# Anyone Feed Feral Pigeons?



## kingdizon (Jan 14, 2013)

Well post some photos of you or your friends/family feeding feral pigeons! They are funner/funnier to feed in my opinion. Even had a few that were bold enough to eat out of my hand...or maybe they were just hungry enough.


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## whytwings (Feb 12, 2011)

I am guilty of feeding feral pigeons , a lot of them know me - I sometimes feel quite embarressed by the whole situation , people start pulling out mobile phones and start taking pictures , asian tourists are the most polite , they at least ask before they start snapping away .

When this picture was taken - I knew he was photographing me , but I wasn't made aware why until I went to move on ... It appeared in the news paper 3 days later .


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## kingdizon (Jan 14, 2013)

Don't be embarrassed! Dude you made it on the newspaper!! For feeding pigeons! You're so cool


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## whytwings (Feb 12, 2011)

kingdizon said:


> Don't be embarrassed! Dude you made it on the newspaper!! For feeding pigeons! You're so cool


I feel I'm there to give the ferals some sustanance other than bread and do my best trying to treat string injuries ....I never planned to be entertainment for other people , but I see your point


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## kingdizon (Jan 14, 2013)

whytwings said:


> I feel I'm there to give the ferals some sustanance other than bread and do my best trying to treat string injuries ....I never planned to be entertainment for other people , but I see your point


MAAAAN forget those people. LOL. If they get entertainment at your kindness so be it. I know people watch me, but i also know what it feels like to be on the otherside of that fence looking at people like us and not knowing anything about it or why. And trust me...secretly...they think it's cool
I feel the same about the sustanance part tho. I bring feed that i use for MY pigeons that i BUY to feed them. I know all they get are what people throw at them or leave around the trash cans. Sometimes i think they appreciate something that they arent used to,that they are supposed to be used to,youknow?


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## GimpieLover (Dec 18, 2005)

Don't be embarrassed! You're a hero in my eyes over here! I wish I could feed every poor starving feral pigeon in the world =)


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

We have a feeder in the back yard for them. 









And when we can get away with it, we go to where they hang out at our local shopping mall. We bring a bucket of feed for the pigeons, and a bag of cat food for the seagulls. 

























Although a while back they put up signs not to feed the birds, so you have to be careful. They will come out after you if they notice you doing it.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

And we(some humans) wonder why there are so many of them! allot of times feeding them keeps them from doing what pigeons used to naturally, fly far distances to get food in nature, which would level the population. I don't like the idea of feeding unless there will be someone to feed the generations forever and ever.. and also does not cause trouble because it produces more and more pigeons....which usually does not happen.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

spirit wings said:


> And we(some humans) wonder why there are so many of them! allot of times feeding them keeps them from doing what pigeons used to naturally, fly far distances to get food in nature, which would level the population. I don't like the idea of feeding unless there will be someone to feed the generations forever and ever.. and also does not cause trouble because it produces more and more pigeons....which usually does not happen.


I was thinking what would happen if no one feed the pigeon we have at the mall. But thanks God they get fed everyday for some reason: religious, compassion, fun etc. 
B, Henderson was saying that when in London they put the sign up to not feed the pigeons, they were starving, that when people were walking on the side walks , pigeons didn't have the strength to move. Can this ability of finding food on their own disappear ? 

I do feed them, but with the purpose of finding the sick or injured ones.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Well the birds at the shopping mall we feed only on rare occasion. The ones that come to my yard only eat regularly during summer. During the winter months they hardly ever come because of the hawks. So the feed is there just in case they stop in. 
Anyway, the flock starts out very small in spring, grows a little during the summer, then goes down again in the winter with all the BOP around. So next spring the numbers are very low again. Never turns into a large flock.


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## nancybird (Jan 30, 2011)

All those pictures of feeding them is very nice.Makes me smile.


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## kingdizon (Jan 14, 2013)

Jay3 those are what the feral pigeons look like in your state? They're awesome! wow i've never really seen such beautiful looking ferals really


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Don't know that they look any different, but the flock that comes to my yard are at least well fed. LOL. Some times you can see different mixes show up in them.


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## kingdizon (Jan 14, 2013)

Jay3 said:


> Don't know that they look any different, but the flock that comes to my yard are at least well fed. LOL. Some times you can see different mixes show up in them.


Maybe its just the pigeons in my town, but they dont have that nice beige or tan or opal contrast on their flights. Maybe its the picture or the light but those look like rare colored homers to me lol


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Dima said:


> I was thinking what would happen if no one feed the pigeon we have at the mall. But thanks God they get fed everyday for some reason: religious, compassion, fun etc.
> B, Henderson was saying that when in London they put the sign up to not feed the pigeons, they were starving, that when people were walking on the side walks , pigeons didn't have the strength to move. Can this ability of finding food on their own disappear ?
> 
> I do feed them, but with the purpose of finding the sick or injured ones.


Im not sure if the ability will disappear, but generations learn where the food is and if fed by humans that is what they learn..but humans who feed don't live forever so where do they go then? The thought on feeding them is a term called "ecopathological state", with their food provided for them the pigeons no longer have to take trips to the countryside to feed, with so much less energy to be wasted finding food they breed with abandon. and with more pigeons you get more disease and health problems for them. some think the problem with high populations in cities is created becasue of the feeders. and then there are the ones who want them less or gone..so it is a battle of the two. methods have not worked to downsize them in areas and some feel the only way is to not feed them and let them live in a more natural state..even if they still use the buildings as nest sites...there would be less of them. the no feeding method has been tried with success in Basel switzerland, the population went from 24,000 to 8,000, no tsure of the time frame though and it was a campaign to actually help the pigeons in the long run. I thought it was interesting.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Well I don't see the harm in feeding a small flock. I'm sure they do feed else where. They have been coming for years and do not get all that they need here I'm sure.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

kingdizon said:


> Maybe its just the pigeons in my town, but they dont have that nice beige or tan or opal contrast on their flights. Maybe its the picture or the light but those look like rare colored homers to me lol



We do have some that have that tan in them. It started with one large cock bird. Then the next year I started to notice a few young birds with the same color mixed in. Probably started from someones homer adding to the gene pool. It's different.


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## kingdizon (Jan 14, 2013)

Jay3 said:


> We do have some that have that tan in them. It started with one large cock bird. Then the next year I started to notice a few young birds with the same color mixed in. Probably started from someones homer adding to the gene pool. It's different.


Ill say its different. Never seen ferals with such colors
Coooooool


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Jay3 said:


> Well I don't see the harm in feeding a small flock. I'm sure they do feed else where. They have been coming for years and do not get all that they need here I'm sure.


well, Im sure if you feed them ,the small flock wont go elsewhere. and then look for the next handout. that is the problem. what happens when you are no longer able to feed their offspring.. because you are gone. these birds need to learn how to forage.


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## anhmytran (Jan 5, 2013)

Feral pigeons in Hartford downtown:
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and more in photobucket.
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There are 3 places in Hartford that have feral pigeons.
Each has about 70 pigeons in all. One in Hartford downtown,
and other two are on Albany street 1 or 2 miles away from downtown.
In the morning, they gather at their place at 7:30 to 8:00 am.
They start to get down to the ground to feed at 8:00.
The time may be varried according to the sun.
At 3:30pm they flight home, that is not in Hartford downtown.
They have few red brown or yello brown. There is no white pigeons.
There are 3 black birds in Hartford downtown flock.
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They look beautiful, but when you look carefully, you see that
their coat are not good. That means that they suffer the weather,
and they are not fed well enough. Few of them has missing toes,
broken flights, or a broken leg.
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Some of them are brave enough that flying up to eat from my hands.
Some of them are very shy, and they often fly up suddenly as if
they are being hunted.
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I feed them only in winter. They seem to find themselves food in
the summer. The population seems not to increase for years.
*


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

generations learn where the food is and if fed by humans that is what they learn..but humans who feed don't live forever so where do they go then? The thought on feeding them is a term called "ecopathological state", with their food provided for them the pigeons no longer have to take trips to the countryside to feed, with so much less energy to be wasted finding food they breed with abandon. and with more pigeons you get more disease and health problems for them. some think the problem with high populations in cities is created becasue of the feeders. and then there are the ones who want them less or gone..so it is a battle of the two. methods have not worked to downsize them in areas and some feel the only way is to not feed them and let them live in a more natural state..even if they still use the buildings as nest sites...there would be less of them. the no feeding method has been tried with success in Basel switzerland, the population went from 24,000 to 8,000, no tsure of the time frame though and it was a campaign to actually help the pigeons in the long run. I thought it was interesting.
__________________


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