Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Nice tip as I have quite a few (spare the term) redneck neighbores. Will have to ask them.

Mark

BRB,

It's the Texas State bird as well.......
I used to fox whistle back to them, and they would soon pick that up and copy me........
they can be very annoying when your sick and trying to get some sleep, and there are 2 males calling at each other right out side your window........

sorry

We had pigeons when I was young.
Cousins gave us some to start with every week they would come back with extra friends.
I loved them roasted and then put in a white sauce

Used to run a couple hundred homing pigeon with my old man. In Australia hawks soon learn they are a meal on wings if you let them forage all day and unless you have grain crops or simular nearby they lose condition if you don't feed. Feed wise as others mentioned not very efficient either.

Mating for life don't know if that's just a myth or talking different breeds. They are monogamous by nature but if separated for a couple months will take a new partner as soon as you give them an alternative. Can be quite noisy especially during mating season.
They also have a habit of shitting on roofs so don't recommend if your using rain water for drinking.

Eating I don't mind the taste, think I prefer rabbit however more meat.

I personally don't have any experience with Pigeon/squab (only a little bit of reading) I do have experience with some larger birds We have chickens (only hens) for eggs but will kill them as they get too old to produce many eggs and they become chicken soup.

The meat bird we are growing are Muscovy Ducks. Now they are promiscuous critters and rather prolific. Since we got them, two of the females have already had two clutches (one is hatching her second clutch now while the other one is leading her second batch of babies around.) I kept one female from each of the first batches but that means we put 19 birds into the freezer in the past month. And we butchered them at about 12 weeks. At 11 or 12 weeks the males are definitely bigger than the momas, the females are still a little small though bigger than our laying hens by that time.

By 18-20 weeks the female Muscovy ducks are good fliers and the older of the two young ones we kept, took to flying up on the roof of the house, we decided it was time to trim a wing on each of the two young ducks before they discovered the lake about 6 blocks away.

Ive always wanted to try raising pigeons, they seem like they would be great birds to have. Its amazing all the fancy varieties of pigeons people have created. Ive heard that some people raise the white homers for releasing at weddings, funerals and other events.