# Teaching Pigeons to Home



## adamsoa (Oct 29, 2007)

Anyone want to share their methods on teaching pigeons to home? I have a dozen and a half in the coop. They've been on there for about 12 weeks now. Wasn't overly successful with the first batch last summer so I want to make sure I get this group doing better.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

Are they wild caught pigeons or pigeons from another coop?

Lock-down for a long period of time works...plus don't feed them for a bit (two days or more) prior to releasing and release 15-20 mins before dark. They will be hungry and not want be out of coop at night. Most cases they will come back quicker then not to eat. If they are not use to coming/going through your bob door (if you have one)...tie the door open the first few times you let them out. Then drop half the bobs for a few times and them drop all of them. This will get them acclimated to going through the door.

The more sure fire deal..is use your current birds for breeding stock and then the new batch of birds will obviously home to your coop. Do you have breeding boxes setup in your coop?


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## adamsoa (Oct 29, 2007)

I got them from a friend late in the fall. He had a bunch that he was getting rid of. I took about 20 you the younger birds----or at least the birds that looked younger. I do have breeding boxes in the coop.

Right now I have the bobs tied up and a cage pressed up against the door so that they can get used to going in and out. 

Last summer I had about a dozen birds in the coop---trapped birds. At seven weeks I did the same thing tying up the bobs first with the cage and then without.

They all came back the first couple of times----Then I started bleeding a couple of birds at a time. They would come back but wouldn't go into the coop. After a while I didn't have any. Not sure where they ended up.

This time I decided to keep them in the coop for a few months--Since mid October. I now have fingers crossed that I can get them coming back reliably. 

Also do I need to practice taking them out a short distance and letting them go back? I'm brand new to this and theres a lot of conflicting information out there on how to do it.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

I'd try what I posted above..get them hungry and then let them out about 60 mins prior to dark. Get rid of cage and just tie the bobs up. You can also entice them by putting some food just inside the coop in view of the door for when they return...incentive for them to get back into the coop. Don't let them just come and go during the day. Lock them down. Repeat...and again have food in coop for their return. Once my birds associated them leaving the coop and me coming in to put food into the coop once they left...they'd just fly to my neighbors house and wait for me to put the food in the coop and then come buzzing right back.

Eventually you want to start taking them for short rides for release. Start out real close..then build up going further and further. I found that my wild caught birds did not do as well as the racing rejects I picked up, but my birds could easily find their way from Lee Kay dog training area to Sandy. Lots of times they would beat me home.


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