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School Pigeons

MagpieDragon

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Hi all,
I have become quite interested in pigeons lately. Not that I am ready to add another bird to the family anytime soon tho! However, I have been watching the pigeons at school quite closely, with a friend.
We have named a few:
Kevin (dark blue check with brown wing lacing)
Kevin lookalike (dark blue check with blueish ing lacing)
Cheeto (brownish check)
Oreo (yellow/dusty check)
Saffron (yellow/dusty bar)
Shivron (big blue check, diff wing markings)

I have really taken a liking to saffron- today I got really close, and noticed she had a white leg band/ring. she is quite tame. There was also another pigeon that was really friendly.

Anyway, I wanted to try and earn these guys' trust, probably with food. But I want to go and do it right. I have a mix of small bird seed- would this do? Should I even try at all? Or would it be better to just leave them alone?
Thanks :)
 

MommyBird

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Pigeons are very smart and trainable.
I think the small bird seed should work. Try and see if they like to eat it at all.
Just don't train them to do something that could get them in trouble if done with an unknowing person. For example don't train them to sit on your head, train them to sit on the back of a bench when called. You could train them to turn in circles on cue. They have been important in the very discovery of clicker training.
Here's a great article:
https://clickertraining.com/files/discovery_of_shaping.pdf
You will probably have to be very fast with your bridge, I know it is important for chickens. In fact there used to be "chicken camp" to train people to be better trainers.
 

TikiMyn

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Pigeons are wonderfull:heart: I rescued a takla pigeon a while back, he is living with my grandparents and other pigeons in a big aviary now but Will come back to me if they can’t Keep him. He was really tame, when with me he lived in the duck run/aviary and flew with me when I passed. Also he would sit on my hand without a problem when I had examine him. The pigeon babies in the wild bird rescue ranged from very sweet to little buggers who didn’t like humans and didn’t easily accept their food. I think bonding with those pigeons can defiantly be done and should be fun! You could sprout your seeds if you want more nutrition, but if you don’t overfeed them with it I think it Will be okay:)
 

faislaq

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This sounds like fun! I can't wait to hear how it goes. Maybe some of thr other students will pay attention to them once they see you with them. :)
 

sunnysmom

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There is an elderly woman here who feeds the pigeons downtown every morning. She rides the bus from one stop to the next. Gets out, feeds the birds. Walks to the next stop, etc. I have watched the pigeons follow her on the bus. It's amazing. They see her get on and fly with her to the next stop. Such smart birds.
 

faislaq

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There is an elderly woman here who feeds the pigeons downtown every morning. She rides the bus from one stop to the next. Gets out, feeds the birds. Walks to the next stop, etc. I have watched the pigeons follow her on the bus. It's amazing. They see her get on and fly with her to the next stop. Such smart birds.
Hahaha! She's trying to make sure all of the pidgeons get something to eat, but those greedy smarties make me think of Dopey from Snow White, doubling back in line for an extra kiss! :hilarious:
I'll bet there's quite a flock at that last stop. ;)
 

MagpieDragon

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Thank you for the replies! I was quite worried that other students would bug them if they became tame- I know a few who certainly would :( But I also thought that, maybe, by training them, I could raise appreciation of them. And the stares... the stares...
;)

This sounds like fun! I can't wait to hear how it goes. Maybe some of thr other students will pay attention to them once they see you with them. :)
I've already got 2 followers... Mwahaha! MY EMPIRE IS EXPANDING :sneaky:

@MommyBird Thanks for the link :)
 

faislaq

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I've already got 2 followers... Mwahaha! MY EMPIRE IS EXPANDING :sneaky:
Followers? like social media? If not, that might be neat. :laugh: A couple of our helpers at work used to watch a pregnant pig from the UK whose owner had a live webcam on her. Those piglets were so cute with their little spots. :xflove:
 

faislaq

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Ooh! Ooh!
Today I had my first real success. There was a pigeon, and it walked right up to my hand to take some food :D

How cool is that! It seems fast. :) How often have you been feeding them?
 

MagpieDragon

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Actually, this was the first time i have gotten close enough to feed them, but in the end, it didn't eat from my hand, just the crumbs next to it :)
I'm worried tho- there are a lot of younger kids at school, and as soon as i fed the pigeon, they were all messing with it and trying to catch it :(
Maybe i should just leave the pigeons alone, and only feed them if no one else is there?
 

Begone

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Maybe i should just leave the pigeons alone, and only feed them if no one else is there?
and as soon as i fed the pigeon, they were all messing with it and trying to catch it :(
Or would it be better to just leave them alone?
Yes, please leave them alone. As they are wild it's much better for them to not wanted to interact with us. It's for their safety as you already experienced.
But you can feed them, but after leave them alone. And feed them in a place their they can be safe without a risk that someone will try to catch them.
Just don't train them to do something that could get them in trouble if done with an unknowing person.
Sadly all training will only make them more tame. And not all people are kind to birds.

I feed my outside pigeons, and I'm sure that I could tame them if I would. They are not afraid of me at all. They are flying to me when they see me.
But for their sake I would not do it. I will not teach them that humans are kind and are OK to interact with, because like posted before, not all are that.
 

MagpieDragon

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Thank you @Eloy :)

I was worried about it, but now I clearly see why I musn't tame them :( It's just safer.
I did see mermus (the friendly one) again this morning, and left some birdseed out for him under a bench.
There were no seeds left when I came back :)

Maybe I should just feed them like this- indirectly?
 

Sylvester

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Actually, this was the first time i have gotten close enough to feed them, but in the end, it didn't eat from my hand, just the crumbs next to it :)
I'm worried tho- there are a lot of younger kids at school, and as soon as i fed the pigeon, they were all messing with it and trying to catch it :(
Maybe i should just leave the pigeons alone, and only feed them if no one else is there?
I understand what you are saying. I feed stray cats in a parking lot late at night and people are always coming up to us. Their not my cats and I certainly can not tell them to stand back, but I have spoken up when some (usually teenagers) proceed to chase the cats in hopes of catching a pet.

One girl tormented an old tom cat by darting towards him, and when I gently told her that she might be scaring him, she turned on me and snarled; I have had cats all my life, I know what I am doing! (Yeah, is that why the poor little thing is bolting?)

I have altered my feeding times in order to avoid such humans. You might want to do the same thing.
 

MagpieDragon

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Yea, church is in the same area, but there's generally not so many people where the pigeons are
I should just feed them then, but drop it at school.
 
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