Pigeons 1st flight....0 birds in the coop 8 in the trees

[luke0927]

Well i have had the birds up for 3 weeks they are YB that have never been flow until today they have not been fed since yesterday evening....well i let the bobs up and they didn't want to come out with me standing there so i go feed the dogs and look over at the field and see them all flying around...so i make my way over there and watch them they are flying and landing in the trees having a good time...well it gets almost dark i rattle my can and they will fly around and roost in the trees but they want come down to the coop...so i put the feed in the coop left the bobs up and put some feed on the landing board and guess well see if they make it through the night im sure a cat will get one or two of them and a hawk maybe waiting in the morning....makes me mad anyone think they will come back in what did i do wrong?

[WiskeyJaR]

my birds did the same thing frist time I let them fly, I had them in loft for 3-4 weeks before turning 'em lose. I left food on entry platform and went to bed. Next morning I had 9 out of 10 birds in loft.

[luke0927]

my birds did the same thing frist time I let them fly, I had them in loft for 3-4 weeks before turning 'em lose. I left food on entry platform and went to bed. Next morning I had 9 out of 10 birds in loft.

Will they fly in the dark or just roost until morning?

[WiskeyJaR]

they where in the trees near by when I went in house, morning I went out to loft they where inside. Wasnt untill I moved them to a larger loft that I had any birds staying on platform to roost. Now have one bird that half the time will sleep on platform just outside entry hole, and other times he will go in and roost inside. My birds tend to come back often late in evening, I have taken to just leaving entry hole open all night just have bobs down, they seem to come in after dark.

[Kiki's Mom]

If they aren't in by dark they will roost. YBs like to play around and get a feeling for their enviroment and generally don't pay much attention to their hunger if they are having fun...especially if they aren't all that hungry. How much have you been feeding? I bet you have all 8 birds in the loft by first light.....ok...maybe 7 of the 8 :roll:

Did you bob train these birds before turning them loose? If not go back a step. Put the birds, hungry, in a basket and set it up on the landing board with the door open with just enough room for them to move THROUGH the bobs as their only option to get to the food. Do this 3 or 4 times or until all the birds are jumping through the bobs reliably every time. THEN you will be ready to loft fly them

[wems2371]

The first time I let a bird out, which I only had 3 at the time, it took him about 12 hours to figure out how to get back in. Let that one go a few more times, and pretty soon, he was back in the coop in 15 minutes. Then I would let the two news one out with him. I took 3 of them to the grounds on the other side of my 11 acres of timber and it took a full 24 hours for two of them to make it back--I think the other one became hawk food. Hawks are prevalent where I live. Give it time, and you should get some back. Kind of seems magical (I'm probably nuts) the first few times they come back to the cage. I don't know what others here think, but if you could--I would always leave a couple birds locked in the loft. The ones in the loft will coo (?) and give the loose ones security in knowing that they're back to their home. Let us know how it goes. Denise

[luke0927]

now it makes me wonder what i should do if i come back and there are 3 or 4 should i shut the bobs and see if they can get back in or just leave it open...we have a lot of hawks around here so i would hate for one to get in my coop....

[luke0927]

Thanks everyone....for feeding i was just setting the feeder down for 10-20 mins and letting them eat all they could....i actually didn't think they were coming out...but when i was about to head back to shut the trap every single one was out...i started with 10 birds and now am down to 8 so hopefully at least 7 make it back.....my landing platform was to small to put a cage on but i think i will go back and "rig" something up....

[wems2371]

I'm no pigeon expert, but if a few of them come back--I would let the bobs down just to make sure I at least still owned a few pigeons. Did you ever push any of them through the bobs before for practice. I've let some new birds out before, without pushing them throught he bobs, and they figured it out on their own--but I had also left a few in the coop. Some others might have some different ideas. Denise

[luke0927]

I'm no pigeon expert, but if a few of them come back--I would let the bobs down just to make sure I at least still owned a few pigeons. Did you ever push any of them through the bobs before for practice. I've let some new birds out before, without pushing them throught he bobs, and they figured it out on their own--but I had also left a few in the coop. Some others might have some different ideas. Denise

no i did not....currently they are all up so they have just have a big opening to come through.....

[luke0927]

Well i still see 5 in the tree's or flying around hopefully they will come back in......

[Don]

Leave the bobs open a few days and let them get used to coming and going. Maybe the fourth day lower one bob for a couple days. Then lower another, one on one side then the other side. Keep doing that till you have all the bobs down. They'll learn to push the bob's in quite well all by thenselves.

[luke0927]

Ok well i had 2 go in and i shut the bobs just leave them open and food down....then go in in a couple days at night go out and if most of them are in there shut it?

[PAHunter]

I have a wire mesh aviary on the front of my loft, with the trap door above it. Then I buit a removable wire cage that sits on top of the aviary. An hour before sunset I run the bird thru the bobs every day for a week, 2nd week when the birds are hungry I put them inside the removable cage and leave them to find their way thru the bobs on thier own. I do all my pigeon training an hour before sunset with them hungry. I try not to over feed them so they don't waste time coming back inside to compete for the food I put out. Never had much of a problem with birds not going in the loft by dark. I have alot of hawks in my area so I spent more time training and have had good results.

[luke0927]

yeah i may have to chalk this one up to a learning experience....i am still seeing 6 so 2 maybe gone....i have left the bobs up and am trying to just get them to come in the coop...(2 went back in) would you leave the food down or just take it back this evening and rattle my can and sit it down?

[ohiogsp]

20 minutes is alot of food. 10 minutes is more like what you want. Take the feed out and leave it out. Always close the trap at night. If it is dark they aren't coming in. Put 1 ounce per bird down everyday for the amount of birds in the loft. Do this in the evening right before dark. Then close the trap. The next evening open the trap again and let the others out. Then before dark repeat the process. The ones that are out don't get fed. They will get hungry and start to learn. If you have feed in the loft the tree birds may come down feed than back to the trees.

[luke0927]

i have seen 6 birds today so hopefully the hawks haven't found them yet...looks like its going to rain wonder how that will affect them i wonder if they are smart enough to try and get out of the rain....

[luke0927]

Well 2 are in the coop...the winds are picking up and its going to rain....last i saw were 2 or 3 flying over the cow pasture a couple hundred yards away....i don't feel to confident in them making it back...i left the bobs up and put the feed in and ran the can but none came back...are they smart enough to eat on their own....the hay field is full and im sure there is lots of seeds and they maybe eating it....looks like i may have learned a pricey mistake at $10 a bird....i should have built a cage on the outside and made them practice trapping before letting them out.....if the weather is nice should i leave the bobs open all day long or just about an hour before dark?

[Sharon]

I've got to get a life. LOl I'm checking on these birds twice a day!

[luke0927]

I've got to get a life. LOl I'm checking on these birds twice a day!

LOL i thought this pigeon stuff was supposed to be easy....

[Rick Hall]

As with dog training, I'm sure too much pigeon advice lends confusion, but... Were the birds mine, I'd leave feed in the loft and the bobs up, so the birds that know how to use the trap can show the others and all will find the loft inviting. I'd want my birds coming and going to acclimate to using the trap before I worried too much about confining and training them to trap quickly.

[luke0927]

Well i went out this morning and there were no birds to be found in the trees or flying around........

I have 2 left looks like i may have to start over.....

[Rick Hall]

To paraphrase Arnold, "They'll be back."

[luke0927]

well ive only got 3 birds......wonder if i should try and get a few more young birds and then just build a cage on the outside and let them learn to trap for a few weeks then see how it goes....i hate loosing money like that but i need some trained pigeons.

[ohiogsp]

Get your 3 birds so they will fly around the loft good and trap when you whistle. Basically train them good. Then get more, pigeons are very much "monkey see monkey do". The trained ones will teach the others. Get yb's that are between 1 month and 1.5 months old.