using other birds?

[cateyes221981]

Can pigeons be used to train individual hook bills to free flight? They would have to bond with the larger pigeons first?

thinking birds like green cheeks?


Also if in pair can you keep one pair caged in the aviary and let the other out with the pigeons?

 

[MikeyTN]

I would always be real careful housing anything with a pigeon! They're known to carry all kinds of parasites and diseases.

 

[ShellyBorg]

Green checks would tear up a pigeon.
Before any out door flight is done you HAVE to have 100% recall indoors. Then you find a large building you can work in. Again 100% recall. Then and only of you are willing to lose your bird do you start to think about moving outside. Then you start over with a harness until 100% recall.
please do A LOT of research before you even think about it.

 

[cateyes221981]

just curious tho someone said their barbet killed a cockatoo? pigeons are huge birds would they really go after such a giant and be able to damage it?

 

[MonicaMc]

Pigeons, just like parrots, come in all different shapes and sizes.

I've never heard of using pigeons to teach parrots free-flight. I would recommend recall training indoors and recall training in a harness out outdoors before attempting free-flight.

 

[SpotsandSally]

I would always be real careful housing anything with a pigeon! They're known to carry all kinds of parasites and diseases.

No, they're not. They carry no more diseases or parasites then your parrot, or the local song birds.

And the reason pigeons come back is an instinctual homing trait - so they wouldn't really work for a parrot, as a parrot comes back due to a call.
And unless you're housing budgies, Linnie's, etc. small small parrots with a big big pigeon (like a giant runt, Swiss mondaines, etc.) then the parrot will always be attacking the pigeon. I recently saw a friend who rescued a wood dove who was housed with a hook bill (not sure what type). Lets leave it at, it wasn't pretty. And pigeons aren't really big as much as they are thick, flying breeds (homers, rollers, tumblers, tipplers especially) have loads of muscle, which is why despite being fairly small, they have a lot of strength.
To end it, don't ever house a pigeon & parrot. They can interact (supervised, as all birds should be) but housing them together is a death sentence.

Sorry, I know this is kinda old, but wanted to clarify it wouldn't work and why

 

[Birdman666]

Not to my knowledge.

 

[ParrotsParrotsParrots]

I have also been told that you should have a mentor to work with when training free flight. Nothing substitutes for an experience person to help you with the fine points of training and especially in something as risky as free flight.

 

[Birdman666]

EMPHASIS ON RISKY!!!

Keep in mind, that a captive bred bird has no wild survival skills. Out there, he has no real way of finding food and water on his own, he has no flock for protection, and his wild instincts for survival have been over ridden in captivity.

If he got loose out there, he would most likely die in short order, either from hunger, thirst, or predation.

Having done this with four birds, I can tell you I wouldn't risk it with a young, not extremely bonded bird... You will most likely lose your bird, and the bird will then die!

 

[MikeyTN]

I would always be real careful housing anything with a pigeon! They're known to carry all kinds of parasites and diseases.

No, they're not. They carry no more diseases or parasites then your parrot, or the local song birds.

And the reason pigeons come back is an instinctual homing trait - so they wouldn't really work for a parrot, as a parrot comes back due to a call.
And unless you're housing budgies, Linnie's, etc. small small parrots with a big big pigeon (like a giant runt, Swiss mondaines, etc.) then the parrot will always be attacking the pigeon. I recently saw a friend who rescued a wood dove who was housed with a hook bill (not sure what type). Lets leave it at, it wasn't pretty. And pigeons aren't really big as much as they are thick, flying breeds (homers, rollers, tumblers, tipplers especially) have loads of muscle, which is why despite being fairly small, they have a lot of strength.
To end it, don't ever house a pigeon & parrot. They can interact (supervised, as all birds should be) but housing them together is a death sentence.

Sorry, I know this is kinda old, but wanted to clarify it wouldn't work and why

Yes they are! My parrots do not have parasites nor diseases! They were raised indoors! There was a recent news here locally where I'm at that the homing pigeon tested positive for psittacosis. They don't fly outside nor outside aviary to carry mites. Yes song birds carry them too but they weren't being kept with parrots!

 

[SpotsandSally]

I would always be real careful housing anything with a pigeon! They're known to carry all kinds of parasites and diseases.

No, they're not. They carry no more diseases or parasites then your parrot, or the local song birds.

And the reason pigeons come back is an instinctual homing trait - so they wouldn't really work for a parrot, as a parrot comes back due to a call.
And unless you're housing budgies, Linnie's, etc. small small parrots with a big big pigeon (like a giant runt, Swiss mondaines, etc.) then the parrot will always be attacking the pigeon. I recently saw a friend who rescued a wood dove who was housed with a hook bill (not sure what type). Lets leave it at, it wasn't pretty. And pigeons aren't really big as much as they are thick, flying breeds (homers, rollers, tumblers, tipplers especially) have loads of muscle, which is why despite being fairly small, they have a lot of strength.
To end it, don't ever house a pigeon & parrot. They can interact (supervised, as all birds should be) but housing them together is a death sentence.

Sorry, I know this is kinda old, but wanted to clarify it wouldn't work and why

Yes they are! My parrots do not have parasites nor diseases! They were raised indoors! There was a recent news here locally where I'm at that the homing pigeon tested positive for psittacosis. They don't fly outside nor outside aviary to carry mites. Yes song birds carry them too but they weren't being kept with parrots!

Homer pigeons that are/can be bred to fly 400 miles, raised outdoors, constantly exposed to other birds... Comparing them to indoor raised parrots that I'd assume don't spend nearly as much time outside... Ok
You just said that songbirds carry them too... so why are you picking on the pigeons? Quarrentine a pigeon and take reasonable cleaning precautions, you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[MikeyTN]

Please go back to original post and read! Was the word song bird ever included? My uncle used to raise homing pigeons and I have no issue with them. But I have an issue with them being kept together with parrots! Your over reading and assuming things!

 

[SpotsandSally]

Please go back to original post and read! Was the word song bird ever included? My uncle used to raise homing pigeons and I have no issue with them. But I have an issue with them being kept together with parrots! Your over reading and assuming things!

I'm sorry, I didn't realize you meant with parrots.
My apologies

 

[Betrisher]

I'd just like to add that there's a reason why pigeons/doves are used as a universal symbol for peace. They *are* peaceful! Unless it's mating season and territory disputes are going on, pigeons simply do not fight. They don't have the beak for it. Likewise, since they're not used to being attacked by their own kind, they're defenceless. Most parrots (even a budgie) could and probably would rule the roost over a pigeon.

Years ago, I kept a Bar-shouldered Dove and a Budgie loose in my house. They were great friends, but it was the Budgie, Kipper, who called the shots and who bit the feet of Mr Lovely Dovely if he got in the way. Mr Dovely was twice as big as Kipper, but he had absolutely no defence against the hook bill.

As SpotsandSally already mentioned, pigeons have the strongest homing instinct of all birds and it's not catching. Having watched the tragic videos of Tui, the African Grey, on YouTube, I would *never* contemplate free flight for my birds! However, you must make your own decision to suit your circumstances.

 

[MonicaMc]

Chris Biro is offering a free-flight class through Skype for $300.....

 

[ShellyBorg]

Chris Biro is offering a free-flight class through Skype for $300.....[/QUOTE

I will stay far away from this. Skype does not replace hands on training from a local trainer who can evaluate your bird....

 

[faeryphoebe1]

We do free flight all the time with NO training. It's indoors, though.

 

[SpotsandSally]

We do free flight all the time with NO training. It's indoors, though.

Lol, reminds me of :
'Hey... Hey.. Guess what?... Under these clothes... I'm naked'

 

[MonicaMc]

Shelly, I agree, although considering Chris's most recent personal issues, this is an easier path for him to take. At the moment, he's not even sure if he'll be able to do in person training anymore. He says that his 'students' on Skype have been progressing very well with his instructions, so that in itself is promising.

 

[ShellyBorg]

I have a hard time with this. Free Flight takes so much. I am looking hard at my Blue and Gold as a candidate for free flight. IF I do I know I am still a couple years out at least. You have to have so much training before you even step out the door. I fear people will look at this and think they throw $300 at training and then they are off! And there goes there pet.