# Pigeon walked home



## LSG3240 (Jun 12, 2007)

About two weeks ago I started training my white homers. I gave them a few tosses from the front yard, a few down the road about a quarter mile, one at a half mile, and as all was going well moved out to a mile. Everbody was doing fine untill the second toss at a mile. One of the guy's didnt show up. I looked in the neighborhood for two days and assumed that he was lost for good. Started mowing the grass today and noticed a white pigeon walking down the center of the road about two hundred yards from the house. I stopped what I was doing and watched. He walked all the way, turned into the driveway, walked the fifty yards to the loft. I let down the landing board and he just sat there looking at it. I opened the door and he immediatly hopped up the steps went through the door and got a drink. When he got through drinking he went to the feed hopper which is empty, and turned and looked at me. I got some feed and he ate every grain. There does not appear to be any injury that I can see. I picked him up and examined him and he did not show any sign of injury. I did take the precaution of quarentineing him for a few days just to see. He seems to be more exhausted than hurt. I know this is kind of a long story but I was wondering if anybody else had ever had a pigeon walk home?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

That's amazing. Poor baby.
There is a similar story in the book, PIGEONS by Andrew Blechman.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Oh, yeah, that's happened for a variety of reasons, here and there. If he doesn't seem to want to fly, you need to worry about arthritic processes (like an E. coli or Paratyphoid infection) or Coccidiosis. Since you've got him isolated, that means you can describe the poops, right?

Pidgey


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Wow, LSG...how amazing!

Please let us know if the pigeon recovers and can fly!

Shi & Squeaks


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## Becca199212 (May 10, 2007)

Funny story, I wonder how he made it home walking, alive.


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## LSG3240 (Jun 12, 2007)

I dont know how he made it home as we live in a very rural area with lots of predators. I just found it odd that he could find his way home at all by walking. There is no doubt in my mind that he knew where he was headed. Took a look at him this morning and he looks a lot better than he did. Still very hungry. Ate about 3/4 of an ounce out of my hand just as fast as he could go. Took a good long drink of water mixed with terramiacin. Flapped his wings a time or two but made no effort to fly. I sat him on the back porch rail and he seems content just to sit there and watch the world go by. Checked him over again and still can find no injury. All my birds are vaccinated for PMV and are wormed religously. I dont use a lot of medicine unless someone is sick.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Poor little guy, he was plumb tuckered out! Bet you wish you had a video camera on him. The fact that he knew which driveway to turn into is amazing, particularly from the ground.

I do hope he is just tired. I would give him a few days rest before flying him again.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

A local flyer (Top Gun Loft) had one that got some kind of gunk on his feathers and couldn't fly. He'd taken a load out for a training hop (several miles, seems like it was 10 or 20) and only discovered that this fellow had come along when he released them. This bird made it to the ground but still couldn't fly. The flyer chased him all over creation, couldn't catch him and gave up. A few weeks later, this bird came walking up the driveway. The flyer figured that if his homing instinct was that strong, he was a definite keeper.

Pidgey


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

Maybe he "thumbed" a ride from somebody local  

Really, it's amazing the drive that some animals have to get home, regardless of the obstacles in their way. I'd definitely keep anything that worked as hard as this one did to get home. Not only does he have good homing instincts but survival instincts as well! If I remember rightly, you have the visiting bobcats and cougar among the interested predators.


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## KIPPY (Dec 18, 2003)

Poor little guy, I can just picture it. It's great he made home even if he had to walk.

I had this feral in my backyard with a bad wing and he would show up everday and eat and then go back where he came from. He would just show up in my yard then when he was done eating he would fly up to my roof. He would walk across my roof and then fly to the next roof, walk across the roof and fly to the next. There were 4 roofs that I watch him walk until I couldn't see him anymore.

I felt bad for the guy and he wasn't catchable. He may have had some eggs somewhere so I didn't pursue it.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Well that had to be quite a homecoming, and a sight for sore eyes.  

He probably is just plain worn out, if he was flying-when he left. I would certainly pamper him (besides isolate) and give him some extra "goodies" like a garlic cap, a drop of Neem oil, a drop of aCV in his water dish, some probiotics to overcome any nasty bacteria and a drop of colloidal silver should any infection be going on.

...and last but not least give him a hug.


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## velo99 (Apr 8, 2007)

LSG,
Now thats a bird. He must know some kung fu or something. It would take a pigeon a looong time to walk a mile. Probably got lost and was just worn out. 
I had a roller who walked 200 yds or so once.


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## LSG3240 (Jun 12, 2007)

I talked to my retired neighbor that lives about 400 yards down the road and he told me that the bird walked through his front yard the day before he made it home. The neighbor is a bird watcher and thought it real unusual that a pigeon showed up in our rural area, much less a solid white one walking. I took the neighbor with me today to release a few birds. He seemed to really enjoy waiting on them to come home. Who knows, we may get another pigeon nut out of the deal. Other than that the bird seems to be doing fine.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi LSG3240,



Wow, that is really amazing...and amazing he managed to make it without mishap...

Miraculous...



Good luck with him..!


Phil
Las Vegas


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

KIPPY said:


> Poor little guy, I can just picture it. It's great he made home even if he had to walk.
> 
> I had this feral in my backyard with a bad wing and he would show up everday and eat and then go back where he came from. He would just show up in my yard then when he was done eating he would fly up to my roof. He would walk across my roof and then fly to the next roof, walk across the roof and fly to the next. There were 4 roofs that I watch him walk until I couldn't see him anymore.
> 
> I felt bad for the guy and he wasn't catchable. He may have had some eggs somewhere so I didn't pursue it.


Darn, Kippy, the first one I thought of was Cindy's FRANK! He's out and about now and has a "bad" (droopy) wing! Wouldn't it be something if that bird was Frank??? You are not THAT far away from Cindy. Maybe check with Cindy for a description???

LSG...am REALLY glad to hear that your "walkabout" pij is doing well. AND, he was even a pijie ambassador on his way home! Now, THAT, to me, is a SPECIAL PIGEON!!

MAJOR HUGS and SCRITCHES!

Shi & Squeaks


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## KIPPY (Dec 18, 2003)

That pij was awhile ago I think I even sent Cindy pictures. 
I was totally amazed, so I took pictures.

Not sure what happen to that guy. I havn't had a roof jumper for a long time now.


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## abisai (Jan 30, 2007)

*"ats funny*

LSG . . . my brother once took a racer to my mom house 5 blocks away. The pigeon sneaked out and walked all the way back to my brothers house. He found it on the front lawn. I can't recall why the bird wasn't flying . . . but that didn't stop him from getting home.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Well, NOW that I think about it...I should not really be surprised at the stories of "walking" pigeons!

Squeaks can no longer fly, but let me tell you, that bird can MOVE when he wants to! Not only does he walk but he RUNS - very fast - too! Just ask the cats!

Then again, when I need to put him to bed and he's not on his nest, I'll say, "C'mon Squeakers, time for bed." He'll look at me with a "wanna bet?!" look and start running. I've got his number now, though. He will do a little stomp dance and then run straight for between my feet. I just snag him on the run and he is SO POed! He DOES try and change his "escape" strategy so I have to really watch him! Never a dull moment!  

Shi
& Squeaks (fastest grounded pij in the West!)


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## Jazicat (Oct 31, 2005)

Amazing story! I'm really glad he found his way home!


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

It amazes me he made it home safely! You must have been amazed to see him walk up the driveway. 

I read a story in a pigeon mag once about a man who, as a kid, bought a pair of parlor rollers and let them roam around his back yard. Unbeknownst to him there was a hole in the fence and they got out and wandered around the neighborhood. He went looking for them and found them walking down the street toward home.


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## LSG3240 (Jun 12, 2007)

I was keeping my walking pigeon on the back porch in a cage, within sight of the loft and this morning he flew the 30 yards or so to the landing board. He could not get in because I have a locking door over the trap. I caught him and put him back on the porch. Apparently he can still fly, but I am still going to keep him isolated for a while. He appears to be in a lot better shape this morning than he was yesterday. I have a fantail that I put in with him for company and he immediatly started to try and impress her with his macho act. The little fantail is 12 years old and I dont think she was too impressed with him.


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

Older women


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