{"id":21745,"date":"2025-06-20T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/re-homing-pigeons-durango-mans-lifelong-hobby-to-fly-the-nest\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:09:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:09:12","slug":"re-homing-pigeons-durango-mans-lifelong-hobby-to-fly-the-nest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/re-homing-pigeons-durango-mans-lifelong-hobby-to-fly-the-nest\/","title":{"rendered":"Re-homing pigeons: Durango man\u2019s lifelong hobby to fly the nest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Durango
Durango resident Allen Small holds one of his newest pigeons, admiring its colors, in his pigeon coop behind his home on Wednesday. Allen has raised pigeons since he was 9 years old, but is soon saying goodbye to them when he will transfer his kit of 50 pigeons to a new trusted owner. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Allen Small was 9 years old when he bought his first pigeon for 25 cents. That was 70 years ago. Now, after spending tens of thousands of dollars and nearly a lifetime breeding and racing the birds, he is giving up his beloved hobby.<\/p>\n

With aging bones and a bad back, the 79-year-old Durango man said caring for his 50 remaining pigeons has become too much. Pigeons can live 15 to 20 years in captivity, he said.<\/p>\n

Small bought his first pigeon from Foy\u2019s Pet Supplies in 1955 and has been a loyal customer ever since. He said he\u2019s likely one of Foy\u2019s oldest customers and is on a first-name basis with the owner and the owner\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s kept up to 250 pigeons at a time at the peak of his hobby, he said. He has pitted his pigeons in races from locations such as Albuquerque to Durango and watched thousands of competitive birds blot out the skies.<\/p>\n

\"A
A classified ad placed by Allen Small who was seeking a new home for his 50 homing pigeons. (Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Now he is retiring from pigeon connoisseurship, having found a trusted owner \u2013 Cindy Cole \u2013 in the Animas Valley for his homing pigeons, which are named for their ability to find their way back to their roost over vast distances.<\/p>\n

Efforts to reach Cole on Thursday for comment were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

Small purchased a classified ad that ran in Wednesday\u2019s edition of The Durango Herald <\/em>seeking someone willing to adopt his kit of pigeons. He also offered accommodations, including his pigeon coop, and provided his phone number for interested parties.<\/p>\n

Homing pigeons are smart, reliable and pretty birds, he said. They were used in World War II by both Allied and Axis forces to covertly deliver messages.<\/p>\n

According to the Smithsonian\u2019s National Air and Space Museum, 32 pigeons belonging to Allied forces were decorated with the Dickin Medal, which was \u201cgranted to any animal displaying gallantry under fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A silver homer takes care of two squabs \u2013 baby pigeons. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

G.I. Joe, the U.S. Army Pigeon Service\u2019s homing pigeon, received the Dickin Medal for delivering a lifesaving message during combat in Italy in October 1943.<\/p>\n

One communication method using homing pigeons was to strap a small capsule to a pigeon\u2019s leg. A message would be inscribed on a rolled piece of paper within the capsule.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nature of the homing pigeon is such that when it is removed from its home loft and released, it will try to return thereto,\u201d according to page 1 of the Aug. 1, 1943, U.S. Army Air Forces technical manual, \u201cHandling and Releasing Homing Pigeons from Aircraft in Flight,\u201d courtesy of the Smithsonian<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Section 2 of the manual says homing pigeons were dispatched from airplanes equipped with containers holding up to four or more birds. The containers also featured a top section that held a message book, map overlays, message holders, pencils and several days\u2019 worth of bird food.<\/p>\n

The birds can fly about 90 mph, but the record is 110 mph with a tail wind.<\/p>\n

Small\u2019s current kit of homing pigeons includes varieties such as Black Knights and a silver homer, which has two squabs \u2013 baby pigeons \u2013 at least one of which he expects to grow up to be silver, too.<\/p>\n

He said he purchased the hens and breeding cocks for $600 and $1,000, respectively, per pigeon. He buys 2,500 pounds of feed for about $1,500 every four months and hauls it from Farmington back to Durango. But he has never sold a bird.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t sell any of my birds for profit. I give them to people who are raising birds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Small is giving away his kit of pigeons for free, along with free medicine; food, feeders and waterers; and the pigeon coop many of them have considered their home since birth.<\/p>\n

\"Allen
Allen Small said most of his neighbors enjoy watching his pigeons fly freely as much as the birds love flying. But one of Small\u2019s next-door neighbors has consistently been \u201cpretty pissed about it.\u201d The neighbor is happy Small is giving the birds away, Small said. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

When born, or relocated, it\u2019s best to keep pigeons in their coop for at least six months so they associate their shelter and food source with their nesting ground, he said. After that period, it\u2019s safe to let them fly wherever they want \u2013 and they want to fly \u2013 with a fair guarantee they will return.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey love to fly,\u201d he said. \u201cBoy, as soon as I open that (hatch), off they go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pigeons\u2019 first stop is usually the roof of Small\u2019s house or the higher, shaded branches of a tall weeping willow next door. But after a short look around, they take to the open sky, he said.<\/p>\n

Most of Small\u2019s neighbors don\u2019t mind the pigeons. They enjoy watching the birds fly as much as the birds love flying. But one of Small\u2019s next-door neighbors has consistently been \u201cpretty pissed about it,\u201d and he is happy to know the pigeons will soon depart from the neighborhood, Small said.<\/p>\n

Small said he shot and killed two cats hunting his pigeons with a pellet gun and was investigated for cruelty to animals in the 1970s. He was also sued for $10,000 \u2013 or $5,000 per cat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pay $1,000 each (for pigeons) and these cats are coming by and killing my birds,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I said, \u2018These cats are running around the neighborhood \u2013 and they say they\u2019re worth $5,000 each \u2013 and neither one has a tag on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The investigation and the lawsuit were dropped.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, he opened a hatch in the coop and the pigeons, feathers rustled, hopped from perch to perch, eager to taste the open air. They flocked to the hatch and took off in a hurry.<\/p>\n

Small said they tend to circle the neighborhood and fly to Durango High School along Camino del Rio several blocks to the east, and from there, where they go is up to them.<\/p>\n

\"Durango
Durango resident Allen Small said his homing pigeons\u2019 first stop upon flying their coop is usually the roof of his house or the higher, shaded branches of a tall weeping willow nearby. But hawks have been known to also perch in the tree and pose a danger to the birds, he said. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The pigeons almost always find their way home, an exception being when a hawk decides to claim one for a meal.<\/p>\n

Small said he intends to keep a small coop in his backyard even after delivering the pigeons to their new owner, knowing it very well could take time for them to adjust to their new home in the Animas Valley.<\/p>\n

cburney@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Durango
Durango resident and pigeon fancier Allen Small said he purchases breeding pigeon cocks and hens for $1,000 and $600, respectively, per bird. He buys 2,500 pounds of feed every four months and hauls it from Farmington back to Durango. But he has never sold a pigeon. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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