Growing up in Kaduna, it was common for boys to raise pigeons in their homes.
You would usually go to another boy who kept many pigeons and was willing to sell, and buy a male and a female to begin your own small flock.
If it was your first time, the boy would patiently show you how to build the little shelter that would become a nest, using cartons open on one side and nailed carefully against a wall.
Because pigeons have a strong instinct to return to their owners, the boy would also teach you how to make your pigeons stay, so that you would not need to keep them in a cage.
No one kept pigeons locked up in a cage.
To make the pigeon “yours” you would pluck three or four of its longest feathers on both wings, grounding it for a few weeks until it learned the place.
Then you would take it home, settle it into the carton you had prepared, and give it food, grain and water.
The trick was to mix sugar into the water each time. As the feathers grew back, the pigeon would develop a taste for the sugar and even if it flew away, it would return, recognising your home as its home.
After a couple of months, even when you stopped giving it sugar water, it would accept the place fully and often mate with the female, who would lay eggs, usually two at a time. If you were patient, one pair could grow to six or eight within a year or two.
I tried this process several times before I finally got it right. One of the first times, a stray cat slipped over the fence at night and killed the pigeons while they were still unable to fly. In the end it worked, and I loved my pigeons.
White pigeons usually cost much more than grey, brown, or multicoloured ones. Muffed pigeons, the ones with feathers on their legs and feet, were the most expensive of all.
I remember being deeply fascinated by baby pigeons and watching them from the day they hatched until they were strong enough to fly on their own. I remember thinking of the baby pigeons as both ugly and cute. Their faces looked strange, their beaks slightly comic, yet they seemed so tender and so sweet.
Ah. Fun times.
@elnathan_john Fun times man, I had my own flock and was lucky at my first try, Hassan on my street in saminaka road had a big flock and I bought from him a pair....I think I got to 12-18 there about before I sold them as we were moving houses ....croc city forever ❤️ 🐊
Spent a few days in Calabar, and here are my few culture shocks;
1. Calabar people are sooo law-abiding— they obey traffic lights even on Sunday nights
2. Calabar passes for the greenest city in Nigeria — the roads are tiny but there are enough spaces for trees and green lawns.
3. They are liberals— they are not as conservative as their sister state. You can walk through streets without hearing Efik (I know the state is multicultural, but it gave the vibes of Lagos and Abuja).
4. There are no aesthetically pleasing restaurants, lounges or hotels — they have all these things but they are basic.
5. Crispy chicken restaurants are literally everywhere, even in their bathrooms.
6. Most places are named after women — Marian rd, Maria, Mariam, Mary, Marina Resort etc (funny how they all start with “M”)
7. The mini buses carry 2 people in front. They’ll pack you like sardines.
8. Calabar is sooo safe. I hardly hear of petty theft. You can walk the streets early hours without fear.
9. Keke are not commonly seen — though, they have particular routes they ply.
10. They have only one mall, Spar.
Calabar people are sooo nice. I mean, out of this world nice.
11. All the meals I ate here bangs. They really know how to cook.
12. The state is on a nosedive, it has a lot of breathtaking tourist sites, but negligence is killing these places.
13. They don’t joke with Christmas decorations and carnivals. O m g. You’d think that’s the only event the states enjoy.
14. Calabar is small shaa
15. The only luxury car I saw here was a G-wagon. And it’s just one.
16. The weather is always rainy even in November.
17. I enjoyed Calabar. Do I wanna come back? Definitely!!! 😜
Your excellency @jidesanwoolu I know you are Very busy Governor but I am asking one more time as a concerned Lagosian,kindly look into having a pedestrian bridge at gbagada bustop coming from 3rd mainland bridge by eterna filling station opposite @HarvestersNG.