My Take

Earlier this year, I began to get interested in homing pigeons and through the encouragement and help of my wife, Tammy, and her father, I decided to try keeping a few, just to see if I could do it. I have discovered one thing for sure. These birds are amazing creatures, especially in the way God has created them and put in them the instinct and ability to find their way back to their home loft. It is very interesting, that ability, because try as they may, no one has been able to really determine how they navigate back to their home loft. A lot of theories are out there, but no one knows for sure. They are also individual creatures, alike in their ability to fly and find their way home, but individual in their habits and personalities.

I started with Big Red (BR) and Little Red, two red check birds that were already grown. The breeder I bought them from told me to never fly them because they would not come back to my loft. They were unable to fly when young because of a hawk problem and he said they would not learn to find their way back to another loft. Well, I kept them up in a small loft before I was able to get a bigger one and one day, Little Red escaped because I didn't shut the door properly. My fault entirely. I reasoned that I would not see her again, but the next morning, my wife found her in the yard, wanting to be let back in the loft. Needless to say, both of them did learn to home back to my loft and they have raised several birds that are as smart as they are.

Now, let's take Scooby. My father-in-law gave him to me and he is the bird pictured in my profile. That picture doesn't really do him justice because it was taken when he was a young bird. He is really a pretty bird, what is called a Blue Bar Piebald. He can really fly well and he is one smart cookie. He is usually the first one out of the loft when I open the door and when I hit the whistle to call them in to eat, he is usually the first one through the trap door. When I open the loft door to pour out the feed, he is standing there looking at me and cooing at me. I think he is wondering what is taking me so long to get his food to him.

I also have Jessie, Squeaky, Checkers, Boss, and Rosco and they all have their own personalities. Boss, for example, is one of the youngest of the entire crew, but he has no fear of the other birds. They have their own little pecking order, but when Boss was introduced to the loft, it didn't take long for him to make his mark. He even chases Big Red away from the feeder. That's why I call him Boss, after Boss Hog, from The Dukes of Hazard.

Well, I suppose that is enough for now. It may not be real interesting, but it is what I was thinking about.

That's my take!