Racing Pigeons???

Question

Do Racing Pigeons make good pets? I heard that it is better to get a hand fed one if your wanting it for a pet or could I just get a parent fed one and it would be just as tame? Any info., would help. Thanks

Answer 1

The hand fed business is overstated. The person who does the hand feeding is considered a parent. When the bird gets old enough to wean and leave the nest they do. They don't hang around the parents any longer than they have to. So if you hand feed a bird the odds are that it will bond with someone else in the house. If you take just about any baby bird that is fresh out of the nest, you can tame them down quickly. They haven't learned to be scared of humans. A young pigeon will tame down in no time. I had one that would follow me when I left the house. I would go to the store and come out and she would be sitting on the top of the truck. She would either fly into the window of the truck to sit on her spot on the seat. (where the towel is!) I had her about four years when a Coopers Hawk grabbed her and ate her. You would do yourself and a pet pigeon a great service if you would go to the library and read a bit about the pigeons.  They will become a fantastic pet. I have had pigeons since early 1959.  I caught one at my great Aunt's house. I used the old cardboard box and stick with a string tied to the stick for a trigger. They hadn't invented the Havaheart traps yet. ;-) I can still remember exactly what that pigeon looked like. Even today when I see a pigeon that is marked similar to her I want to  purchase it.  I can remember all the pigeons I have had over the years. I just can't remember what happened to them all. I had a early mentor who had imported some fine racing pigeons from Europe. The first baby they raised was white with a black patch on one wing and a black pied on the same side. He was US Army trained signal corp and didn't like white or nearly white birds. He gave me the first born from the Bastin imports. I was about ten and you couldn't tell me anything. Yes, pigeons are a great fun. I have had birds that competed in up to 1,000mile races. It is hard to describe the feeling when you see your bird come in from that far away from home. They come for one reason only, love of their home.