The younger your birds, the more quickly they'll adjust to you and your home. Younger birds will only ever be familiar with you and your space, and they shouldn't have to overcome any bad experiences with previous owners. Mature domesticated pigeons should eventually learn to trust you as well, but they may require a little more time and patience. Pigeons are extremely social birds who need constant companionship. If your pigeons choose to court and mate, they'll be together for life. Plan on keeping at least two birds. If you have room, consider creating a small flock of four to six pigeons.  If you end up with a mated pair, you may need to keep the pigeons from breeding. Female pigeons lay eggs every month. Once they've laid two eggs, remove the eggs and replace them with warmed-up wooden eggs. Both pigeons will continue to sit on the wooden eggs until they realize they won't hatch. Destroy the real eggs by leaving them outside for other animals to eat. This process will need to be repeated each month.  If your female bird is sitting on a fake egg, it won't continue to lay eggs. Laying eggs too often can result in calcium deficiency and death. Any female bird can lay eggs, though without a male bird they will be infertile. You can find fake eggs online. For example, try http://theeggshop.com/. There are many domesticated pigeons without homes located at animal or bird shelters and rescues. While adopting may not allow you to choose the exact age or breed of pigeon that you'd like, you'll be helping out a bird in need. Adoption is also a generally less expensive option than purchasing birds through breeders.  Most adoption services will cover any initial vet bills. They sometimes also allow you to foster your birds to see if you make a good match. Adopting may provide you with birds that either require more time before they're tamed, or that never become fully comfortable being touched or handled by you. Be ready to spend lots of time building trust. Find reputable breeders by contacting them directly. Ask how long the breeder has been operating, and see if they'd be willing to send photos of their facility to make sure their birds are well treated. Breeders can allow you to choose younger birds, or racing, homing, and other types of unique pigeons. They'll also be able to provide you with a pair of birds that's used to spending lots of time with people. Birds from breeders may be ready to be handled more quickly than rescued birds. However, they'll likely cost more than rescued birds. If you find a lost or injured wild pigeon, take the bird to a wildlife rescue that won't kill the bird. While wild pigeons may eventually become comfortable as pets, they'll likely never be as tame as domesticated pigeons. It's also not fair to the wild bird to prevent it from enjoying its previous lifestyle.  Before you take the pigeon to the rescue, call the facility to be sure they're prepared to care for and then safely release the pigeon. You can find a map of bird-safe rescues located in the United States here: http://www.pigeonrescue.org/resources/some-pigeon-dove-friendly-rescues-in-the-us/  Most animal rescues will not kill the bird unless it is beyond saving or has a low quality of life.
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One-sentence summary -- Adopt or buy young birds for easier taming. Pick pigeons in pairs or groups to keep your birds happy. Adopt your pigeons to save homeless pets. Find a breeder online to buy a specific type of pigeon. Avoid adopting wild pigeons.


Getting in regular moderate exercise is important for your health. However, you don't want to overdo it. Exercising too rigorously can increase your hematocrit levels. Some good moderate exercises you can do are:  Brisk walking Light bicycling Cleaning Lawn mowing According to the NHS Blood and Transplant, the frequency of giving blood should be a maximum of 4 times a year or an interval of 12 weeks between blood donations. Only do this as a last result and only if you have consulted your physician.  If he or she does approve of this measure here's why it's helpful:  This can cleanse your blood as your body tries to replenish the amount of blood that it has lost, making the circulating blood fresh. This removes excess iron in your body.  An excessive amount of iron is thought to be the cause of atherosclerosis or the hardening of your arteries.  When you donate blood, about 250 mg of iron will be removed from your body cutting your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Again, only do this as a last resort because it can have other untoward effects.  Make sure that you consult your doctor about taking aspirin as a means to lower your hematocrit levels because the only way for mini aspirin to help in lowering your hematocrit level is when it causes gastrointestinal bleeding. Aspirin is an anti-platelet drug.  Platelets help a lot when it comes to clotting in the event of an injury. When you take mini aspirin as a means to lower your hematocrit level, know that it can thin out your blood completely which can result to your blood's inability to clot, lightheadedness and other neurological deficits. Areas with high elevation have a lower oxygen concentration than areas with lower elevation. An area of more than 8,000 feet (2,438.4 m) above sea level is considered to have ”thinner oxygen." People living in these areas generally have high hematocrit. Moving to a lower altitude residence will help return your hematocrit count to normal. As an adaptation to the environment, the bone marrow which is responsible of producing RBCs produces more RBCs to compensate for the low oxygen level of the body and as a result, there is a high concentration level of hematocrit in the body. . Nicotine in cigarettes and other tobacco products impairs the blood circulation by altering the oxygen carrying capacity of your red blood cells. The body compensates for the problem of having low oxygen levels by having the bone marrow produce more RBCs, thus increasing the level of hematocrit in your body. Stopping smoking or consuming any other tobacco product will help lower your hematocrit level. Quitting smoking is also best for your heart, lungs, skin, hair, and your entire body. Aside from that, it's also better for those around you. If doing it for your hematocrit isn't enough, do it for these reasons. Elevated hematocrit levels may be related to a different disease entirely, namely variations in cancer and a potential tumor. Tumors and cancer – especially in the bone marrow – create an uncontrolled production of blood cells. Do not jump to any conclusions if you have a high hematocrit count. Consulting your doctor is the best way to know how to reduce your hematocrit level effectively and the only way to know why your hematocrit level is high.
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One-sentence summary --
Exercise in moderation. Donate blood. Take mini aspirin. Stick to lower ground. Stop smoking Treat the underlying cause.