Tame or Wild

[stevebelbin]

What are peoples thoughts on how tame a pigeon should be. I prefer pigeons that when you walk in the loft you wouldnt instantly notice them, pigeons that are nice and quiet will let you walk up to them and pick them up without having a flapping fit  

 

Yet most tame pigeons that Ive had or known about generally look the part but just dont cut it when racing

[Guest Paulo]

Mine are quite tame you can normally clean the perchs around them and they won't move that much. Think aggression is important through especially in cocks. My dad told me watch out for the pigeon cock or hen that is always chasing pigeons away from the feeder and drinker and they tend to make good racers. Theories are bewildering through every body has their own signs they like to look for.

[stevebelbin]

Ive found that aggressive cocks generally go down when racing, as they waste too much energy in the basket. Not always the case as my first ever win came from a Cheq Pied Wildermeersh cock that used to take up a corner in the race pannier and nothing would go near him. Every time I played a jealousy trick on him he would score  

[swilcox]

Happy pigeons will always respect there owners!!!! However i restrain from making pigeons really tame!! Keep the spirit hot!

 

Stuart

[Guest]

hi..one of my best racing hens in the last 5 yrs was a hand tame bird..called peanut...well known in my club.

she would come to me in the house land on my hand and more or less ask 4 peanuts..(hence the name) and knew when i called her by that name.. her hightlight was gaining 21st combine in the welsh south east combine..birdage of around 13,000 birds from lillers in france some 254mls...she scored in the club quite regular and was more of a family pet,she was a nactigale busschaert dch.....and i also had a blue hen that would be similar..scoring at 54 mls swindon or 450...bonn.

i dont fly nationals only club/fed.......paul

 

[stevebelbin]

Nice one - the old peanuts are the best thing to make any pigeon tame - even the wildest pigeons in my loft would eat peanuts out of my hand - And I think they are a massive benefit when preparing channel birds as the birds seem to home to the peanuts rather than anything else  

[Guest Paulo]

My dad swears by peanuts. I've found my birds don't seem to like them whats the bit type to get?

[swilcox]

I love peanuts for channel racing yet our vet at the breeding stud tells us not to use them :

[Guest Paulo]

your supposed to use human consumption ones aren't you? I find they are a bit big the ones I have with red skins on them? Do you lads chop them up or something?

[stevebelbin]

Paul, once they get a taste for them they will crave them and follow you round the loft thinking you are going to give them some, but for some reason if YBs aren't given them when really young they dont eat them straight away and struggle to pick them up, so its best to cut them into quarters at first. Human comsumption red skinned peanuts are the best.

 

Stuart, yeh ive been told not to give peanuts by some people as I think it does something to their insides, but have also read of a fancier who only ever fed his pigeons on peanuts, and would have numerous birds high up in nationals. Ill try and find the link on the new, it was titled "unroasted peanuts - the secret weapon"

[Guest Paulo]

"if YBs aren't given them when really young they dont eat them straight away and struggle to pick them up.''

 

Yeah I've noticed that when give them to the old birds they'd pick them up and drop them and they have never had when babys. I thought dad was winding me up about them liking them!

 

How many do you normally give young birds? As they are fattening aren't they?

[stevebelbin]

Yeh they are very fattening - so I would only use a few to get them to trap quickly. B4 I send to a channel race I pack them out with them, but make sure there cut into quarters or they tend to spew them back up in the basket, as you would if you have stuffed yourself and then travelled in a car.

[Guest Paulo]

I'll try that next year. A lot of the top distance men like the peanuts.

[Guest TAMMY_1]

NOTHING WRONG WITH SOME NUTS IS THERE

[Guest Paulo]

cannae beat some peanuts

[Guest]

Don't feed peanuts, but my birds are pretty tame.

 

Basically its me and the loft design that achieves that.

 

Used to agree with some of the posts about maybe takes the edge off them?

 

But don't believe that now since 80+ yo clubmate told me about his 3rd bird from Scottish Central Combine Lille 465 miles, 2005. He'd sent three and timed three, all on the result, the third bird timed next morning. Didn't know it was there until his wife opened the curtains, bird saw her, flew to the window sill, and started brushing. This was a hen. Think I'm right that it was his wife who went out and timed the bird in.

 

Tameness certainly didn't take the edge off these birds.  

[Pompey Mick]

I buy Human consumption quality peanuts and I feed them 50% pigeons and 50% me, rising to 75% me on the longer races.

[Guest]

I find Safflower a good alternative to peanuts and Safflower is far easier to store.  If I use peanuts I get them from the bins at the local supermarket, and eat myself what the birds don't as I will not store them for the next time

[Tony C]

Tame is ok but wild pigeons I dont entertain. I like the ones that give you the eyeball when moving amoungst them, you can sorta see their thinking.

[carl]

I love tame pigeons but cant stand the flighty ones that dive all over the loft.i have clocked tame pigeons and also clocked the flighty ones,its the flighty ones that dont trap the following week.

[pender]

Personally any real tame bird i have had have turned in to pets, and never done any winning they did breed winners but did not win themself. Any good bird i have had have been not what i term wild but def not tame. It is nicer having tame winning birds rather than wild winning birds for benifit of others coming to loft visit. I must say i have never had good nutcase pigeon.

[Guest REDFOXKRAUTHS]

i like them inbetween not to wild not to tame i cant stand really wild pigeons

[Roland]

A woman meets a man in a bar. They talk; they connect; they end up leaving together.

 

They get back to his place, and as he shows her around his apartment, she notices that one wall of his bedroom is completely filled with soft, sweet, cuddly teddy bears. There are three shelves in the bedroom, with hundreds and hundreds of cute, cuddly teddy bears, carefully placed in rows covering the entire wall!

 

It was obvious that he had taken quite some time to lovingly arrange them and she was immediately touched by the amount of thought he had put into organizing the display.

 

There were small bears all along the bottom shelf, medium-sized bears covering the length of the middle shelf, and huge, enormous bears running all the way along the top shelf.

 

She found it strange for an obviously masculine guy to have such a large a collection of Teddy Bears, but doesn't mention this to him, and actually is quite impressed by his sensitive side.

 

They share a bottle of wine and continue talking and, after a while, she finds herself thinking, "Oh my God! Maybe, this guy could be the one! Maybe he could be the future father my children?" She turns to him and kisses him lightly on the lips. He responds warmly.

 

They continue to kiss, the passion builds, and he romantically lifts

 

Her in his arms and carries her into his bedroom where they rip off each other's clothes and make hot, steamy love.

 

She is so overwhelmed that she responds with more passion, more creativity, more heat than she has ever known.

 

After an intense, explosive night of raw passion with this sensitive guy, they are lying there together in the afterglow.

 

The woman rolls over, gently strokes his chest and asks coyly, "Well, how was it?"

 

The guy gently smiles at her, strokes her cheek, looks deeply into her eyes,

 

and says, "Help yourself to any prize from the middle shelf."

[jimmy white]

would prefer reasonable enough tame birds , easier to manage , and go through less stress

[Beanz]

I prefer tame pigeons, wild ones don't last in my loft very long no matter where they come from, when I first started up I had a family of pigeons that were very tame and would faollow me round and even come in the house without any need for peanuts and although they must have gone in at some lofts, I never had them reported in lofts in houses, sheds, greenhouses, rabbit hutches and dog kennels yes lofts no.