Pigeon Talk

[MageofMist]

Feathered leg development? Just found these stray feathers growing down Squabble’s legs.

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

Feathered leg development? Just found these stray feathers growing down Squabble’s legs.

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I find it on most of my squabs, moreso my rollers than my homers though! They fall out when they're adults though. I had *one* squab keep a few feathers but they were small!

 

[biophiliac]

Thank you so so much for your help!! I appreciate it so much!!! I feel more at ease that I’m doing okay with him!! he just ate a whole small bowl full of wild bird feed!! He really seems to be enjoying it!! I’m really surprised that he’s eating!! I thought he would be too scared to do anything!! I just hope that his little wing can heal fully!!

Good to hear he is eating a sufficient amount of food. Pigeons are smart enough to habituate quickly. If you just move slowly and quietly and speak friendly he is unlikely to be much stressed. Even if he flaps and pecks at you, he is not necessarily panicked. Try giving him some unsalted peanuts, then once he has had a taste, reserve them for treat/training only. You will have him eating from yout hand.
Don't expect him to fly immediately after removing wrap on healed wing. Some weeks of 'physiotherapy' will be need to strengthen atrophied muscles.

 

[MageofMist]

I find it on most of my squabs, moreso my rollers than my homers though! They fall out when they're adults though. I had *one* squab keep a few feathers but they were small!

Squabble is a street mutt so he probably has roller, homer and fancy genes all blended together. There are times I see feral fantails in town but they are much less common compared to the regular tailed birds, and the fans aren’t as extreme as the full fancy bred ones are. Basically regularly sized tails or a little bigger that are splayed out.

 

[Qwerty3159]

Hatched on Sunday and Monday

 

[biophiliac]

Hatched on Sunday and Monday

Sweet!

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

Squabble is a street mutt so he probably has roller, homer and fancy genes all blended together. There are times I see feral fantails in town but they are much less common compared to the regular tailed birds, and the fans aren’t as extreme as the full fancy bred ones are. Basically regularly sized tails or a little bigger that are splayed out.

The medium looking fans are a result from a fantail x non-fan! Chances are Squabble is just homer or feral, aka rock dove or pigeon : D that's cool you have feral fantails, nothing fancy is feral where I live

 

[Pigeon28]

Building a small kit box type building for sick birds or maybe a few young birds. Need opinions on a wire floor or a wood floor with storage underneath? Can’t make up my mind.

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

Wire may be a little easier to clean, although I'd do wood. More predator proof, and you can lay down shavings or some sort of substrate, plus any spilled food will end up inside for you to scrape out with the poop as opposed to spilled on the ground (to attract mice and such!)

 

[cavemanrich]

Need opinions on a wire floor or a wood floor with storage underneath? Can’t make up my mind.

Consider making it from boards with a small gap between them. Then build a raised perimeter (about 2 inches) Get some landscape fabric, and line the bottom. You can also use some window screen fabric as well. Fill the floor with 1 1/2 inches deep of Sweet PDZ. You can use sand or pebbles also. The gaps in the boards will allow water from rain to drain. The landscape fabric, or window screen will keep 99% of the sand, or PDZ from falling thru. You can utilize space underneath as storage if you have Bite-proof containers. Metal cans, especially if you intend to keep feed in them. I keep all my feed for chickens, as well as my songbirds stored in metal trash cans. No rat, or mice problems. I also secure the covers with rubber bungee straps, to prevent raccoons from helping themselves to feed. Raccoons will eat anything available.
The floor medium can be raked out with a kitty litter scoop to remove the gumdrops as needed. I'm sure you can handle the water dishes/baths, and feed dishes well.
If you anticipate getting a lot of rain water inside, you can first place a sheet of the steel lath (pictured below) on boards first, and then the screen or fabric. The drainage speed would be much improved this way.

I have been using this material to prevent/block squirrels from entering where I don't want them.