Pigeons Fanciers...help

[Paul in North Lincs.]

Are there any chaps amongst us that keep pigeons, aswell as shoot them?

 

I recently acquired 3 pairs of the best show Birmingham rollers I could get. The problem is, I am struggling to settle them. I've let them out toaday after 6 weeks, on an empty bellies, and they've still cleared off out of sight.

 

I am new to keeping fancy pigeons, and wonder if I am doing something wrong

 

Any tips on settleing pigeons would be appreciated.

 

thanks

[ChrisNicholls]

It usually helps to have them paired and sitting eggs or feeding youngsters before letting them out, having said that I would of thought that 6 weeks was sufficient time for them to "lock on" to their new home. Can they see out ok? this is important and helps them to get familiar with their new surroundings, if they are getting disturbed by rats, cats or foxes at night the job of settling them is harder, another trick is to wing clip them, obviously they will not fly for you 'till they have moulted out the cut flights (one wing only) but this is almost guaranteed to work.

[Paul in North Lincs.]

Thanks chris for the advice...............

 

Just checked in at home 2 have re-appeared on the guttering immediately above the door......., and one is still flying wide circuits around the estate. after about 5 hours.....2 never even flew..............which leaves just 1 unnacounted for.

 

We are in for a heavy storm , so I'm hoping they will bob back in for shelter

[Ferret Master]

Hi,

 

We tend to leave them in for a good while with our old birds then let them out.

If you are scared your prized birds are going to fly away mark them with a pen or ring them so that if they fly back to their old owner he can give you a ring and you can collect them! :yp:

 

FM

[jimdfish]

Paul

i got a pair of rollers from Blackpool and left them in for twenty eight days. It worked out at just over a pound a day to own each bird. I may be able to buy the same pair back at the show next year.

Jim

[Paul in North Lincs.]

I have been talking to an old hand this morning, and it seems s thougth I have been grossly overfeeding the birds. Aparently this is the key..he flys his 500 miles on an ounce, so back to the drawing board!!!

 

thanks for the advice

[ChrisNicholls]

I have been talking to an old hand this morning, and it seems s thougth I have been grossly overfeeding  the birds. Aparently this is the key..he flys his 500 miles on an ounce, so back to the drawing board!!!

 

thanks for the advice

Paul, you definately do not want to overfeed them, or underfeed them. Birds overfed will stay but probably not come in, underfed birds may go back to their original home looking for food. The best compromise is to keep them well fed while you are settling them, and for the days leading up to letting them out decrease the food so they will have a good appetite and will be thinking of getting back in to be fed, tease them with a little food, just small seeds, prior to release for the first time, then open the door and continue to offer a little small seed, with luck they will be to busy getting fed to think about going away, it's also a good idea to make a noise everytime you feed,whistle, rattle a tin with some corn in or whatever you choose, they will associate this sound with being fed and will be eager to feed when they hear the noise. There are no hard and fast rules to breaking in new birds, everybody has different methods, try some of what's been suggested and you should be ok.

 

As you may of gathered by now I keep racing pigeons and have had a bit more than my share of success racing young and old birds over short and long distances, I am a main agent for the biggest manufacturer of all things pigeon on mainland Europe, I import and sell pigeon products for a living and speak to many pigeon men in the course of my work.

500 miles on an ounce? :blink:

[mossy835]

i used to keep them best if they were sitting on eggs or feeding young.then let 1 out at a time.

[Fisherman Mike]

I had 40 odd ornamental birds when I was younger including Ptarmigans and Rollers.

 

When establishing a new loft with young birds its best to make a fuss when feeding them while they are in captivity. I used to have a seed tin which i would rattle each day when feeding them so they associated the noise with feeding time. its best to try and establish a set time each day also and to keep them slightly hungry in the first few weeks of captivity as their energy requirements will be less as they are not flying.

 

I used to leave mine 8 weeks in the loft but 6 weeks should have been enough.

 

Dont forget that these birds are bred to fly and they must feel like a child in a sweet shop when they are let out for the first time.

 

Rollers are not like homing birds and Id be suprised if the missing bird has gone too far. Probably been shot by some over zealous decoyer. :(

 

Cheers,

 

FM.

[baikiel boy]

In the 1950's / 60's my late father kept , bred & raced pigeons , he had also previously kept them in the 20's / 30's . I can recall him using a device called a "winglock " on them . This was basically a length of string tied in a manner that made a single length, turned into three strings , then into a single length again . the area at which the string "made"three was about two or two & a halve long, this area went "over" the wing butt , each end went down the wing , one on the inside the other on the outside these where then wrapped round the flights and tied on the INSIDE of the wing ,to prevent the bird undoing the string. It prevented the bird from opening the wing and also when and if it was "broken"it could flown without waiting for the other alternative ( cut down wing to be moulted ) . I dont know if practice is allowed today as iv'e not had any contact with this sport since then . Regards baikiel boy