Surroundings, once a Pigeon learns there surroundings you can free fly them.
I place my bird in a regular bird cage and sit the bird in a shaded area for 2 hours per day for one week, I always keep an eye on the bird during this time.
Never allow the bird to sit in the direct sun.
Provide water.
Once the bird learns there surroundings it will be okay to open the trap and allow the bird to free fly.
The bird will need a Large cage to return to, there must be a home to home to.
I have a Loft here, however some folks simply build a large cage as they only keep one to two birds.
Never use chicken coop wire for the floor in the cage, you will eventually end up with a Pigeon with a broken leg, use wire mesh.
The cage and or loft should be preditor safe, if a squirrel can get into the cage-loft then a stray cat can also.
Pigeons loft at dusk, after the bird has lofted, secure the trap every evening.
For those wishing to free fly a few Pigeons, a Dove Cote will work the best.
Please look over the Pigeon-Dove forum for information on how to build a safe-secure dove cote.
You can train the Pigeon through there feeding times, only feed your bird what can be ate in 15 minutes time, never allow seed to sit, remove any un-eat'en seed right after the bird is done.
One ounce of Pigeon Dove mix per bird X 2 feedings per day.
Using a tin can place a small amount of seed into the can, shake the can to alert your bird to come to you, make another noise such as a whistle or kissing sounds while shaking the can, slowly eliminate the can and seed to train the bird to come to you when you make the sound.
Good luck in training your Pigeon to home, if you provide a safe warm, DRY loving home they will never leave you.
If you need more help, ask away, I will always do my best to help you.
BrokenWing

Thank you for this info...I'll need it. How big of wire mesh should be used? I have an inside cage but I want to build a rather large one for outside.

I buy inch square wire fencing at the home depot, one should be able to find this product at any hardware store, if rodents gets into the cage, your bird will get sick.
Pigeons like to perch on a 4 inch wide flat piece of wood, some folks use large dowel rods and they will work, however I have a loft for multiple birds and I do not heat the loft during the winter, so 4 inch flat wood is used so the birds can laydown on there little feet to keep them warm.
Pigeons are tossers, so expect seed loss, I built my own feeders so only there little head can fit into the feeder, this helps control the loss of seed.
If you have a Male Pigeon and free fly him, don't be surprized if oneday he brings a Female home with him, If you have a Female Pigeon, don't be suprized if you loose your little one to a stray Male, as the male will woo the female to where ever he goes and he will begin to make a nest for his mate.
When I free flew my birds sometimes they would leave for hours at a time, but they would always come back home.
The female will return to you when its her time to be off the nest, during this time she will try to get you to follow her so she can show you her eggs and or babies, she will also encourage her young to come and visit you when they are fledged, what I am saying is, once love, always love and your bird will always return to visit you.
There is always risks involved when free flying your birds, establish a loving relationship with your bird and your bird will always return to you.
Remember, Pigeons drink water like we humans do when using a straw, they suck, so the water should be atleast 2 inches deep.
There are preditors around, and there is Love around, but please do not let this stop you from free flying your birds.
We have a serious issue here with stray cats, and many many trees so the Hawks are fairly THICK, so I have in-flights attached to the loft.
I do allow my birds to fly freely once in awhile.
BW

That was very helpfull. I have searched on the net for some info and was appaled to find so many sites telling people how to get rid of pigeons. I have a design in mind for the outdoor cage and you have reinforced what I came up with. When do I get pics?

This has been very interesting for me too, learning from "loving experts" about setting up a home for Pigeons.

Thank you Arty. I work with a gentleman that used to race pigeons and it was always amazing the distance they would fly home from and how fast they did it.

All are very welcome, I am a vet when it comes to Pigeons, for 18+ years now I have loved them with all my heart.
Grandma, you will find all there is to know right here on ParrotChatter in the Dove Pigeon Forum and here's another link to my site.
PIGEON WORLD | BrokenWing's Views On Pigeons
& you have ME, one can not have anymore than this...LOL
ParrotChatter is my HOME, As long as I am alive, I will always be here for all members, well until I am booted off anyways...LOL, I sometimes can be harsh when it comes to certain issues.
Some Racers can reach 75 miles per hour and race 600 mile races, first one home WINS.
None are turned away, Feral Pigeons are just as important to me and loved just as much if not more.
Peace to Everyone.
BrokenWing
P.S. Grandma, pictures of your baby are posted, please read Grandmas Gem.

When training the Racer the owner will take several of his birds far away from there loft and release them.
25 miles away in each direction for a week and then 50 miles away, and repeat up to how many mile race he will enter his birds into.
I recently bumped heads a little with the owner of 911pigeonalert for my stand concerning the Racing world, I beleive the Racing world contributes a generous amount to the Feral flocks as many Racers fail to make it back home for reasons unknown.
I know for a FACT, one of my Racing friends took out 20 birds for trianing, only 4 made it back home, the others now become free and join up with feral flocks.
I made it clear to the owner of 911pigeonalert, I do not race pigeons, I protect the Pigeon.
We all know from my posts that the Feral flocks found in almost every major city are being poisoned and or slaughtered in some form or another.
I want this stopped...PERIOD.
Its the Pigeon that pays for all of Mankinds mess.
BW

It's still amazing to me how quickly and accurately these guys can get to where they're going. Watching Mollie fly across the sky is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen- and I get to see it on a regular basis. I'm so lucky! They are just incredible animals.

I bet it get's really cold up there in the winter Arty! We still get hit pretty hard too. I have a medium sized pet taxi filled with straw in both sides of the cage for both Mollie and Mira. Mira hasn't gone in hers much yet, but Mollie loves his. I'm thinking that this winter she'll appreciate it more!

I've seen the pictures Susan, your little one is precious!!

30 below sometimes during the winter, I can't help but hurt for the Feral pigeons I see huddled on chimney stacks.
Winters can be down right harsh up here, Cars won't start and the heating bills are outrageous.
Then the Snow, sometimes 3 ft, then one gets the stuff blown away and another snow storm moves through and ya start all over again...LOL
But then spring time comes, 90 plus degrees with high humidity...fun fun fun.