# keeping wild pigeons



## staticx

can i trap wild pigeons and then keep them in a loft,and what parasites or illness can they have.
thanks


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## Whitefeather

staticx said:


> *can i trap wild pigeons and then keep them in a loft, *and what parasites or illness can they have.
> thanks


*Healthy wild pigeons should be left alone!*

There are many non-releasable pigeons that need good homes. I would suggest you checking into that option. 

Cindy


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## staticx

ok,do you know were to buy captive pigeons?
thanks


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## wolfwood

If you search the "Birds Wanted or For Sale" and "Birds for Adoption" forums here on Pigeon Talk you'll find many Bred, as well as Rescued, birds. You may also find rescue pigeons at local Humane Societies/animal shelters. There are soooooo many Rescue Birds in need of good homes, but there are also birds available from the Breeders for reasonable prices (including $0) plus shipping.

PLEASE leave the wild spirits WILD (sounds like you will and that's a VERY good thing!)

Are you looking for pets (not to fly but to keep in your home or in an Aviary?) or are you wanting to fly them?


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## tuxedobaby

staticx said:


> can i trap wild pigeons and then keep them in a loft,and what parasites or illness can they have.
> thanks


i look after a flock of ferals,they are fed,watered,given grit,looked after medically if required but i do it with as little intervention as i can!i respect that they are wild,although i love them all dearly and do what i can for them,,i dont trap unless they require attention or i have a lost racer which i have at present(STILL cant catch her lol)if you want a pigeon,there are a lot of rescue pigeons needing a good home!


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## staticx

thanks for the replys,i am from syria and over there almost everyone has a cage of chicken wire type fence on there roof full of pigeons.i would also like to do that and i want to let them fly everyday and then they can come back.its gonna be an outdoor habitat.i dont want any crazy morphs just some white ones and black ones and maybe some red ones lol.


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## thesadman22

Hi guys, my first post here, so i'll try keep it short!
I too was wondering if it would be possible to keep wild pigeons, and breed them as carriers or racers. I understand that you would rather I left them wild, but I've been commissioned to cull them (In rural England, they're nowt but pests). So would it be possible to capture them and keep them instead? Please don't comment on my evilness etc, any I don't keep will have to be shot. So please, rapid replies!!
Thanks all
I


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## Print Tippler

Yes, they come home, they are not racers. You would have to keep all those inside and fly the baby's. Is it possible for you to take them all and just drive very far away and release them.


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## sky tx

Thesadman--you took a job--you should have "passed". But some people do anything for money. Commissioned. 
How many birds you have to Catch?????????????
You said you would do it---so KEEP your word.


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## Quazar

thesadman22 said:


> Hi guys, my first post here, so i'll try keep it short!
> I too was wondering if it would be possible to keep wild pigeons, and breed them as carriers or racers. I understand that you would rather I left them wild, but I've been commissioned to cull them (In rural England, they're nowt but pests). So would it be possible to capture them and keep them instead? Please don't comment on my evilness etc, any I don't keep will have to be shot. So please, rapid replies!!
> Thanks all
> I


Would be interesting WHO commissioned you to cull them & why.
The fact that they are to be shot seems a little strange 
Before any bird is culled, Other means of control/removal/re-location etc must be explored.


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## Heedictator

what if people get the eggs of street pigeons there and make a good delicacy out of it like that of quail eggs~ they must be low in cholesterol a more humane(uncruel) way to control street pigeon population^^ it's a good idea to keep them as pets~ when they breed you can make their chicks tame and home when they grow~ just give them more time(about months) for them to be familiar and get accustomed to your home and surroundings~ they are very closely related to homing pigeons, homers, racers so they will home and that's pigeons' intuition~


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## Print Tippler

I still think (if possible) to catch them all drive them 50 or 100 miles and release them. I'm really confused on your job? You have to kill pigeons but you feel morally against it? Quit.


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## Heedictator

Paki Tipplers said:


> I still think (if possible) to catch them all drive them 50 or 100 miles and release them. I'm really confused on your job? You have to kill pigeons but you feel morally against it? Quit.


to whom are you reffering at?


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## Heedictator

Heedictator said:


> what if people get the eggs of street pigeons there and make a good delicacy out of it like that of quail eggs~ they must be low in cholesterol a more humane(uncruel) way to control street pigeon population^^ it's a good idea to keep them as pets~ when they breed you can make their chicks tame and home when they grow~ just give them more time(about months) for them to be familiar and get accustomed to your home and surroundings~ they are very closely related to homing pigeons, homers, racers so they will home and that's pigeons' intuition~


just clearing out~ making street pigeon's *eggs* into delicacy(food) like of quail eggs


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## Heedictator

by the way guys do you have an idea where homeless street pigeons lay their eggs there in your places? there are no feral/street pigeons here in our country~ i hope somebody would have a picture to share^^


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## Print Tippler

Referring to thesadman. Going after the eggs would be vain. They don't lay them on the ground the go high up and everywhere and on roofs. It would take the whole city to go on an egg hunt with many latters to ever get rid of the eggs.


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## Heedictator

maybe placing nestboxes at the center of an amusement park or caging them all in a big aviary with nest box in the center of a city or an amusement park and anyone could comeby and feed them and somebody assigned to time and look for eggs on every nest and collect them~ somebody here who have tried some boiled pigeon eggs? ^^


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## thesadman22

sky tx said:


> Thesadman--you took a job--you should have "passed". But some people do anything for money. Commissioned.
> How many birds you have to Catch?????????????
> You said you would do it---so KEEP your word.


In this neck of the woods (quite literally!!) killing is a way of life. There are bird nets up, pigeon spikes on the ledges, and we try to remove all food sources nearby, but the tourists insist upon feeding them. I fully intend to keep my word; the killing does not bother me unduly, and I have no problem with culling them as they've become pests. I just thought it could be an interesting idea to try and breed them. I'm not trying to alienate people here, but those are the facts. If it's not possible to breed them, I guess I'll just be well stocked on pies for years!!!


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## thesadman22

Quazar said:


> Would be interesting WHO commissioned you to cull them & why.
> The fact that they are to be shot seems a little strange
> Before any bird is culled, Other means of control/removal/re-location etc must be explored.


The commission is from a local business, the pigeons are roosting in such numbers that the ground floor is the only usable floor! There have been previous attempts to control the numbers, but tourists to the area see them as a novelty and actively feed them. The shooting is the only practical option really, poison or other similar means isn't possible, as a delayed death would allow them to fly, and it could be very disturbing for others to have to see them die, especially with the strange behaviour shown by a poisoned pigeon.


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## spirit wings

thesadman22 said:


> Hi guys, my first post here, so i'll try keep it short!
> I too was wondering if it would be possible to keep wild pigeons, and breed them as carriers or racers. I understand that you would rather I left them wild, but I've been commissioned to cull them (In rural England, they're nowt but pests). So would it be possible to capture them and keep them instead? Please don't comment on my evilness etc, any I don't keep will have to be shot. So please, rapid replies!!
> Thanks all
> I


sure..there are a few people who keep ferals.. they usually use them as foster parents for their pure bred pigeons... but I have heard if you let them out they may just fly back to the place your trying to rid them...just make sure you try to find any babies that may get orphand from you taking them..it would be so cruel to leave them to starve.


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## thesadman22

Heedictator said:


> by the way guys do you have an idea where homeless street pigeons lay their eggs there in your places? there are no feral/street pigeons here in our country~ i hope somebody would have a picture to share^^


I beleive from what I've seen that most commonly it's in gutters; they view them as a ready made nest. Are there no feral birds at all over there? :O I thought they had established themselves all over the world... I can try get a picture of a nest and some ferals, but to be honest, the best example would be if you googled pigeons in Trafalgar Square...


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## thesadman22

spirit wings said:


> sure..there are a few people who keep ferals.. they usually use them as foster parents for their pure bred pigeons... but I have heard if you let them out they may just fly back to the place your trying to rid them...just make sure you try to find any babies that may get orphand from you taking them..it would be so cruel to leave them to starve.


Haha, I'm not a complete bastard, I have no intention of deliberately leaving orphans... Any ideas on what age the chicks would be able to survive without their parents? That way I could release the parents, and if they returned to the town, the chicks would at least be able to survive...


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## spirit wings

thesadman22 said:


> Haha, I'm not a complete bastard, I have no intention of deliberately leaving orphans... Any ideas on what age the chicks would be able to survive without their parents? That way I could release the parents, and if they returned to the town, the chicks would at least be able to survive...


lol.. I did not think you a complete bastard..lol.. just a reminder of the youngs in the nest.. they wean at about 30 days of age.. but the parents show them the ropes and where to eat..so 40 days or so..


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## thesadman22

spirit wings said:


> lol.. I did not think you a complete bastard..lol.. just a reminder of the youngs in the nest.. they wean at about 30 days of age.. but the parents show them the ropes and where to eat..so 40 days or so..


Thank you muchly, you've been most helpful.


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## Quazar

thesadman22 said:


> The commission is from a local business, the pigeons are roosting in such numbers that the ground floor is the only usable floor! There have been previous attempts to control the numbers, but tourists to the area see them as a novelty and actively feed them. The shooting is the only practical option really, poison or other similar means isn't possible, as a delayed death would allow them to fly, and it could be very disturbing for others to have to see them die, especially with the strange behaviour shown by a poisoned pigeon.


And you do of course have a proper Licence to do this ???

From a building use point of view, If the building is made PROPERLY secure, they wont get in to roost/breed in the first place, but since they have, they must be removed first and then any entrances blocked.

Pigeon spikes are to deter pigeons from landing and roosting, but must be positioned in the correct places and quantities to be effective.
Theres no point in spikes if the birds can still get into the building other ways.
It sounds very like the owners of the building have let the building get into such a state of dis-repair that the birds have got in and taken over and are now trying to erradicate the problem in an under hand manner.

From the way you are talking, the local buisiness that has commissioned this cull, doesnt seem to have done much homework on the subject as most of what you are discussing is actually illegal. (Poisoning & Shooting)

I suggest you have a good read Here and Here, and some of the links on these pages, as regards all the legal issues.


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## thesadman22

With all due respect, you have not proved your point particularly well. Shooting is not illegal, as once other methods have been attempted unsuccessfully, pigeons fall under general license. As it happens, I'm a qualified marksman, but general license covers everyone, regardless of skill. I am fully confident of delivering kill shots, and will not cause the birds to suffer unduly. However, I feel that this thread is rapidly turning away from the original question, to irrelevant topics. I understand that people dislike the thought of killing, but it is necessary, and it's what I do. 

So please can people stop criticising my vocation, and focus more on the points at hand...?


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## Quazar

If you had bothered to look and read the links provided, you would find that culling does not actually deter the birds, or stop other birds from moving in.
Yes, I am against the killing of these birds, but I do give you credit for asking possibilities of their future other than killing them.
This is a forum which is totally against culling, so you are going to get flak for the outcome if they are killed no matter what.
No matter what the circumstances, I feel that culling IS totally UNNESSESSARY in any circumstances, especially those such as you have described.
To many times building owners do NOT take enough responsibility for securing their premises, main reason being cost, and then resort to the situation you describe.
The birds can be trapped and re-located. Then, if the correct proofing of the building is then done, they cannot return to the current situation and would disperse elsewhere.
If this had been done PROPERLY in the first instance of noticing birds roosting then the problem would not have occurred, but there again this will cost more than just culling them so you will still have a job, and will probably be re-called when they return.


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## thesadman22

I was hoping not to mention the gamekeepers gibbet, but thats what will be used. And it will deter the birds. I did read the links, but they were written by more animal lovers. The majority of the facts on shooting were wrong, The rounds I will be using will definitely kill the bird. The post was more about hobby shooters than professionals, as most people in the region are more than capable of hitting a pigeon in a vital area. 
Also, I am not the business owner, so to be frank, it's none of my business what he does with the building. If you wish, I can give you more detailed answers as to the effectiveness of my tools, but as an animal lover, I would guess you don't want them...


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## Heedictator

thesadman22 said:


> I beleive from what I've seen that most commonly it's in gutters; they view them as a ready made nest. Are there no feral birds at all over there? :O I thought they had established themselves all over the world... I can try get a picture of a nest and some ferals, but to be honest, the best example would be if you googled pigeons in Trafalgar Square...


i'm from Philippines and if there are 'street pigeons' here they are just few and they must have their owners~ if something would happen like that here like very lots of pigeon flocks in the city, some people must be competing to keep any of them ^^ but almost all pigeons here are crossed with homers and racers and if not they are readily domesticated and kept as homing pigeons and not any pigeon here is considered as 'feral' though some may look like them~ thanks!! i'll try searching on the web


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## thesadman22

I just typed "Trafalgar Square pigeons" into google images searchh bar, should give you what you want  link follows if you want it;
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=e...qa8QP43r2OCQ&ved=0CDUQ1QIoAw&biw=1024&bih=476


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## Heedictator

i have already seen it many times and videos in youtube but i rarely see their nest and where they build it~


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## thesadman22

Ah, I see, sorry my mistake. I'm on the roofs on monday, so i'll keep an eye out for you


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## Heedictator

Heedictator said:


> maybe placing nestboxes at the center of an amusement park or caging them all in a big aviary with nest box in the center of a city or an amusement park and anyone could comeby and feed them and somebody assigned to time and look for eggs on every nest and collect them~ somebody here who have tried some boiled pigeon eggs? ^^


i have just found what i was trying to say!! this is an example and it is found in Melbourne Australia _"A large pigeon trap/coop/loft at Batman Park, Melbourne. Designed specifically to encourage nesting and allow removal of fertilised eggs to prevent population growth, it is a landmark in its own right."_ http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...melbourne.jpg/220px-Pigeon_trap_melbourne.jpg scan into the picture below in the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_Pigeon


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## goga82

this thread is crazy... wish i never read it


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## Don Fischer

staticx said:


> can i trap wild pigeons and then keep them in a loft,and what parasites or illness can they have.
> thanks


Usually they don't have any illness's. But put them in a loft and give them some anti-biotics. Trapping is not all the difficult if you know where they hang out. I have a trap I built that has a trap just like my loft's. I feed them for several days with the bob's tied up and then start dropping bobs one a day. Put the feed back where they can't reach it from the trap.

There's quite a bit of concern about what you ask. I'll tell you my experience. They will have a better life and a much longer life if you trap them and keep them in a loft. Just remember that at some point you'll have to do something about all the extra's you have. I start the spring with about 30 birds and the mob usually grows to over 100 by fall. I give birds to people that want to start a loft and sell to people that just want some training birds. Yes, I do know what they do with them!

Ya really like them? Catch and give a home to what you can. Outside of the pigeon fancier community they get little respect. I know a lot of people that refer to them as "flying Rats". Like it or not, they don't use birth control and do become a real problem in many places. They are removed! Read into it what you want.

You can't save them all but you can give some a better life. Good for you, good for them.


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## Heedictator

Don Fischer said:


> Usually they don't have any illness's. But put them in a loft and give them some anti-biotics. Trapping is not all the difficult if you know where they hang out. I have a trap I built that has a trap just like my loft's. I feed them for several days with the bob's tied up and then start dropping bobs one a day. Put the feed back where they can't reach it from the trap.
> 
> There's quite a bit of concern about what you ask. I'll tell you my experience. They will have a better life and a much longer life if you trap them and keep them in a loft. Just remember that at some point you'll have to do something about all the extra's you have. I start the spring with about 30 birds and the mob usually grows to over 100 by fall. I give birds to people that want to start a loft and sell to people that just want some training birds. Yes, I do know what they do with them!
> 
> Ya really like them? Catch and give a home to what you can. Outside of the pigeon fancier community they get little respect. I know a lot of people that refer to them as "flying Rats". Like it or not, they don't use birth control and do become a real problem in many places. They are removed! Read into it what you want.
> 
> You can't save them all but you can give some a better life. Good for you, good for them.


yes i agree^^


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## Heedictator

these pigeons aren't really wild , they are ferals that means they're gone wild from being domestically reared~


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## Quazar

Heedictator said:


> these pigeons aren't really wild , they are ferals that means they're gone wild from being domestically reared~


Thats what the definition of feral is, however, most of the ferals arouind have never been domesticated. Somewhere down their generation line their ancestors will have been, but that is more than likely hundreds of generations ago.. so in a pigeons case a feral is actually as wild as any other bird, and chances are it has not ever been domesticated.


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## spirit wings

ferals breeding in the wild do tend to revert back to a more wild look and lose the domestic features of their captive relatives..but there are lost or runaway homers and other breeds to fill in the gaps most times.. so a feral can look just about like anything..from your standard homer to the oringinal rock dove of days past.. here in the US because rock doves are not a native all of the ferals are from domestic stock..


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## Quazar

spirit wings said:


> ferals breeding in the wild do tend to revert back to a more wild look and lose the domestic features of their captive relatives..but there are lost or runaway homers and other breeds to fill in the gaps most times.. so a feral can look just about like anything..from your standard homer to the oringinal rock dove of days past.. here in the US because rock doves are not a native all of the ferals are from domestic stock..


yes, but although from domestic stock, technically they are not feral as they themselves have never been domesticated.
The general meaning of feral has been misconstrued over the years.
Whether a bird is native or not is irrelevant to it being feral.
An escaped domesticated animal/bird (whether native or not) living as wild is a feral.
Its offspring, is in fact born wild, maybe not native, but it has never been domesticated so really shouldnt be classed as feral.


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## spirit wings

Quazar said:


> yes, but although from domestic stock, technically they are not feral as they themselves have never been domesticated.
> The general meaning of feral has been misconstrued over the years.
> Whether a bird is native or not is irrelevant to it being feral.
> An escaped domesticated animal/bird (whether native or not) living as wild is a feral.
> Its offspring, is in fact born wild, maybe not native, but it has never been domesticated so really shouldnt be classed as feral.


ah I see.. that is why it is best to not go pet the little kitten that was born wild...unless you want a good bite!... happend to my sister..

not sure when to call a pigeon wild or feral..as you just can not tell them apart or know their history. I think that is why all here are called feral because it just may be so. I really do not think of pigeons here like I would a morning dove that would not do well if it were captive unlike pigeons who adjust pretty well or revert back... some can say my flock is feral when they are out flying the fields.. or are they wild at that point?...lol..


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## Quazar

spirit wings said:


> ah I see.. that is why it is best to not got pet the little kitten that was born wild...unless you want a good bite!... happend to my sister..
> 
> not sure when to call a pigeon wild or feral..as you just can not tell them apart or know their history. I think that is why all here are called feral because it just may be so. I really do not think of pigeons here like I would a morning dove that would not do well if it were captive unlike pigeons who adjust pretty well or revert back... *some can say my flock is feral when they are out flying the fields.. or are they wild at that point*?...lol..


Good point lol, I suppose technically at that point they could be classed as feral untill they return home, They can never be classed as wild as they are domesticated. If they were were not to return, then they would indeed be feral, but, if they are banded then probably no one would ever give them that title.

Talking about kittens - Heres an interesting Pic








Certainly wouldnt go too close to them though, theyre not pets & they are not feral. They are WILD.
Heres the story from a few years ago.


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## Heedictator

Quazar said:


> Thats what the definition of feral is, however, most of the ferals arouind have never been domesticated. Somewhere down their generation line their ancestors will have been, but that is more than likely hundreds of generations ago.. so in a pigeons case a feral is actually as wild as any other bird, and chances are it has not ever been domesticated.


you are right but you didn't think that pigeons have been domesticated so they can be domesticated back when it happen already so it's always possible even for a wild-born domestic pigeon especially when kept together with a domesticated pigeon~ remember their ancestor Rock pigeon that is purely wild but it is the first domesticated pigeon


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## Heedictator

pigeons don't have sharp teeth like cats


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## Heedictator

these birds/pigeons(columba livia) were born with the fact that they can be domesticated and have the homing ability unlike sparrows or finches or budgies or any other birds or other doves or some smaller wild pigeons when you keep for several years won't home if you free them in the wild and will take you much time and effort to get them comfortable with you while in the cities feral pigeons will come close and feed what people gives and even for a handfeed~ feral pigeons(columba livia) will even stay close and acclimated to people around... in the city


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## Quazar

Heedictator said:


> you are right but you didn't think that pigeons have been domesticated so they can be domesticated back when it happen already so it's always possible even for a wild-born domestic pigeon especially when kept together with a domesticated pigeon~ remember their ancestor Rock pigeon that is purely wild but it is the first domesticated pigeon


Oh its always possible, and some can be domesticated better than others.
But why ? There are plenty other already domesticated birds with loft born young that are not required or wanted so why capture a wild bird ?




Heedictator said:


> these birds/pigeons(columba livia) were born with the fact that they can be domesticated and have the homing ability unlike sparrows or finches or budgies or any other birds or other doves or some smaller wild pigeons when you keep for several years won't home if you free them in the wild and will take you much time and effort to get them comfortable with you while in the cities feral pigeons will come close and feed what people gives and even for a handfeed~ feral pigeons(columba livia) will even stay close and acclimated to people around... in the city


Most other birds originally come from a totally different habitat than the city.
In their own wild habitat, they will (like all wild animals) have homing instinct to try to return to their own home. An escaped budgie or parrot will not survive for very long if it is nowhere near its natural habitat.
Pigeons are more adaptable and do have better homing instinct to travel further. Also, because of their numbers, they can also survive longer in the wild if they find some of their own kind.
The Rock doves natural habitat is Rocks or cliffs with natural little nooks & shelters they can nest in with relative safety. Their adaptation to city life is not much different, they nest on buildings (like man made cliffs) in spaces between bricks, or ledges. Also under bridges where they are covered from any above view of predators and high enough to be safe from any on the ground. 
The reason they stay close & acclimatise to people is they have learned to live off our throwaway food. Most peole will actually feed pigeons, especially in parks or areas where they flock together, so they hang arouind and learn to trust us.
A captured feral/wild pigeon is like someone buying an adult domesticated bird from another loft. If freed, it will normally try to return to its home where it was born.
Young pigeons can sometimes be settled to a new loft, same goes with young ferals/wild birds. 
I have had 3 rescued baby "ferals" recently. All from the same area where they either fell or left their nest which was in a bridge over a busy road.
Although none could fly properly when found, 2 were slightly older and when able to fly properly & soft released, were happy to be free & re-introduced to their own kind. (incidently, although released in a different area, one has since returned to the bridge where it originated).
The 3rd just does not want to be released. It has been soft released 3 times and every time flies back to my shoulder & wont leave.
So it has accepted its new home and has become totally domesticated.
It was not intended to be this way, but at the present the bird has chosen that. 
Through time and as it matures into adulthood, it may well decide that it wants to go in which case, it will technically be a feral bird


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## spirit wings

Heedictator said:


> these birds/pigeons(columba livia) were born with the fact that they can be domesticated and have the homing ability unlike sparrows or finches or budgies or any other birds or other doves or some smaller wild pigeons when you keep for several years won't home if you free them in the wild and will take you much time and effort to get them comfortable with you while in the cities feral pigeons will come close and feed what people gives and even for a handfeed~ feral pigeons(columba livia) will even stay close and acclimated to people around... in the city


I think what he was saying is once they are hatched in the wild (not sure how many generations).. they become wild.. not sure how..as I think , wild is something that has never been domesticated, like a protected wild species, which pigeons are not here in the US. All are from domestic stock, but breed in the wild and therefore he thinks they are classed as wild like song birds and morning doves.. I do not compair pigeons, feral or new feral or how ever generations away from feral they are..they still have domestic bred pigeon blood in them.. there is no pure rock dove in the US, so I do not see any of them as wild.. not only can you not ever be able to tell one from wild hatched.. it is splitting hairs and really not of conern if one calls them wild, or feral, lost homer, street pigeon, rock dove, escapee's or relations to escapees.. what ever floats your boat. The feral pigeons that live in the overpass near the Target store in town could be right at home in a loft in someone's back yard and I would not beable to tell they were ever feral.. or"wild".. they are bb's, checks, splashes, blacks..etc..


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## Heedictator

Quazar said:


> Oh its always possible, and some can be domesticated better than others.
> But why ? There are plenty other already domesticated birds with loft born young that are not required or wanted so why capture a wild bird ?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Most other birds originally come from a totally different habitat than the city.
> In their own wild habitat, they will (like all wild animals) have homing instinct to try to return to their own home. An escaped budgie or parrot will not survive for very long if it is nowhere near its natural habitat.
> Pigeons are more adaptable and do have better homing instinct to travel further. Also, because of their numbers, they can also survive longer in the wild if they find some of their own kind.
> The Rock doves natural habitat is Rocks or cliffs with natural little nooks & shelters they can nest in with relative safety. Their adaptation to city life is not much different, they nest on buildings (like man made cliffs) in spaces between bricks, or ledges. Also under bridges where they are covered from any above view of predators and high enough to be safe from any on the ground.
> The reason they stay close & acclimatise to people is they have learned to live off our throwaway food. Most peole will actually feed pigeons, especially in parks or areas where they flock together, so they hang arouind and learn to trust us.
> A captured feral/wild pigeon is like someone buying an adult domesticated bird from another loft. If freed, it will normally try to return to its home where it was born.
> Young pigeons can sometimes be settled to a new loft, same goes with young ferals/wild birds.
> I have had 3 rescued baby "ferals" recently. All from the same area where they either fell or left their nest which was in a bridge over a busy road.
> Although none could fly properly when found, 2 were slightly older and when able to fly properly & soft released, were happy to be free & re-introduced to their own kind. (incidently, although released in a different area, one has since returned to the bridge where it originated).
> The 3rd just does not want to be released. It has been soft released 3 times and every time flies back to my shoulder & wont leave.
> So it has accepted its new home and has become totally domesticated.
> It was not intended to be this way, but at the present the bird has chosen that.
> Through time and as it matures into adulthood, it may well decide that it wants to go in which case, it will technically be a feral bird


we are here to post questions and he asked if he can keep some wild pigeons~ of course!! many of us keep passerine and song birds that are wild~ even none of them home to their owners where they lived~ what i mean with "home" is homing to the owner as of the term "homing pigeon"~ of course all animals knows where is their natural home~ pigeons., that's a different homing instinct pigeons home because they trust they're owners~ and also that's why they aproach people in the city while other birds won't dare a handfeed .. so the answer is YES to the posters question~ columba livia has the homing ability~ i think you guys already know it when i say "*homing*"


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## spirit wings

feral pigeons can home.. it has been done.. someone took their feral rescues (ready for release) 50 miles away to a park.. they were back when they got back home..lol.. and as far as domestic, feral , or wild. I think it is known there are no wild native pigeons here any longer..except maybe some sightings of wood pigeons in the west.

A feral pigeon is most often a pigeon who had an owner at some point, but has been discarded or lost for such a period of time that it no longer behaves “tame”. We enter that blurry area, as feral pigeons are also offspring of pigeons that have been discarded, and their offspring as well. While some of these pigeons may never have had an owner, or known the comfort of being a “pet”, they are not truly “wild” under technical terms, although in behavior they may be totally unsocial to humans. Most pigeons who are descendent’s of domesticated pigeons no matter how many generations ago, are considered feral as opposed to “wild”.


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## Heedictator

spirit wings said:


> feral pigeons can home.. it has been done.. someone took their feral rescues (ready for release) 50 miles away to a park.. they were back when they got back home..lol.. and as far as domestic, feral , or wild. I think it is known there are no wild native pigeons here any longer..except maybe some sightings of wood pigeons in the west.
> 
> A feral pigeon is most often a pigeon who had an owner at some point, but has been discarded or lost for such a period of time that it no longer behaves “tame”. We enter that blurry area, as feral pigeons are also offspring of pigeons that have been discarded, and their offspring as well. While some of these pigeons may never have had an owner, or known the comfort of being a “pet”, they are not truly “wild” under technical terms, although in behavior they may be totally unsocial to humans. Most pigeons who are descendent’s of domesticated pigeons no matter how many generations ago, are considered feral as opposed to “wild”.


m..m.. that's true~ they can be tamed by continuously handling them in time and with patience .. i think the poster refers to the "wild-type" pigeons or "feral" pigeons and not the true wild pigeons that are usually small and referred to as 'doves' and doesn't have the captive color breeds and patterns of domestic & feral/street pigeons~


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## NquabYa

sooooo my question is......you can still train them like racing pigeons right?????
has it been done before?


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## Heedictator

NquabYa said:


> sooooo my question is......you can still train them like racing pigeons right?????
> has it been done before?


to home them would be effective but to race them?? racers and racing homers are specially bred and modified from the wild type pigeons to be able to cope up with long distance travel at a faster speed


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## Heedictator

but what if there would be a race for all non racers and homers lke ferals or the wild type or tegether with rollers and tipplers^^ haha


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## Don Fischer

I've had ferals come back from right at a hundred miles. From what I understand that because they were probably crossed with lost homer's. The birds I have now were born and raised here and I flew them last spring but kept the distence down to about 25 miles. Years past I flew them regulary from About 50 miles and seldom ever lost one. That was when I had some come back about 100 miles. Bear in mind when I intentionally flew them from that distence many couldn't make it back.

As for speed, I've had a few young homer's out flying around and compared to my ferals, they fly like an SR 71! That is a spy plane from thre 70's that flew really high and unbleveably fast.


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## overmarco

*pathological case*

This is the worst thread I've seen since I joined this forum.

A professional animal killer - that is someone who goes out everyday and kills for a living, then goes home and eats a nice meal and sleeps like a baby - is somehow interested in his birds victims.

Let me quote from his postings:
"killing is a way of life"
"I fully intend to keep my word; the killing does not bother me unduly"
"strange behaviour shown by a poisoned pigeon"
"I am fully confident of delivering kill shots"
"killing, but it is necessary, and it's what I do"

Im no Freud but I dont have to be in order to notice there is something horrible wrong here. He has absolutely no interest in birds, except of how to kill them. And somehow he gets less and less satisfaction from the killing itself and he needs to brag about it here.

Google "gamekeepers gibbet" - that's his everyday job, the method he uses to deal with pigeons. 

I do understand that animal lovers have an extra human sense and are should be open to dialogue, but not with this specimen. thesadman22 needs a shrink and a good one.


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## Heedictator

overmarco said:


> This is the worst thread I've seen since I joined this forum.
> 
> A professional animal killer - that is someone who goes out everyday and kills for a living, then goes home and eats a nice meal and sleeps like a baby - is somehow interested in his birds victims.
> 
> Let me quote from his postings:
> "killing is a way of life"
> "I fully intend to keep my word; the killing does not bother me unduly"
> "strange behaviour shown by a poisoned pigeon"
> "I am fully confident of delivering kill shots"
> "killing, but it is necessary, and it's what I do"
> 
> Im no Freud but I dont have to be in order to notice there is something horrible wrong here. He has absolutely no interest in birds, except of how to kill them. And somehow he gets less and less satisfaction from the killing itself and he needs to brag about it here.
> 
> Google "gamekeepers gibbet" - that's his everyday job, the method he uses to deal with pigeons.
> 
> I do understand that animal lovers have an extra human sense and are should be open to dialogue, but not with this specimen. thesadman22 needs a shrink and a good one.


yes thesadman has nothing to do with his life but take on the life of innocent birds.. that's why he is the sad man because he has nothing to do~ let's just post in something we might want to talk about with "keeping wild pigeons" and ignore the ignorance these kind of people or i mean users


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## Heedictator

by the way "feral pigeons" could be any pigeons including homers or even fancy breeds~ a feral is a domesticated animal who have gone back into the wild~ ''he'' mentioned keeping wild pigeons~ wild pigeons maybe the wild type that had been domesticated and gone back to the wild(feral pigeons) or the complete wild one that has never been domesticated(like the wild rock pigeons, smaller pigeons and doves)~that's how i understand about ferals~ in other countries the wild type ferals are domesticated as homing pigeons and are most often crosses of homers


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## Don Fischer

I find it amusing that some people think they can control populations by finding nest's and taking away the eggs. First off your not gonna find enough nests to make much of a dent in them. Next, when you take away their eggs, they go somewhere else and lay more.

I have a homer that had a nest it broke an egg in. I kept waiting for the second to hatch and it didn't, so I picked it up, found it broken and threw it away. Well mom wasn't having any of that, she laid two more with the baby in there! When I saw that I took them away and destroyed them. Think that fixed the problem? Wrong. I keep a shovel in the loft behind a door to clean up. She went behind the door and got between the shovel and the wall and laid two more eggs, I've let her keep them!

Controlling populations is not always pleasant but it is necessary for the survival of the species.


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## Heedictator

not really amusing


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## spirit wings

I do believe they have tried to control populations in some cities by building a large dovecote and they nest in those, then people go check the nests every week and replace real eggs with fake ones.. it helps with the population because the pigeons use the cote and they give them fake eggs to sit so they won't go lay more right off the bat.. but only lay more when the fakes don't hatch.. basically a supervised dovecote.


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## thesadman22

Please, I have not written anything offensive to anyone, I have simply asked if there were an ALTERNATIVE to killing. You write personal attacks against me for no reason other than because I have stepped forwards to ask your advice, on ways to avoid the killing. All you have picked up on is the word "kill". As yet, the only person that has answered my original question is Don Fischer! Perhaps you should consider people AS WELL as animals. I do't know whether you have religious beliefs or not, but either way, there is nothing to condemn a pest controller, unless you are a Jain. So please show some respect in the future for other people, regardless of their occupation. For you would find living very hard without us farmers to do the unpleasant work for you!!


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## Collard Dove

You are a farmer? If you are, you could trap them, and then just keep some for breeding off of if you want, and just let them go in Scotland or over in northen Ireland!


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## Collard Dove

If your farm is a long way off from where you are supposed to get the birds from, you could see if you can train them to come back to roost at night.


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## Collard Dove

I don't know if they can be trained though. Next Question!! How you train them to home!


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## thesadman22

If you look, thats exactly what my first post said  will look it up...


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## watergirl

The most circular forum thread I have ever read.

Good luck rescuing as many as you can. I only recently got to know a feral pigeon, it has been a bit of a startling eye opener how smart he is and interested in everything and adaptable.

Too many living things get killed because we can't/won't figure out how to deal with them. Usually the problem of the animals becoming pests in the first place comes directly from the people who consider the animals a problem. That's a difficult situation to solve. And really unfair.

Throw away animals. They're everywhere. Just look at the throw away millions of dogs and cats killed in public shelters with taxpayer's money. Sick society. Stupid waste of lives and good money.

I have to go barf now, ugh.


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