quite a few smaller pieces in the stuff that I had. I tried crushing it smaller but I don't have anything that can do the job. I tried it with a coffee grinder but ended up destroying the blades. I'll get the pigeon variety next week.
> 
> ...


I would mix a little bit of chopped unsalted peanuts into their feed, so that they will eventually try them. It may take a while as they don't know they are food. Once they do, they will love them. They will eventually come to you for the loved treat. Most important is letting them get used to you being around. Once they learn to trust you, they will be fine. Getting them to come to you for treats is a good idea. Pigeons usually like safflower seed too, so mix some of those in with the feed so they will try them. The thing is to get them to want to come to you.


----------



## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

This breed of pigeon does tend to be shy, I think some of it has to do with the feather hood, as they can not see as good from the sides. So when handling let them know you are coming. The ones I kept were not very fertile and I learned later from breeders that it is a trait in jacobins, or they are hit and miss with fertilization. I would not worry about letting them out too soon. They need a month or so to adjust to a new place. If they end up being male and female and one lays eggs you are going to need more space for the growing offspring. So keep that in mind.


----------



## CooCooBird (Dec 1, 2016)

Ladygrey said:


> This breed of pigeon does tend to be shy, I think some of it has to do with the feather hood, as they can not see as good from the sides. So when handling let them know you are coming. The ones I kept were not very fertile and I learned later from breeders that it is a trait in jacobins, or they are hit and miss with fertilization. I would not worry about letting them out too soon. They need a month or so to adjust to a new place. If they end up being male and female and one lays eggs you are going to need more space for the growing offspring. So keep that in mind.


I wouldn't necessarily call the ones I have "shy". They are clearly used to being around humans and they don't fuss or panic when I have my hands in their cage. In fact, yesterday I had to pick one up and move him to get at the spot where he was sitting to clean up the poop. But they are not cuddly pets either. I do always speak to them when I approach the cage, even if I don't intend to do anything in the cage. I've noticed they seem able to raise and lower the hood. When it's lower their field of vision is better. 

Re the fertility, I read that most breeders trim the feathers around the vent and breast at breeding time, because they are bred to have longer feathers there and those feathers interfere with mating. They are also a hazard to eggs and young chicks because the feathers get tangled with the egg/chick and the parent accidentally drags them out of the nest. Some people also trim the hood because they believe it interferes with feeding the young. But I also read that many breeders these days don't bother trimming hoods because the birds can feed their chicks without trimming the hood. I'm not really planning to breed, but I know accidents can happen. In that case I'd build another cage for the young birds. I'm also planning to order some dummy eggs to keep on hand just in case.


----------



## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

CooCooBird said:


> I wouldn't necessarily call the ones I have "shy". They are clearly used to being around humans and they don't fuss or panic when I have my hands in their cage. In fact, yesterday I had to pick one up and move him to get at the spot where he was sitting to clean up the poop. But they are not cuddly pets either. I do always speak to them when I approach the cage, even if I don't intend to do anything in the cage. I've noticed they seem able to raise and lower the hood. When it's lower their field of vision is better.
> 
> Re the fertility, I read that most breeders trim the feathers around the vent and breast at breeding time, because they are bred to have longer feathers there and those feathers interfere with mating. They are also a hazard to eggs and young chicks because the feathers get tangled with the egg/chick and the parent accidentally drags them out of the nest. Some people also trim the hood because they believe it interferes with feeding the young. But I also read that many breeders these days don't bother trimming hoods because the birds can feed their chicks without trimming the hood. I'm not really planning to breed, but I know accidents can happen. In that case I'd build another cage for the young birds. I'm also planning to order some dummy eggs to keep on hand just in case.


Sounds like a good plan, are these nest mates? They look so much alike., and if they are easy to pick up that may show their age as being under a year old. Mature pigeons would probably act a bit more disagreeable and act out sexually if placed together . It would be a good thing if they are young they can grow to know you from a young age.


----------



## CooCooBird (Dec 1, 2016)

Ladygrey said:


> Sounds like a good plan, are these nest mates? They look so much alike., and if they are easy to pick up that may show their age as being under a year old. Mature pigeons would probably act a bit more disagreeable and act out sexually if placed together . It would be a good thing if they are young they can grow to know you from a young age.


When I bought them I was told that they come from the same breeder but are not related. Both are 2016 birds. One is younger than the other - smaller, slightly paler red feathers, and paler red feet. That one is more outgoing and comes to the side of the cage when I talk to them. He likes to hang out on the perch that faces the room, and watches what's going on. The older one prefers to be underneath the perches. I'm fairly sure the older one is male, but I'm not sure yet about the younger one. They squabble a bit, but nothing serious, usually just swinging heads at one another and cooing over the food dish or a perch they both want. The older one is more introverted but still doesn't panic when I'm working in the cage.


----------

