Releasing Wild Pigeon but she laid eggs

[applecheeks]

Hi, I was about to release a wild pigeon who I had taken in last October/2013 (as she was injured) but now she has laid 2 eggs. I know they are infertile but she is settled in now keeping them warm. And to think I thought she was a he and have been calling it Jack all winter. lol Anyway, should I let Miss Jackie go anyway or should I wait till she figures out there are going to be no chicks hatching?

 

[Hokum Coco]

You may get a surprise Applecheeks when you take her out to the farm to release her. All pigeons have a homing instinct and regardless of how far you bring her from what she considers home she "May" try to return.

This is how far one bird flew after being held prisoner for nearly a year to return home. It was an isolated case I might add.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/251+...e131dd15ed!2m2!1d-75.6971931!2d45.4215296!3e0

 

[jak2002003]

I agree with the above poster.

If you simple let her go she is very likely to just try to return home.

You need to try to gradually introduce her to a feral flock in your area.

My last hand reared rescued pigeons were release at a temple about one mile from my home. I used to take them down then each day in a cage and that is where I fed them.. so they got used to the place as somewhere to find food. (the monks feed the pigeons there each day).

In the cage they could see the other pigeons.. some even coming up to the cage and cooing at them.
After a couple of weeks I let them out there... and fed them with the other pigeons.

As they were eating a sneaked off home.

They did not return that evening.. so I was hopeful they would stay there. But the next morning they were back at my house! I had to keep taking them there and feeding them. After 3 more days they came back again, but as evening came they flew back to the temple. Each day they came to my house for the afternoon.. then went back. Eventually they only came about 2 X a week. As I never fed them there they had no motivation to come back.

I was very touched when, one day, they came back with their new mates....As if they were showing them where they came from. They came less and less frequently.. until now they never come back.

I have been back to the temple.. its about one year later. One of my pigeons is still there and she and her mate have 2 young now. The other pigeon has gone... but I am hopeful it just joined another flock.. as there are few predators here and no one will kill them.

So good luck with you baby! You have left it a bit late.. because now she has laid eggs she is very settled to your home. Keep us all posted.

 

[applecheeks]

Haaa! Oh my, Hokum! That was an industrious pigeon to have flown that far home! lol Well, I had my doubts that mine would as she doesn't seem to like me that much. She smacks my hand when I stick it in the cage to clean it and add food. However, she does coo at me sometimes as well.

That's a good idea jak200. I will have to look for a flock around here as I don't drive so if I were to take her out to the grain elevator in the country as I had planned it would be a one time thing (getting someone to drive me). I assume she had a flock she flew with prior to being hurt. I found her just down the block from my house so perhaps her old flock is still nearby. That was so sweet that yours came back to show you their new families.

An update on her recent activity though-She laid 2 eggs, kicked one out of the nest and settled on keeping one warm. However, today she isn't sitting on either of the eggs. So, it seems she has abandoned them? I'm not sure if I should take the eggs out or not.

Thanks for the help Hokum and jak200.

 

[applecheeks]

Well, I took away the one egg she had kicked out of the nest, She had stopped laying on both of them anyway. Now she has laid another egg and I believe she's getting ready to lay a fourth. lol This is getting silly.

 

[lightchick]

Well, I took away the one egg she had kicked out of the nest, She had stopped laying on both of them anyway. Now she has laid another egg and I believe she's getting ready to lay a fourth. lol This is getting silly.

Couldn't you keep her? I'd keep her and then get a mate for her and then they'd have babies!
I breed pigeons and I love the babies!