Oct 8, 2016 15:21:31 GMT
weelouie
Normal Violet
Concierge at Budgopolis: Condo to the Stars!
Posts: 184
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Post by weelouie on Jan 2, 2017 2:12:19 GMT
These are my indoor pigeons. The bigger, funny-looking one is a male Jacobin pigeon. They're an old fancy breed, bred for the "hood" of feathers. The little one is a female Turkish Tumbler named Eve. Tumblers are bred to turn somersaults in the air. In Turkey the owners fly their birds at the same time to see which one puts on the most spectacular show. There are different variations of this breed in various cities throughout Turkey, each of them looks and flies differently. I started out with a pair of young unsexed Jacobins. Unfortunately they both turned out to be male, and I had to separate them (the other one is in a separate cage, I'm trying to sell him but will probably end up keeping him.) Pigeons tend not to do well alone, so I got the hen. There were no Jacobins available, and I'm not planning to breed them anyway. Plastic eggs, here we come! It has been cute watching the two of them bond with each other. They snuggle and coo, and the male bows and displays for her. She goes to him and preens his hood for him. He's lucky to have such a thorough hairdresser all to himself! Pigeons and doves actually make good indoor pets. They can be tamed easily and bond with their owners. Many people dress them in "pigeon pants" and let them have the run of the house.
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Post by starlingqueen on Jan 2, 2017 12:07:47 GMT
I have a pet collared dove. Found him as a tiny chick 2 summers ago and hand raised him. He flies around my house in the evening and thinks my foot is his mate and gets jiggy with it in the breeding season. He also thinks my hands are rivals and often tries to chase them off. I think this is because he was hand fed and see hands as doves so he thinks he is a hand.
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Jan 2, 2017 18:18:44 GMT
Bless him, he has his own fur coat collar
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Post by milliej on Jan 2, 2017 20:18:31 GMT
Where's his head! Oh sorry but he looks a bit like the headless horseman err bird! I must confess I'm not a fan of 'fancy' breeds at all but I bet he struts his stuff well enough for the females, that's the main thing!
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Oct 8, 2016 15:21:31 GMT
weelouie
Normal Violet
Concierge at Budgopolis: Condo to the Stars!
Posts: 184
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Post by weelouie on Jan 3, 2017 1:17:20 GMT
Where's his head! Oh sorry but he looks a bit like the headless horseman err bird! I must confess I'm not a fan of 'fancy' breeds at all but I bet he struts his stuff well enough for the females, that's the main thing! LOL they seem to get along fine with the hoods. Both sexes have them. They can raise and lower the hood feathers as needed. Their necks are longer and swanlike to support the hood feathers. The only issue I notice is that the front "chain" part of the hood gets dipped in their water dish when they drink. They seem to dry quickly, though. Jacobins come in several colours, all have white heads, I guess so you can find them! They can raise their white head feathers when they want as well. They can fly like regular pigeons. However, they are somewhat difficult to breed because the feathers around their vents must be trimmed, otherwise they are not as fertile. All of their feathers are longer than normal, so sometimes they accidentally drag eggs or chicks out of the nest. Some breeders trim the hoods, thinking they will have trouble feeding their chicks, but apparently they can feed them even with the hood, and they are good parents. Some of the fancy breeds like rollers and fantails can't fly. Rollers tumble along the ground instead, and can be trained to be "bowled" like a ball. You can find videos of them on YouTube. Here's a "head shot", he looks like he's wearing a feather boa. If I had a hen I'd probably call her Zsa Zsa Gabor.
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Post by milliej on Jan 3, 2017 22:31:36 GMT
Thanks for the explanation weelouie He is a very 'posh' looking bird it's good to know that some responsible breeders/keepers clip their feathers to help them breed and eat. I do like your reference to Zsa Zsa Gabor who was well famous for being famous long before Kim Kardashian (whoever she is
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