Banded Pigeon Found - Assistance Please

[Ptera]

I've rescued two distressed homing pigeons & nursed them back to health. In both cases I contacted the owner. It was difficult, because like you I had to contact the local pigeon club & they had to give out the owner's contact info. In the first case the owner didn't want him back. In the second case the owner wouldn't return my messages. I read that if you release the pigeon once it's well it will go home and will often be culled because it did poorly in the race. Also the risk of predators getting it on the way. They make great pets if you can keep them in your fully enclosed chicken pen where they can fly around. My local hardware sells a seed mix just for pigeons. If you keep him, make sure he gets grit (and calcium if the grit doesn't already contain it.) Also some greens or fresh grass from time to time. They love to get into a tub of water (3" deep water) & take a soak bath. They are feather dust birds so it will look like a can of talc exploded in the tub : )

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

Im so glad he found you! You've done such a great job! Lucky little bird!

 

[3bird]

Thanks all! Still no call back, but we're hopeful we'll hear something soon. He/she remains alert and is drinking and eating cracked corn & crumble. He/she's in a large box in the tub in the bathroom, so we need to address that situation at some point...preferably sooner rather than later. If we don't hear back soon, we'll look to getting him/her on a better diet.

I would move him/her to our duck run overnight if I wasn't concerned about the potential for disease or parasite. Any new bird on our wee farm gets a length quarantine, and we don't have a good quarantine set-up for a pigeon at the moment. Are we being too conservative there? Also, our ducks free range most days, so their run is open for them to come and go, so not a great set-up for the pigeon.

Also, how does one sex a pigeon?

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

For creepy crawlies you can give it a borax water bath to play in. In the tub is a good idea as it will make a mess. I’m sure @biophiliac can tell you how much to put in the water and how much water is good.
If you do decide to keep it quarantine is always a good idea. Pigeons can carry so nasty stuff but I would think as a racer it’s previous owner would be aware of that and at least try to keep them healthy. No guarantee but one would hope.

 

[3bird]

For creepy crawlies you can give it a borax water bath to play in. In the tub is a good idea as it will make a mess. I’m sure @biophiliac can tell you how much to put in the water and how much water is good.
If you do decide to keep it quarantine is always a good idea. Pigeons can carry so nasty stuff but I would think as a racer it’s previous owner would be aware of that and at least try to keep them healthy. No guarantee but one would hope.

Still waiting on a call. A local thrift shop has a nice old parrot cage we may go pick-up, so the little guy can get out of the bathroom.

 

[CCUK]

S/he should be OK for a couple of days in a dog crate or pet carrier or a parrot cage! Judging by the poor state of it in your clip it won't be ready for flight for a couple of days. There is no way to know how far this fella has flown or what caused it to land at your home. A hawk attack, bad weather, it is even thought that mobile phone signals can throw them off course. There is no easy way to sex them on their own but the males eye tends to be more round than the female and the male is slightly larger. But without another to compare, its very difficult to tell. It's great that you have contacted the club but be prepared to end up with this pigeon. If the owner wants it back and asks you to care for it until its better chances are it will return to you when you do release it! This happened to me! They may also ask of you to dispose of it. I got told to go cook another stray that someone found and gave me! When the racing people release the pigeons they release alot. There is always losses along the way. The general opinion is only the best return. So they are what's wanted, not the waifs and strays. Hopefully they will want it back, I would. All mine also have bands on with my phone number so if anybody finds one they can contact me directly rather than trying to trace the ID number.

 

[3bird]

Thsan

S/he should be OK for a couple of days in a dog crate or pet carrier or a parrot cage! Judging by the poor state of it in your clip it won't be ready for flight for a couple of days. There is no way to know how far this fella has flown or what caused it to land at your home. A hawk attack, bad weather, it is even thought that mobile phone signals can throw them off course. There is no easy way to sex them on their own but the males eye tends to be more round than the female and the male is slightly larger. But without another to compare, its very difficult to tell. It's great that you have contacted the club but be prepared to end up with this pigeon. If the owner wants it back and asks you to care for it until its better chances are it will return to you when you do release it! This happened to me! They may also ask of you to dispose of it. I got told to go cook another stray that someone found and gave me! When the racing people release the pigeons they release alot. There is always losses along the way. The general opinion is only the best return. So they are what's wanted, not the waifs and strays. Hopefully they will want it back, I would. All mine also have bands on with my phone number so if anybody finds one they can contact me directly rather than trying to trace the ID number.

Thanks so much. We got the parrot cage and are cleaning it right now. We plan to let the little fella/lass have some outdoor time in it on the deck this early evening and then we'll bring it inside for the night. Any suggestion for how to set it up in terms of box, roost, food/water placement, etc.? Thanks so much for your help!

 

[CCUK]

Thsan


Thanks so much. We got the parrot cage and are cleaning it right now. We plan to let the little fella/lass have some outdoor time in it on the deck this early evening and then we'll bring it inside for the night. Any suggestion for how to set it up in terms of box, roost, food/water placement, etc.? Thanks so much for your help!

I just put a old hand towel on the floor with a ceramic bowl with feed in it and a gallipot for water. Make sure the water is filled to the top. They can be quite messy when they are confined to a small cage, they tend to rake all the feed out looking for the best bits! And poop can build up fairly quick! I just changed the hand towel once a day to try and keep it clean. I didn't put a perch in but if you put a piece of 1x1" wood in that should be OK. If you need grit you can use the stuff you get for budgies and canaries for now. It's good to let it have some fresh air but what may happen is it will start taking in its new surroundings which may increase the chance that it will return to you as and when you release it! Which is good if you end up keeping it but not so good if you want it to return to its original loft!

 

[3bird]

Looking Stronger!

 

[Kiki]

View attachment 1532378
Looking Stronger!

No word back from those people yet?