help

[DJ]

hello, i started with pigeons in the summer after a lost racing pigeon took up residence in my back garden and the owner said that he didnt want it and that i could keep it myself  the pigeon settled into life in my garden shed and some weeks later a neighbour came to me with another stray racing pigeon that needed looking after,i contacted this pigeons owner and asked if i could keep this pigeon as company for my other one which he agreed to and i am now the proud owner of 2 racing pigeons, how can i tell wether they are boys or girl pigeons and what should i feed them on  do they have a special diet and why did they get lost  ? they both seem very happy and even though i let them out of my shed most days they always come back before dark and sleep side by side in the shed, im feeding them on wild bird seed and leave them water to drink from  any tips would be great

[Guest jason]

cocks (boys) tend to have a slightly rounder head, as apposed to hens (girls) which have a slightly flat head, the cock will also coo to woo the other (if its a hen).

 

animal feed places will sell you some pigeon corn, for a start off get some 'allrounder' (name of mix).

 

come on lads and lasses, a newbie needs our help!!!!!!!! ;D

 

jason

[jimmy white]

nice to hear your the proud owner of these two pigeons now, you seem to have done well with them as they obviosly know their being looked after ,, the reason they could have been lost was probably due to them being young birds and maybe adverse weather in some race , or maybe simply lost track from their original loft,in bad weather, it sounds very like a cock and a hen to me , if their sitting next to each other, if so , theyll probably breed if you put a box in and a" nest bowl"im sure any local fancier would help and advise you, again he would advise you where to get the proper pigeon mix, which contains maize and maple peas, and sometimes other seeds , im sure some one near you on the forum will contact you and keep you right ,, who knows you might have two future champions there,, best of luck anyway and keep in touch,,   :)

[Guest Hjaltland]

Hey DJ great to hear you've been smitten!  The cock bird will birll & coo ( twirl) to the hen. Yup.. a shelf with a nest bowl will give them somewhere safe to lay eggs. Oh man there's no way back for you now!

 

Enjoy

[GREENGRASS]

dj welcome to the world of pigeons, firstly thank you for caring for some lost birds as we would all like our birds which get lost to arrive at the home of someone like yourself. dont be put off that owners did not want them back  for they have probably too many in the first place. the best way to know if you are doing things correctly would be to find a local fancier in your area and ask him to have a look at them. as jason said try to get some pigeon feeding available from pet shops just a handful a day will be enough to keep them in good health etc.also any local fanciers may be able to help you out. if not keep posting on here for any advice as there are many good fanciers that will help you.

[Guest bristolkev]

welcome to the best hobby/sport on the planet! ;D ;D

[barry]

dj where abouts in sussex you from

[DJ]

to barry i am from crawley in sussex and thanks everybody for all the replys  its nice to know that advice is on hand if i need it  you have all been a great help.

[DJ]

hi its me deb again,ive now got another pigeon turn up at my shed but it doesnt sleep in the shed at night with my other 2 racing pigeons all it does is eat the corn and then fly off after eating,my neighbour said it looked like a street pigeon as it doesnt have a ring on and that they carry diseases,is this true and can it spread to my 2 racing pigeons?

[Wiley]

yes street pigeons shouldnt mingle with racers at all costs! I dont even like them in my garden

[jimmy white]

maybe better deb, just feeding your two racers at the same time every day, making sure the street pigeon gets nothing , after yours have had their fill , leave no food lying about , or you may finish up with more street pigeons ;D ;D ;D, but young wiley is right they can possibly carry desease,so just care for your own :)

[DJ]

thanks for info wiley and jim  i will start feeding my 2 pigeons inside the shed and hopefully the street pigeon will stop calling but i hate to see any animals suffering   its just not in my nature to ignore a hungry animal but id hate to see my 2 pigeons getting infected with any diseases  

                                deb

ps i went to a shop and bought a huge sack of gem irish corn which looks like it will last a year,will this be ok for the birds and will they need anything else to keep them healthy ? im sorry to keep bombarding u with questions but i just want to make sure that my pigeons have everything they need   is there a beginers book that i can buy

[Wiley]

yes deb gem irish corn should keep there stomachs full. http://www.everythingforpets.com/category/use.dept.1/ if you go here they have everything you could imagine racing pigeons to need.if you can get a photo up of your birds im sure all the other memebers would like to see

[Guest]

;D Keep asking questions Deb , we are all happy to help , try the library , see if theyve any pigeon books there , usually a good place , its where i started to learn !                                best of luck     andy   8)

[snowy]

hia,

thats a good pigeon corn,  give them some grit (from a pet shop) & fresh clean water every day, once a week leave 2-3 chopped garlic cloves in a 2 ltr bottle for 24 hours & then give them this water to drink once a week. use the remaining water of the garlic bottle to use for them to bath in.

good luck.

p.s

these are the basics.

[DJ]

thanks wiley  north wales novice and snowy for your advice i will ask my daughter to put a pic of my pigeons on pigeonbasics as i wouldnt know how to do that myself so watch this space

                                                deb

[jimmy white]

theres a thread on "sticky" right at the top how to post photos,, it would be great to see your pair on the forum [you seem to have did great in this short time ,,best of luck :)