# What Do I do Next



## Zak33 (Jul 21, 2005)

hi, i have sucessfully rescued a baby pigeon and reared it using a syringe with
baby food and have now taught it to eat seed and drink water from a bowl. but
now the time has come to find out what to do next. he/she doesnt seem distressed
at all and enjoys human company.i already have many pets myself (about 60) but
am not sure what to do with the pigeon. i wasnt sure whether to release him
back into the wild but he seems too tame, when someone else trys to hold him
he flys back to me. my dog found him in the woods lying in the leaf litter and
she dragged him back (shes only a shih tzu!) by his tail and has pulled a few of
his tail feathers out (Which have not grown back properly yet), this makes his flight unbalanced and sometimes makes him
fly in circles. a few days after i "rescued" him i tried to release him but he
wouldnt leave 
me and i ended up walking home with him on my shoulder, if i moved he follows me. i have checked and i cant find any bird or
wildlife rescue centres near were i live in the uk and not sure what to do now.
can you please advise me ASAP thanks

Zak


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Zak,


Nice going...!

Well, my own experience to relay for your use, would be about as follows...


Once this one is an able and agile indoor or sometimes outdoor even, of flier ...and self feeds well with the Seeds...and is about nearing ffull size for himself...

If there is a feral flock you already feed, or, if not, start feeding one...and...

Take your youngster for some forays to be with the wild or feral flock, so it may, with you staying near, you crouching or what, so it may get to be near the ferals also. Just have him on your shoulder, or at times, on your knee or on the ground next to you. If he hops down and gets sociable right away, that is fine of course! But usually they take a few times to feel easy with it.

Likely it will tremble and be nervous in it's way the first time or two, and it may preen or find distractions...without joining them or grazing with them.

If not the first foray, then the second, set them down on the ground near the feral Pigeons who are grazing on the Seeds you have scattered for them, opr near the Seeds anyway on which they will graze as soon as you back away a little ways, and walk away a few yards but stay where yours can see that you are not very far off...just keep an eye on your youngster. At some point, they too will graze a little off and on...and they might run back to you or they might mingle a little on the edge of the grazing flock. At some point after a half hour or something, call them and take them home.


Next foray, just like the last, only now you can walk off a little ways, say 25 feet, and come slowly back, just kind of linger in that way of going, and comeing back, keeping an eye on your youngster of course...and do that a few times to check on how yours is doing with the grazing activities and so on...after a half hour or something, call them, put them on your shoulder, and go home.

Next one, ( and do these late in the day so there is only so much light to remain before the ferals leave for their night's roosts) do again, where now yours will likely fly down to be among them and graze with them comfortably, without your having to set them down, or, maybe they will have already done that last time...

This one, or the next time, yours will elect to leave with them for their night's roost.

If you feed them again there, the feral flock, you will see yours among them, and it is unlikely it will come to you again unless called. it will be nice to have the habit then of feeding them, so you can see yours among them.

Soon, it will not come even if called, will not let you get too near, and will have assumed it's wild ways amid it's feral fellows...

The Bird should be around the time their spikey little feathers strat to come in about the forehead area just at where their Wattles will soon turn white...

Some can go sooner, some around this time...

If after a few forays as described, you see them paceing at the windows to go out...

Likely they are about ready ( or if not quite ready, than at least anxious!) for the final foray in which they shall leave for the night roosts with their feral flock.

If they do not in fact go with the feral flock for the night's roosts, then they shall elect some high place nearbye from where they had grazed among them, and, they will join them again in the morning if there is feed there for all to graze on, tired and sleepless night weary, to graze among them in the morning.

If you think this was the case, or if you just wish to have them home one more time for rest and feed and fun, then call them, gather them up and bring them home for a few days of comfort and rest, and then do it again, where, likely this time, they will leave with the others at dusk, and roost with the others somewhere...

Your job is done then...

So, as you gather, one important thing, is to establish a pattern with a feral flock, as for your feeding them...that way, yours has a reliable time to learn to socialize with them with you overseeing the matter.

Good luck...!



Phil
Las Vegas


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Also, I think you might want to discuss this with Cynthia (cyro51) and John (John_D) because if it was found out in the wilds, it might be a wood pigeon. They're a bit different and it may need very special training before it can successfully be released to the wilds.

See if it looks/looked like the pictures in this thread:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=11292

By the way, where in the UK do you live?

Pidgey


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Oh!

I'm sorry..too harried...I was assumeing it was a Columbia Liva.

Release is a ways away yet of course, anyway...

Can you upload some images and post a link?


Phil
Las Vegas


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## Zak33 (Jul 21, 2005)

sorry gorgot to mention he is a wood pigeon hence his name "WOODY"


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