# Goose the pigeon



## Hania41806 (May 4, 2021)

This is goose. He is cute so I wanted to show a picture of him.


----------



## Animals45 (May 11, 2021)

He's beautiful! Where did you get him and how long have you owned him? I never knew you had pigeons.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I knew. 

Are they all ready for Winter?


----------



## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Nice picture!


----------



## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

He looks much like mine that are crosses. Is he also a cross?










These two are hand fed and their first squabs hatched yesterday. While not certain, my pigeons appear to be a mix of homer, trumpeter, and wild. They're friendly birds that are quite prolific. How old is Goose? Does he have a mate? Do you have other pigeons?


----------



## Hania41806 (May 4, 2021)

ok so goose is 3 months old and he’s the baby of Beebee (who I hand reared last year in I think may) and jefferey (who is at least 2 years old).

My pigeons are unfortunately not ready for winter yet. There’s still a lot I need to figure out regarding heating this year.

I have no clue wether he’s a cross or not, I think he’s just homer. But then again, I could be completely wrong.

I got about 30 birds last year (April) on super short notice. They ended up having more than 15 babies. I didn’t even know pigeons were kept as pets until I was told I’d be caring for 30. So most of the babies unfortunately passed away, but I was able to save 3. Coconut, BeeBee, and paperclip. To sum it up because this is getting long: my dog killed a bunch of my birds and I was heartbroken and ended up giving away almost all of them. Now I have 7 pigeons total, 3 of which were hatched out after the rest were given away.


----------



## Hania41806 (May 4, 2021)

This is paperclip by the way.























I hand reared him from when he was 3 days old. I’d never been so close with another being before then. He was born with the beak deformity but it never slowed him down. One day he was attacked by my moms two dogs. (140 pound Great Dane/Alaskan malamute mix and 70 pound German shepherd.) He was so strong and made a full recovery with me. He went missing in april this year right before my birthday. Sobbing right now thinking about him. It’s hard…


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Someone who knows a lot about pigeons is @danathome. He hand raises his so they are human friendly. He can give you a ton of tips if you get stuck on a question.


----------



## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

Hania41806 said:


> ok so goose is 3 months old and he’s the baby of Beebee (who I hand reared last year in I think may) and jefferey (who is at least 2 years old).
> *
> My pigeons are unfortunately not ready for winter yet. There’s still a lot I need to figure out regarding heating this year.*
> 
> ...


Pigeons are very cold-hardy and do not require supplemental heat in the winter unless you plan on letting them nest. When I lived in WI my homers nested successfully through the winter even without additional heat. To get them ready for winter make sure they have draft free quarters. You might want to invest in a heated water bowl. It is important that pigeons have liquid water available and plenty of food during the winter. Your birds look beautiful and well cared for.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Dan, she lives in Alaska. I don't know if she's in the part that gets nose falling off cold or in the more temperate part of the state. Does that come into play with what she needs to do for her birds?


----------



## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Dan, she lives in Alaska. I don't know if she's in the part that gets nose falling off cold or in the more temperate part of the state. Does that come into play with what she needs to do for her birds?


The weather has cleared somewhat. Anchorage has flocks of feral pigeons, but, Hania, if you live much further north, your birds might need supplemental heat. I know that pigeons can easily handle -20F. Do you have temperatures well below that?


----------



## Hania41806 (May 4, 2021)

danathome said:


> The weather has cleared somewhat. Anchorage has flocks of feral pigeons, but, Hania, if you live much further north, your birds might need supplemental heat. I know that pigeons can easily handle -20F. Do you have temperatures well below that?


I live an hour away from anchorage. Last year the coldest we got here was probably -18F, but I have a feeling this year will be colder. I think they will be okay, but I want to put in a heat lamp or two for a bit of comfort. I also need to buy more bedding to lower the humidity.


----------

