Feral Pigeon use by date?

[ToddW7]

How long can I keep a feral pigeon in a 4'x4'x4' coup and still expect it to be a good flyer? For instance, once I catch a wild bird, can I keep it in the coup for a week and it will still fly strong, assuming it gets good food and water? Longer than a week?

[DonF]

You catch them, I assume they are free. Turn one loose and see what happen's. Worst comes to worst, you lose one bird. Probably will be OK but a bigger loft wouldn't hurt. You could in theory keep eight birds in there; 2sq ft per bird. So if you take the time to re-settle them, you can turn them loose and they will come back. Just open the door and leave it open so they can get back in. Best thing is to have a decent enough loft to keep maybe 20 birds in. Thats smaller than 8x8. Once you get them setting and hatching chicks, you'll never have to catch another pigeon.

I don;'t think there is an expireation date on them!

[Sharon]

How long can I keep a feral pigeon in a 4'x4'x4' coup and still expect it to be a good flyer? For instance, once I catch a wild bird, can I keep it in the coup for a week and it will still fly strong, assuming it gets good food and water? Longer than a week?

I use wild pigeons. 2 weeks at the most before they slow up in leaving the ground when being kepy in a small pen with no flying room.I consider such a pen as mentioned as a non flying pen.

[C.painter]

I wondered before, if you carded the birds and worked the dog on them a couple flushes an outing if that would keep them in shape and able to keep them longer in a pen like mentioned above.

[ezzy333]

I never card them as I want them to fly as quickly as possible. Just take more birds with you and use them once but you can do that everyday so there is no real reason to card them.

Ezzy

[DonF]

I don't card them. I want the bird off the ground and gone when I put it up. I don't want it to go a couple hundred yards and land again and I surely don't want to find one of my birds tied up in the top of a tree or some power line somewhere. Carding a bird is the one way I would never put one down.

[Sharon]

I wondered before, if you carded the birds and worked the dog on them a couple flushes an outing if that would keep them in shape and able to keep them longer in a pen like mentioned above.

If you card them they will hit the ground only maybe 20 + feet away ( depending on the size of the card). The dog will be easily able to catch it. Not what you want.You want the dog to figure out , if it moves the bird is gone. I just let the pigeon fly away - part of the cost of training - unless you have room for a homer's loft.