Keeping Pigeons

There are a lot of things one would have to know about pigeons apart from considering them stinking pests; we all do know they are definitely more than just that. Pigeons are wonderful creatures and they have been the oldest known domesticated birds to mankind. They have served humanity in many different occasions and a variety of purposes and even helped to win a war. Most of the pigeons that we see every day aren't truly domesticated and we often call them feral or "wild". Sometimes, they are also called rock doves. You may be able to know the difference between a feral and a domesticated pigeon by the bands present in their legs. Apart from the domesticated and feral breeds of pigeons, there are also pigeons for exhibition. Exhibition pigeon breeds often have audaciously brilliant and unique characteristics that make them easily distinguishable above all other pigeon species. Sometimes they also manifest odd flying behaviors. This type of pigeons is often rarely found and even endangered. Because of their brilliant appearances they are always sought by many well-off individuals. This is also the very reason that the species of their kind have become mostly endangered as since they are already rare, they are also being hunted down for domestication. An example to this type of pigeons is the crowned victory pigeon which has always been wanted by many rich people for exhibition purposes. Having one of these rare pigeons is indeed of considerable value and would also serve as status recognition.

Some pigeon breeds are also kept for sports, particularly on flight racing competitions; thus the sport pigeon racing. A lot of people nowadays are inclined to this sport and they have fostered many different species of pigeons that are well adaptable to this kind of activity. They are usually well attended as they would always make it a point to capitalize on the pigeon's health to ensure optimum performance during competitions.

A regular lifespan of a pigeon would range 10-15 years. They are perhaps one of the longest living birds in the planet. The oldest known pigeon is about 19 years old. Pigeons and doves are relatives and that they belong to the family of Columbidae.

How to Select and Buy Pigeons

Most of the pigeons being domesticated by humans are not actually bought from pet shops as they are usually caught during hunts. Though, there are many ways to acquire a pigeon apart from that. Sometimes, they are sold on pet shops as well, but usually those that are sold in this sort of establishments are not good for exhibition purpose. If you wish to purchase an exhibition quality pigeon, you would have to go to bird and or pigeon exhibition shows. There you would be able to find the best quality, even sometimes the rarest species of pigeons. However, you have to understand that the price of these pigeons is often skyrocketing, and you're lucky to even find one that isn't auctioned. But most full pledged pigeon breeders would take the risk of purchasing these high end pigeon species. You will also likely find information about sold pigeons on the internet. Online pet auctions are often viable sources of pet pigeons.

For starters, a beginner pigeon buyer would have to search for reputable sources and not settle for substandard markets where usually sellers are anonymous. Also when selecting which pigeon to purchase, make sure to go through the sorting the process of breed or gender identification. Knowing the breed and the gender of the pigeon would definitely aid the quality of the purchase. Also, one would have to make it a point that they buy those that are robust for they assure you of a healthy physical condition of the pigeon. When purchasing many pigeons at a time, a flock perhaps, you have to make sure that the males don't outnumber the females as this could cause fights between pigeons during mating and for territories as well.

Sometimes, local animal shelters avail of pigeons for adoption. Typically, animal shelters that allow adoption would also be send packages inclusive of free supplies. But that's not always the case though.

If you have purposes of breeding your own flock of pigeons, you have to make sure that you purchase young pigeons rather than old ones. Often, older pigeons have already turned sterile or incapacitated to breed anymore. It would be a wise choice to purchase a pigeon within the age bracket of 3-6 years old. Although, purchasing older pigeons would be okay if you're only having them exhibition purposes. The same thing applies with purchasing racing pigeons, you would also have to make sure that they are still young enough to face the physical challenges of the sport.

Feeding and Care

Often commercial pet pigeon food is difficult or tricky to find but it is available. Sometimes, pigeon clubs also sells pigeon feeds for breeders or they could also be found in livestock and poultry feed stores. It completely depends. Usually the feeds are a compound of grains and pellets. Sometimes, it could just be one over the other. One would also have to understand that when grains are used to fed grit should always provided in order aid the digestion process.

If pigeon happens to be unavailable, you may also opt to have chicken feed instead, but only for adult pigeons. Young pigeons may have indigestion if they take in chicken scratches as meal.

Some pigeon breeders would find it necessary to only feed their pet pigeons only once in a day and some would also find it appropriate to feed their pets twice. The feeder container should always be in a condition wherein the pigeons are restricted from messing up their food. Also, clean water is a very important factor to a pigeon's diet as they do need water more than half the time. Also, one of the usual factors as to why pigeons are able to contract diseases is due to unclean to water.