& for the question about Feral Pigeons.
Oneday at work (roofing), we set up on some apartment buildings, when I arrived (early in the morning), I sat in my car and watched a flock of about 50 Feral Pigeons flying the sky's and landing on the apartment building.
The crane showed up and we began setting up the job, when I got up on the roof I saw very large air units and looked under and saw nests everywhere with eggs here and there...well it was later told to me that these air units were scheduled to be taken down and hauled to the dump, we began tearing off the roof far away from these units, 3 weeks later we got to the units and I just hated what I knew I was to find, little eyes looking at me from everywhere, so I crawled up under and began taking the babies, I brought them home with me and hand fed them, then oneday I decided they were old enough to be set free, they had already been free flying for about 3 weeks time...So away I took the birds 5 all together to a grain elevator about 25 miles away and set them free with other feral pigeons and pulled off the road and cried my behind off, well when I pulled into the driveway I saw all 5 were back on the garage....
I finally ended up taking the birds over a hundred miles away to a farm in Wisconsin where there was plenty of grain and water and many other Feral pigeons and setting them free....
All Pigeons HOME, it is there choice to stay within a five mile radius of there home, when they are trained, (took further away than that 5 miles) they do all they can to get back home...
Mollie is Feral...Mollie stays close to home....

The Red Billed Pigeon

Racing...
Birds are shipped to a (friend) fellow racer, the birds are then taken to the Release site.
They are placed into a very large crate...(all birds).
Then the doors of that crate are opened and the clock is started...all birds fly high...circle 3 times to gain there bearings and head for there home (loft).
On the legs one will find 2 bands, one for indentifying the bird and owner and on the other leg a snap on band with a computer chip, as soon as the bird goes through the trap of his her loft, the chip is recorded.
The bird with the fastest time...wins...
The purse could be $25.00...could be $100.00, its the behind the scene betting where the real money is...
Fact...some Racing Pigeons are worth 1 million dollars...or better said...sold for a million....
Fact...The bird of Peace...better known as the Pigeon aka the Rock Dove..aka..the Dove is Mankinds oldest feathered friend...
Fact...The Racing Pigeon World contributes to the Feral Pigeon populations and thus forth contributes to the Tax Payers costs to carry out mass poisonings....Clean up costs and the list goes on and on.
Fact...Exterminating companies claim the use of poisons are safe...then why when the clean up of the dead birds are done, Bio Hazzard suits are worn?

Some of these Facts are simply over my head, what I do know for sure....the bird of peace continues to be the looser....

Thank you for explaining all of that Arty! I'm still a tad bit confused by one thing. Doesn't feral just mean wild or untamed (like a feral cat)? It's not a breed/species, right? So, why would Mollie be feral-since he's quite clearly not wild now, and hasn't been since he was just a few weeks old. Also, would say, a Dunn Lahore who used to be owned by somebody but then joined a wild flock then be called a feral pigeon?

I remember at one time you said Mollie was a blue bar homer. Is that not right?

Also, if racing pigeons could "forget" their journey home if they pick up a pretty girlfriend along the way, wouldn't it be possible that an adult homer that you rescue could eventually be let to free fly at your house, if he were to find a mate that already belonged to you?

Mollie was born in the wild, you stated you found him under a wagon or something like that...born in the wild is Feral...
There are Stray Cats then there are Feral Cats, Ferals are born in the wild, they are no longer domesticated...
Banded Pigeons found in with Ferals couldn't be labeled Feral as they were not born in the wild, they may have joined up with a Feral flock but they were born in captivity..meaning domesticated, Now lets take that Racer and mate him up with a Feral Hen, there babies will be Feral...as they are born in the wild...
The Mating issue...Here's what happened in my loft last winter...
Last year a racing person called me and asked me to take in his Cullers, so I took in 20 some birds, one of the hens mated up with one of my rescues that I already had, well spring time came and I decided to free fly my birds, The hen I speak of was sitting on 2 babies, well as soon as I opened the trap to my loft and allowed my birds to free fly away she went, I ended up hand feeding both babies, then I got a phone call from the man that gave me the birds, he said one of his hens that he gave me was back in his loft...
Soooo, almost a year later of being in my loft..mated and sitting on 2 babies, the hen flew back to her original loft just as soon as I opened the trap...
& yes Mollie is a magnificent Blue Bar Homing Pigeon....(Feral)...born in the wild, hand raised by you....ferals can home...just as well as homing pigeons...Doves can not and will not HOME....Fancy Hybrid Pigeons also will not home...
The Ferals we see today all originated from Pigeons brought into the USA in 1860, they were brought here to raise as food and race, those pigeons were domesticated as they were not born in the wild...
Lets speak of a Farmer, way up north in Michigan, this farmer has 6 cats that run wild outside, oh they hang close drinking the cows milk that is spilt and killing the mice but for the most part they are free roaming cats, they live in the barn, they are mainly free to come and go as they please, now lets say those cats breed, there babies are concidered Feral, they may have been born in a barn but for the most part they are wild having no human contact whatsoever with humans, then these off spring venture off into the fields and woods and breed...now we have a serious problem...domesticated cats that have returned to the wild...FERALS....
The same applies within the Pigeon world...
I talk to much...good thing I have to go to work soon....
You hand raised Mollie, Mollie loves you dearly, by all means you are Mollies Mother...he will never leave you...NEVER...
Although I raised Mira, he is used to the Human feeding him, the human is Miras Mother, and being a colony bird (family ties), they will never leave there flock...you are Miras Mother also, I shipped Mira out very very young...the first face seen when coming out of the box was yours...now Mira thinks of you as his Mother....
Does that help????
Peace
Arty

That helps very much! Thank you for taking the time to explain it all to me!

I can't believe the hen left her 2 babies! I would never have thought their instinct to home would override their parental instincts.

I re-homed most of the Racers that were given to me as I have only so much room, the Hen I speak of had a mate so I kept her.
This subject explains that these birds "once free flown" to learn there suroundings, will always return to that surrounding...always....
If for some reason you had to take Mollie & Mira away from the farm, you could never free fly them again as they would always return to the farm and or search and search for the farm...a life of wondering, searching for there home....
Here's the kicker, even though Mollie and Mira know you as mom, while they search for the farm they will see the human as a friend, any human, this is why Abi is hanging around Donna, the bird also knows humans can be trusted, sadly many humans can't be trusted but this will give you an idea why the Domesticated Pigeon while lost take to humans, might not be there human but it is a human form.
Peace
Arty