My Happy Fancy Pigeons
It's back to winter here in the Northeast - temperatures are only expected to reach the mid-20s today. Despite the erratic weather this season, my fancy pigeons continue to thrive.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, I keep a small group of pigeons - Homers, Tipplers, Tumblers, Owl Pigeons, as well as one of the oldest breeds, the Syrian Damascene. They live in a pen adjacent to my peafowl yard and across from my stable. These birds get lots of attention whenever friends and family come to visit - they make wonderful additions to my flock. Pigeons have been domesticated for thousands of years and have been kept by people worldwide for their companionship, their sport, and their loyal service. Caring for these birds is a nice way to pay tribute to these fascinating and intelligent creatures.
Enjoy these photos.
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- My Bedford flock started with 10-pairs of birds. Many of the birds were featured in the well known New York City “Fly by Night” performance by artist Duke Riley and were members of Duke’s personal flock. Others were borrowed or rescued from pigeon fanciers for the 2016 performance. Now, a group of them lives here at my farm along with others I’ve bred and added.
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- Fancy pigeons are domesticated varieties of the wild rock dove, bred by pigeon fanciers for size, shape, color, and behavior.
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- The entire coop is well protected from aerial predators. Here is a group of pigeons enjoying the views from the roof. Notice the protective fencing above them. An adult pigeon is about 13 inches in length and can weigh up to 20 ounces.
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- During the day, they love to perch on the door to the dovecote. Pigeons are thought to navigate by sensing the earth’s magnetic field and using the sun for direction. Other theories include the use of roads and even low-frequency seismic waves to find their way.
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- Pigeons are very docile, gentle and sweet-natured birds – everyone at the farm loves visiting them. And they are also well-guarded by the neighboring peafowl, who chase any aerial predators away from the pen.
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- Pigeons are very observant and one of the most intelligent of all the bird species. These birds also have a remarkable capacity to recognize and remember many things.
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- Inside is a wall of nesting spaces. Pigeons mate for life and both female and male pigeons share the responsibility of caring for and raising their young. They take turns incubating the eggs and both feed the chicks ‘pigeon milk’ – a special secretion from the lining of the crop which both sexes can produce.
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- On the other side, we made a ladder out of felled branches found right here at the farm. The pigeons love to perch on it and on nearby ledges. Pigeons also breed all year round with peak breeding periods in spring and summer. This is an Isabella Tippler. The tippler is a breed of domestic pigeon bred for endurance. Some of them have been known to fly for up to 22-hours non-stop.
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- Pigeons have side-mounted eyes. Because pigeons have monocular vision rather than binocular vision, they bob their heads when they move so they have depth perception. This pigeon is a Damascene. Two of the most striking features of these beautiful birds are the dark plum eye ceres and the big bright eyes.
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- These are Old German Owl pigeons – a breed of fancy pigeon, and the originator of the short faced German Shield Owls. The head is round, broad, with a well arched forehead and a small full shell crest, which is made of feathers that grow up toward the head rather than down along the body.
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- Pigeons are very social animals. They will often be seen in flocks of 20 to 30 birds.
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- A pigeon’s diet contains about 50-percent grain crops, and 10-percent oilseed, rich in vitamins B and E. An average adult-sized pigeon can eat about 30-grams of food each day.
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- The pigeon is also a granivorous bird – they like to eat seeds and cereal grains, sunflower, wheat, barley, millet, and peas.
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- Pigeons also have excellent hearing. They can detect sounds at far lower frequencies than humans, and can hear distant storms and volcanoes.
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- I love the wide range of colors and markings on these birds. Do you know… a group of pigeons is called a flight or a flock. And a baby pigeon is called a squab.
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- A young bird who is learning to eat and drink on its own is called a squeak. Once it is ready to fly, it is called a fledgling. A pigeon is fully mature at about four to six months of age.
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- An adult female pigeon is called a hen and the adult male is called the cock. Bonded pairs can often be found perched together throughout the day.
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- We keep these shelters very dry to prevent bacteria and disease from developing – water and moisture are the enemies. Pigeons can be quite messy, but it is important to keep their enclosures as clean as possible.
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- This white bird is a Homer – among the most famous pigeon breeds. Homers come in a variety of colors and have a remarkable ability to find their way home from very long distances. Although they love to roost, pigeons can fly at altitudes of 6000-feet or more. Pigeons can also fly at average speeds of up to 77-miles per hour.
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- In both World Wars, rival nations kept flocks for use as pigeon messengers. The United States had at least 200,000 during WWII. These birds delivered critical updates across the country, saving thousands of human lives.
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- We “planted” this tree inside their enclosure. The birds love watching all the farm activities from its branches. I always enjoy teaching visitors about the many birds I keep – the peafowl, the Guinea fowl, the geese, the chickens, and of course, these pigeons. They are such captivating birds and I am so pleased my pigeons continue to thrive here at Cantitoe Corners.
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