Been Given Some Pigeons!

[Guest skippersworld]

Hello again, well a friend of a friend has to give up with his pigeon racing and has said he will let me have his 3 pairs. How long is recommended for me to keep them in there new loft before thinking about letting them out for flying? Thanks all!

[REDCHEQHEN]

I've never been able to settle birds so I will let others answer your query - but how far away is their old loft from you?

[blaz]

how far away is their old loft.i need to ask this before i give my opinion how to do it.

[JohnQuinn]

The likelihood of settling them first time you let them out is minimal, so you will have to see the man you are getting them from to ensure that when they do return home they are not welcomed by feeding or being allowed back into nest boxes or the like.

I break 99% of the birds i receive by letting them out late in the day in dirty weather and hungry. Ordinarily i will feed in the afternoon on the day prior to letting them out, so when they get out the next evening they are really hungry. My own are treated exactly the same as it is them the newcomers learn from.

I let my own out first to have their fly then open the trap to allow them to make their own way out amongst mine. Feed them a little seed on the landing board and i encourage my doos to come onto the ground so the new ones will follow, i try to get them to fly up and down from loft to garden as often as possible to get them used to landing on the loft.

If you can do this you are most of the way there. Tell the present owner not to feed any birds that return to him and to put them into a basket as soon as possible after their arrival. As soon as you get them back home feed them, if you do this they will settle quickly. Though probably NOT first time they take off into the air!

How long you keep them in before this depends on whether you think they are used to you and the new surroundings, usually when they answer my call/whistle with the rest of the birds at feeding time, then i try them out. You could pair them up to some of your pigeons and get them down to nest before they settle properly. I NEVER pair 2 strangers together when they aren't broke to the loft, always pair them to my own birds to help them out. All of this is jmo, but it does work for me so it should for any one who tries it.

[tommy2]

Hi Skip,As long as you tell the original owner to pin carboard/newspaper across every perch/box so the birds to be broken in can only go in on to the floor,you should be able to do it in 3/4 days,but you need patience,and the cooperation of original owner,plus transport

[Jacobasmith]

Hi Tommy,

 

Remember what happened to the 15 or so pigeons I was given when I started off?

 

I think you might be better of breeding from them as theyre already paired up.

[WilliamJones]

1) Try to get them mated to some of your current birds, if you have any

2) Keep them in for a couple of weeks and put them in a basket on the landing board every day so that they get used to you handling them and can have a look at their new home

3) Only let them out when they haven't been fed. If they're hungry then they'll want to come back asap.

4) Find out what call your friend uses when he feeds them, or if he rattles a tin, and do the same whenever you feed them

5) Make sure you talk with your friend to ensure that, if they do fly back to him, that he lets you know

 

Hope those help!