# Releasing into the wild



## petewalton (Jul 19, 2005)

*Releasing into the wild - advice wanted*










Hi, I would be grateful for any advice anyone can give

I found Trude about about 5 weeks ago (I'm not sure what breed of pigeon she is - she was found in Berlin) when she had 2 broken wings and an injured leg. I'm not sure what age she is but I think she's quite young and she has just started to fly aroud my flat for the first time (although she hasn't yet learnt the art of turning and just keeps going until she hits a wall or window!). Also, she does not really seem to want to fly and will only do so if coerced (I follow her around until she finally tries to fly, this is me forcing her to practise, but would also like some advice as to whether I should be doing this or leaving her be?). She's is quite content to sit under my desk near my feet while I'm working but she doesn't like to be touched.

If it's helpful information, her left wing was hanging until recently when she started flying.

I'd basically like advice as to whether it's too late/advisable to release her, which I'd like to so she could have contact with other birds. So far, the bird sanctuaries I've asked aren't too keen on taking pigeons


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Petewalton,


Probably best if you let her progress in her flying at her own pace...

If her Wings had been injured previously, then it is possible they shall not allow her to fly quite so well as the rigors of the Wild Life will demand, and it may be kinder to consider to seek a gentle home with some one who has and likes Pigeons, for her to be a resident Bird who is not obliged to make her living out in the world.

She is a pretty one!

And still an adolescent, who normally would just be learning and developeing into being able to fly anyway around now...


What do you feed her?

How do you feed her?

Does she eat Seeds and Grit on her own pecking?


Phil
Las Vegas


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello and Welcome to Pigeons.com

Thank you for helping this needy pijjie, or dove.

Phil is right, if you wouldn't mind the time, let her rehabilitate at her own pace, that would be great. Maybe she is not feeling a 100% either, and just needs time and we can help if there is a need for diet change, etc.

Treesa


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

petewalton,

I think you might need to talk with Cynthia (cyro51) and John (John_D) on here because that looks extremely similar to the wood pigeons of the UK. They don't follow the same rules that we have with the feral pigeons that we have here in the States. They've got personality issues that are beyond our norm.

Pidgey


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## petewalton (Jul 19, 2005)

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. On the vet's advice I'm feeding her a mixture of germinated seeds, grit, combined with a ready mixture of insects,nuts,fruit,meat & honey. A small amount of calcium powder is mixed in with her food - again, on the vet's advice. I've also been feeding her lettuce and dandelion leaves.

I put the mixture into a dish for her and have a seperate one for water.

She eats unaided, if that's what you mean by her own pecking.

I also find it amusing that she stays within the 'pen' I erect for her at night and doesn't fly out before I let her out in the morning (she has the run of my flat when I'm at home but she chooses to spent most of the time outside on my balcony which I've surrounded with chickenwire for her. She also has a 'cat' box with grass bedding and a bit of sand, this is where she sleeps) 

Thanks for your help.

Pete
Berlin, Germany


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Pete,

When you stretch out the wing is there a white stripe across it as in this photo: 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/307673749/307678719bNOoZU 

Cynthia


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## petewalton (Jul 19, 2005)

Hi Cynthia,

Yes there is.

Pete


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Hello Pete and welcome to Pigeon Talk. Thank you for your concern and taking in this brown beauty. 

While Cynthia is preparing her prognosis, do keep this little one isolated from other birds during her recovery.Time, patience, proper food and water are important factors right now.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Pete,


Looks like a young woodpigeon to me. But whichever, some of that which the vet said would not normally be part of pigeon diet The ready mixed stuff sounds to be what might be recommended for various songbirds (the fruit, honey, insects...) but it may well have given a protein boost when needed and she sounds to be doing OK on it  . The calcium was a good plan, help the bones

They are naturally grain eaters, so mixed corn would be right for a young pigeon of flying age, or even a dove mix temporarily, with grit available separately.. The greenstuff is good, too. Our aviary birds enjoy their lettuce.

Woodies are odd birds. We have a young one someone had pretty much raised by hand, and he is a very tame friendly fella. We also have an adult who was fairly young when found, and seems to have some neurological damage. Normally healthy adult woodies get very stressed, however.

I'd follow the suggestion to let her heal up for longer, and see how she gets on - with the injuries and with being in her current environment for a while.

Well done for helping this very needy pigeon 

John (UK) (sorry, didn't log Cynthia out and me on before replying!!)


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## petewalton (Jul 19, 2005)

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, your advice is very much appreciated.

Pete


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## diannka (Jul 20, 2005)

hi pigeon friends, hi pete ,

i am trudes mummy so to say, can anybody tell us, which berries we can feed her? or does she not need any? i dont dare to pick some from the wild, cos there are poisonous ones, arent there?

 this is a great website!!


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

diannka,

Welcome to Pigeons.com!

Normally, I'd say you'd need to talk to John and Cynthia about that and they might just pop a post on here at any second, but otherwise we'll have to resort to "the web" to find your answers. Here are some links:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/255.shtml

http://www.inra.fr/Internet/Produits/HYPPZ/RAVAGEUR/6colpal.htm

http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v014n01/p0008-p0014.pdf

http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob6700.htm

Anyhow, it seems difficult to find exactly what berries that they especially although I wouldn't be surprised if any berry that you eat, it can eat. However, the picture showed a very young wood pigeon and it might not know to eat such things. If you're intending on releasing it, you might need to bring in entire plants to show it what's edible. I'd try a comprehensive search with google to nail it down.

Pidgey


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

I know they eat hawthorn berries, but I am not very well up on plant recognition so what I tend to do is watch the wild wood pigeons and when I see them eating a particular berry I break a branch off the tree and take it home to the my aviary.

I think it is important to help them learn to identify food that they might find in the wild this way.

Cynthia


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## diannka (Jul 20, 2005)

Hello pigeon friends 

its quite a while Pete and I have posted something here, so I wanted to give you an update of what happended to Trudi..

As you can see on the Avatar the little bird turned out to be a male (what funny dances they do!) wood pigeon. After we noticed that his flying skills where very limited, we decided not to send it out to the city anymore and were looking for a new home with a nice little female woodie.. and we found a beautiful one in west Germany! He has got a garden there, too! 

So now, two weeks ago, after one year of having him with us I took him over to his new family and he is blossoming since then. The first time he was sitting in the garden voliere I thought he might go crazy, he had big eyes and he was looking around amazed by the noises of the wood and all the green plants.  

He turned out to be extremely confidend, no fear at all just pure happiness and he also fell in love with his new girlfriend immediatly. I was close to tears many, many times.  

Now we are all crazy about pigies and I feed them from my windowsill, which is a nice change from working on the computer when they come over.

So with this I wanted to thank you again and wish you and your pigeons all the best!

Love,

diannka


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi diannka!


Trudi has turned into quite a  looker! Thank you for all your wonderful supportive love and care of him.

He has reached a milestone in his life. I'm sure it was heartbreaking to leave him, but it looks like an ideal home for him, as well as any other bird.  

Your avatar is lovely, and we really appreciate the update.

Thanks again for your wonderful care in bringing this bird up and enabling him to reach his full potential! He will live the best life ever!


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## diannka (Jul 20, 2005)

Hello Treesa!

Thank you! Yes, he has become a lovely little woody.. and I miss him like crazy!! But the new caretakers are wonderful people! They care so much about him.. the "mum" Christina stays out with the pigeons loads, even when it rains.. feeding them and caressing..  

I am still in good contact and get to know all the news straight away. I found them in a German forum (thats why we havent written so much here anymore, we were busy looking for a new home for Trudi in Germany). 

I am also trying to get involved with building pigeon "houses" (I dont know the English word for them). There has been a big project in Aachen/Germany.. they build these houses, where the pigeons are being fed and given water.. but it is very difficult cos of the bad repuation pigeons are having.. unfortunatly .

But I am optimistic.. we have got many Arab people in Berlin and they like pigeons and feed them so thats good at least.. 

Thank you for your interest Treesa!



diannka


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

diannka said:


> I am also trying to get involved with building pigeon "houses" (I dont know the English word for them). There has been a big project in Aachen/Germany.. they build these houses, where the pigeons are being fed and given water.. but it is very difficult cos of the bad repuation pigeons are having.. unfortunatly .
> diannka



Hi again,

I'm so happy Trudi has such a wonderful new home with terrific caregivers!

Many people will call the houses, dove cotes, lofts, or pigeon coops. I have 50 pigeons, many show varieties in a large coop, with two walk in avaries. I spoil mine rotten! LOL

This is a fantastic project you are working on, and I would love to hear more about it. It is time for people to be educated about the actual truth about pigeons. They are intelligent creatures with feelings and very entertaining. I have two hand raised pigeons who are my pets, too! They need some type of housing etc, where everyone can help to feed, care and nurture them. Population control would not be a problem if they actually allowed the birds to nest, as eggs are easily replaced with dummy eggs. It is the best birth control method for them.

We have a member here, Larry who lives in Cologne, he is one who rehabs pigeons and has some pets of his own. I'm sure he would be interested in hearing about your project, if he hasn't been to your website.


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## kittypaws (Sep 18, 2005)

Diannka

What a lovely ending to the story - Trudi looks truly happy and you must be so happy to have got him to where he is.

He is very handsome!!

Tania x


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi Diannka,

Thanks for a wonderful update 

'Trudi' looks like he's having a good life, with a nice female woodie too... what a bonus!

We (Cynthia and I) just adore our woodies, and two of them will sit on shoulders like pet parrots!

Well done for helping this pidge on his way to a new life - they are not the easiest of pigeons to look after.

John


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