# Homing/ racing pigeons



## nvenoml

Hi guys, I have been looking after these pigeons in the picture I'm not sure what breed they are they were abandoned by our next door neighbor when they got evicted. I feed them wild bird food and they seem to be fine on it they look better and have learnt to trust me a bit and they come down when i put food down for them and know the sound of my voice. the problem is they don't leave and find shelter when its cold/raining/snowing. I have put a shelter up for them and a shelf for it to sit on they perch on top of it and next to it but they do not go in it I don't know what else to try.

Can anyone help?


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## Freyja

Can you get hold of one of them If they are racing/homing pigeons they will have rings on their legs. I 'm not sure but there may be a pone number too


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## JANICE199

*Hi ya, great looking birds..have you tried putting some corn out for them?what a shame the owners just left them.*


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## Guest

pigeons prefer to stand on a flat surface rather than a perch so a ledge is more comfortable.


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## nvenoml

There were 3 birds all together the one that went missing/died had rings on both feet, these two don't but they were all from the same person and the one who went missing/died looked like the white one.

They have a shelf so its flat for them, I have also converted a hooded litter tray into a bird house for them by putting hay in there and making it water proof they sit on top of it and stand next to it but they do not go in it I have tried to put bird food in there and they peck the food out but still do not go in there, not sure what to do can anyone help? I haven't been able to touch them so I don't think I can catch them, but I know for a fact that the two remaining birds do not have rings round their feet.


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## JANICE199

nvenoml said:


> There were 3 birds all together the one that went missing/died had rings on both feet, these two don't but they were all from the same person and the one who went missing/died looked like the white one.
> 
> They have a shelf so its flat for them, I have also converted a hooded litter tray into a bird house for them by putting hay in there and making it water proof they sit on top of it and stand next to it but they do not go in it I have tried to put bird food in there and they peck the food out but still do not go in there, not sure what to do can anyone help? I haven't been able to touch them so I don't think I can catch them, but I know for a fact that the two remaining birds do not have rings round their feet.


*hi again, its been years since i had pigeons..but i'm sure, if you keep putting some corn out for them they will soon keep coming back to your place..good luck with them and please keep us updated..*


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## nvenoml

JANICE199 said:


> *hi again, its been years since i had pigeons..but i'm sure, if you keep putting some corn out for them they will soon keep coming back to your place..good luck with them and please keep us updated..*


thats the problem... they dont go anywhere.... they sit on my roof day and day out fly away for a few minutes and come back on the roof they know when I call them the problem is they wont go in the shelter I made for them.. they just sit on the roof in all weather and dont go find shelter


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## TortMad

If they are homing pigeons they wont go anywhere, because they are home :mad2:

It is unusual to find domestic pigeons without a ring round there leg, which means they aren't registered with the racing pigeon assosiation. Could it be these birds were once feral and your neighbour took them in maybe.

There is only two things you can do

1. Don't provide shelter and food, they will have to move on to survive, but they might not especially if they have never been feral
2. Or feed them daily and provide some form of shelter for them.

Option two.
Have you a shed or wardrobe or dog kennel etc you could convert with a pop hole or trap for entry and exit, a nest box and some form of flat perch like a shelf? You can easily find Pigeon grain at any animal feed warehouse.

You will need to scrape out their droppings on a daily basis, with fresh grain and water given daily, but really provided pigeons have access to the outside world they don't require much time, especially as there is two.


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## x3ethx

aha omg ther right one looks like the pigeon i found now he's down my stables........

ii duno if any one can help me but ii think my dog has had a stroke he can't get up and walk becuz of his back legs we think there paralized help me plz


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## TortMad

You need to contact a vet ASAP


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## nvenoml

TortMad said:


> If they are homing pigeons they wont go anywhere, because they are home :mad2:
> 
> It is unusual to find domestic pigeons without a ring round there leg, which means they aren't registered with the racing pigeon assosiation. Could it be these birds were once feral and your neighbour took them in maybe.
> 
> There is only two things you can do
> 
> 1. Don't provide shelter and food, they will have to move on to survive, but they might not especially if they have never been feral
> 2. Or feed them daily and provide some form of shelter for them.
> 
> Option two.
> Have you a shed or wardrobe or dog kennel etc you could convert with a pop hole or trap for entry and exit, a nest box and some form of flat perch like a shelf? You can easily find Pigeon grain at any animal feed warehouse.
> 
> You will need to scrape out their droppings on a daily basis, with fresh grain and water given daily, but really provided pigeons have access to the outside world they don't require much time, especially as there is two.


would they not even find shelter in a near by tree or something? they fly away round the block and come back so I dont see why they wouldnt go and find shelter... they have shelter I have provided them with it but they do not go in it thats the whole problem...


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## TortMad

The reason why they don't go in to the shelter you have provided is because it is not their house. 

Homing pigeons are funny things, they know where their home is and are not happy until they find it.

When a stray pigeon lands on our lofts it stays there for days and days, it will come in the loft for food, then scarpers again, unless we can catch it in between and basket it and contact it's owner.

We once had a pigeon, that got transfered over in to our name, we never raced him but he lived with us for years and fathered many of our birds. He went out for his exercise as normal one day and never came back. We got a phone call a week later, he had flown home, back to the place he had originally come from. As I say they can be funny things.

You need to encourage your birds in to their new home. To do this you need to catch them and put them in the house or encourage them in somehow and lock them in for a week or so. The shelter needs to be well ventilated and big enough for them to fly around it and perch. You will need to feed them and water them daily, but they should soon learn that this new place is home.

Where did they live before? did they leave that too?


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## x3ethx

he all better know  got him tablets x


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## x3ethx

TortMad said:


> You need to contact a vet ASAP


he all better know got him tablets x


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## nvenoml

I'm not sure they left so soon and did not speak english well so did not understand how they looked ater them and to be honest they did not care.

How can I catch them I cant get close to them enough to catch them

All I remeber was the the people used to call them down with this flag thing but couldnt really see what they did.


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## Guest

nvenoml said:


> Hi guys, I have been looking after these pigeons in the picture I'm not sure what breed they are they were abandoned by our next door neighbor when they got evicted. I feed them wild bird food and they seem to be fine on it they look better and have learnt to trust me a bit and they come down when i put food down for them and know the sound of my voice. the problem is they don't leave and find shelter when its cold/raining/snowing. I have put a shelter up for them and a shelf for it to sit on they perch on top of it and next to it but they do not go in it I don't know what else to try.
> 
> Can anyone help?


Aww they're very cute... lovely markings... hope you get the problem sorted


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## TortMad

I doubt they have ever been handled. So you will just have to be patient and work on it every day.

Place some food on the floor call them over with a phrase like come on, come on etc or shake some food in a metal tin and stand near by, every time you do it get closer, until you have the food at your feet. When they are comfortable with that, put some food in your hand. Hold your hand steady and no sudden movements. Next step is to touch them, stroke their back, neck then head. When they are comfortable with you, try to hold them, hold them firmly with their wings firm against their body.

Good luck with them :thumbup:


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## nvenoml

I have gotten to the stage where when I call them they come to me and they start eating even though im still puting food down on the shelf for them.... but as soon as I try move towards them they fly off.


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## TortMad

They have probably never been handled or touched before so the only thing you can do is be patient and let them come to you.

Either that or coax them in to an outbuilding then go for it. But this might make things worse for you in the long run, as you will stress the birds out and make them warry of you


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## nvenoml

The previous owners from what I got off them told me they used to catch them and hit them or soemthing so they have been handled... and they used to always go back to the owners so not sure if that was true or not... but they used a flag and a noise to call them down to them... I have tried that but it hasnt worked I have my own noise now I shake the brid food and they come down... still wont get close enough to me though.


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## Guest

if you want to catch them use the old box trick.prop box up with stick tie string to stick put corn down when they go for corn pull string box falls pigeon cought


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