# Need advice-shelter for pigeon



## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

hi there,

found a pigeon in my driveway over a week ago now. it has a wee band on it's leg but it is very timid and won't allow me to get too close.

it doesn't go far from my house, just 4 doors up and back. i have fed and watered the pigeon every day, leaving the food on a ground feeding tray and a bowl of water. initially we were feeding it nuts and then i bought some expensive wild mixed bird seed and a bag of rice, but it doesn't seem to like anything except for the nuts. it's quite fat looking so has obviously been well-fed.

should i continue giving it nuts every day or just put out the rice and bird seed?

i've also read that they like to bathe themselves, so should i put out a separate bowl of water or will it sort itself out?

also there's been a few magpies knocking about and she is scared of them and flies away when they come near.

it looks so lonely because it just sits on the roof or in my driveway. at night it has been sleeping on the roof top, but we've had some very wet and windy weather. i bought a large bird box and some bedding and placed it high up on the wall at the side of our house. but she won't sleep in it. i tried putting some of the nuts in it to tempt her but she won't go n i'm afraid she must be freezing.

i'm presuming she's female btw lol

any suggestions?
thanks
miffy


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, you might try catching her with an old-fashioned box trap. That's where you place a box over some bait (the nuts) that's propped up on a stick with a string tied to it. You have to keep watch and pull the stick out when the bird goes underneath to eat.

Pidgey


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Here is a link to the trap:

http://www.racingbirds.com/ptrap.html


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Please do try to catch her. As a domestic bird she will have a hard time of it in the wild by herself and is vulnerable to predators. Where abouts do you live that it's so cold at night?


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

hi, thanks for your replies.

i live in ireland. so do you think i should keep her indoors in a cage? doesn't seem fair to lock her up. surely she'd be happy enough flying about doing her own thing.

i'm afraid if i capture her to take her wee band off she might be scared and fly off afterwards.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

She won't freeze, for sure, even in a British or Irish summer 

If you can catch her, we can then try to figure where she came from, assuming she's a racer. If she was out in a race or exercising and just got caught in stormy weather, she may have just been trying to get her strength back and decided "That's it - I'm retiring". It is possible, of course, that she strayed a while back.

You are right - keeping a pigeon in a cage, unless ill or injured, is not good. As a temporary measure, in a cage large enough to stretch the wings fully, just while tracking the owner, it would be OK. That shouldn't be for more than a day or two.

But, luring her to a position where you can catch her is the first thing .....

John


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

miffy said:


> hi, thanks for your replies.
> 
> i live in ireland. so do you think i should keep her indoors in a cage? doesn't seem fair to lock her up. surely she'd be happy enough flying about doing her own thing.
> 
> i'm afraid if i capture her to take her wee band off she might be scared and fly off afterwards.


If it's the kind of band we are thinking it is, you can't take it off. It would be best to catch the bird if you can, get the info off of the band and then put the bird in a cage and keep it safe until we figure out where it came from. Then decide what to do with it. If it's banded, it's not meant to STAY in the wild. It's meant to fly and then go back home to it's loft where it would be safe.


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

but she's been with us for a week so god knows how long she has been lost for. and i read a load of articles on the net that said if they're lost, the owner won't want them back cos they're no good and it'll be one less mouth to feed. someone else said that the other pigeons would kill her if she went back cos she wouldn't be able to fight for food.

there's a man round the corner n he races pigeons n he said he'd prob "neck it" if it was his. so i don't want to contact the owner.

what should i do???


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, her behaviour suggests that she's not going to survive in the world for very much longer--something's going to get her. That said, her best chance of survival would seem to be with you.

Pidgey


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

miffy said:


> but she's been with us for a week so god knows how long she has been lost for. and i read a load of articles on the net that said if they're lost, the owner won't want them back cos they're no good and it'll be one less mouth to feed. someone else said that the other pigeons would kill her if she went back cos she wouldn't be able to fight for food.
> 
> there's a man round the corner n he races pigeons n he said he'd prob "neck it" if it was his. so i don't want to contact the owner.
> 
> what should i do???


First thing is catch the bird. Give us the band info if you don't know how to trace the band and we go from there. Some of these pigeons racers get my blood boiling, that's for sure.  SOME of them are like you describe, but not ALL of them. Regardless, the birds days are numbered if left to it's own defenses. Where in Ireland are you? We do have one member that I know of in Ireland. With my luck, he's hundreds of miles away, but you don't know till you ask. Once the bird is captured, we can go from there. Are you in a position to hang on to it for a little while if you catch it?


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

yeah i'l have to buy it a cage first but don't like the idea of keeping it locked up for any amount of time.

it's being well fed but i'm just worried it's lonely cos it doesn't fly far and the fact that it sleeps on the rooftop with no shelter from the elements. right now it is absolutely lashing down but it won't go into the bird box i put up for it. we've had thunder and lightening this last week.

i'm in belfast.


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

oh no i just went out with my wellies on to check on her and she's sitting on the roof getting absolutely drenched thru. my heart is breaking seeing her sitting up there. there's a tree right beside her n she hasn't even the sense to take shelter there.

poor wee bird, it's making me so sad.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

That's why we're saying that she doesn't belong in the wild. It's a novel idea for them to "fly free", but when they don't go home, it's not a novel idea any more. I've sent a message to our member in Ireland asking him where he is, because all I know is "northern Ireland".............he appears to be on line, so we'll see if I hear back.


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

so is it best for her to be a racing pigeon again if someone will take her?
i'm so attached to her now tho lol she knows my whistle when i call her
but if it is best for her then i'll be happy
pigeons can't get pneumonia can they?! she is drenched and i can't even get near her


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

thank you for helping lovebirds


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

miffy said:


> so is it best for her to be a racing pigeon again if someone will take her?
> i'm so attached to her now tho lol she knows my whistle when i call her
> but if it is best for her then i'll be happy
> pigeons can't get pneumonia can they?! she is drenched and i can't even get near her


I don't think she'll get pneumonia........I know I've seen birds sit in the rain too and it is sad. She'll be ok though.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Well, darn...........he's off line now. Isn't it late there in Ireland? Hopefully I'll hear from him tomorrow. Just try as best you can to catch this little one. We'll do our best to get some help with it if you can catch it.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Are her actual feathers getting drenched? If that's the case then she might not be able to actually fly in the rain. How high up is she? Is there any way that you can get up there with a ladder in the dark of the night and throw a blanket over her?

Pidgey


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

ok what do i need to buy? a cage, bedding...anything else? i bought a ground feeder tray so i could put that in the cage and a bowl of water, anything else?
also, where is the best place to keep the bird...would a conservatory be too warm?

i'l try the box trick method tomorrow n let u know how i get on.


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

i might frighten her if i climb up there n if i throw a blanket at her she might fly away (if she can).

hmmm...i'll see if i can find a ladder


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

miffy said:


> i might frighten her if i climb up there n if i throw a blanket at her she might fly away (if she can).
> 
> hmmm...i'll see if i can find a ladder


Depends on how dark it is. If there are street lights or anything, forget it. She'll see ya coming. Even if she's drenched, she can fly far enough to get away. You can't go chasing her across the roof. Be careful please.....


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, it'd be a good idea to study the physical problem. Pigeons don't see well in the dark so the question gets into whether there is external lighting that can be shut off. I have before gotten very sick and injured pigeons out of trees and off the roof at night after making it VERY black outside. However, I'm a bit stubborn, stupid and tough. If you're as likely to hurt yourself as succeed in the endeavor then you must give some thought as to the risk before attempting it.

That's why I asked how high up the bird is--how far can you fall giving it a go? What would you fall into if you did fall? Can you work in pitch-black dark? Can you even make it pitch black dark? Can you deal with climbing a wet ladder in a downpour in the dark? All those questions have to be answered before you give it a shot.

Pidgey


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

unfortunately there is a street lamp right outside our house so i guess that plan is out the window.
hopefully she'll be ok until tomorrow. it's half past midnight so i'm going to try and get some shut eye before i'm up early n out to the pet store.

thanks for the advice,

i'll let u know how it goes

miffy

zzzzzzzz


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

miffy said:


> unfortunately there is a street lamp right outside our house so i guess that plan is out the window.
> hopefully she'll be ok until tomorrow. it's half past midnight so i'm going to try and get some shut eye before i'm up early n out to the pet store.
> 
> thanks for the advice,
> ...


Ok. Good night.


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

hello again,

my local pet store didn't have any big(ish) cages to keep the bird in so i have to postpone the capture for another day.

she's up on the roof sleeping again tonight but thankfully it's dry.

still worried about her eating habits in the meantime. she only favours the nuts instead of the expensive mixed bird seed i forked out for with all kinds of nutritional goodies in it! lol nor does she seem to like the rice.

is it ok for her to eat nuts everyday?

thanks
miffy


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, you can create a makeshift cage out of an overturned laundry basket or a cardboard box for that matter while you're looking for something suitable as a cage.

Well, she needs to be eating a mix.

Pidgey


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

miffy said:


> hello again,
> 
> my local pet store didn't have any big(ish) cages to keep the bird in so i have to postpone the capture for another day.
> 
> ...


I was in touch with Jojo today......he's the member in Ireland. He says he's about 50 miles from you. He asked if you would give me your phone number and I'll pass it on to him, he would be glad to give you a call and see about getting the bird picked up if you catch it. Jojo's a good guy, so you wouldn't have to worry about the bird. If you want to do that, you can send me your number in a PM (private message)
Here's the link to his profile. http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/member.php?u=8133 
You can even send your number to him directly if you would rather do that.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Well, I've got to run..........I sent you a couple of PM's..........let me know what you want to do or get in touch with Jojo.......good luck.
Oh.........I don't know where you're feeding this bird? You might have to lay off of the feed for her to come down to be caught. Hunger will make them a little braver than normal.


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Great work, Renee! I hope Miffy and Jojo will connect soon and there will be a happy ending.


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## jojo67 (Jul 14, 2007)

Hi miffy, hope i am not too late, renee has been going crazy trying to get me, If you could send me your phone number i can ring you to see the best way to help this bird, chances are it's a young bird, a lot of training and racing is going on at this time, have lossed a few myself, if it's ayoung bird it likely has a green ring on it, hope to hear from you soon,, JoJo


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

hello everyone,

lovebirds sorry i'm only responding now, my internet has been unco-operative these last few days.
hi jojo!
ok well the wee bird (actually it's quite fat) has a red band on its leg but i can't see the numbers or anything on it.
she (not sure?) seems a bit happier these days cos she goes off and does her own thing during the day and comes back for feeding n hangs around a while. she has started eating the wild bird seed mix and rice that i bought but doesnt bother with the water so much. she's quite trusting now too cos she'll come up very close to me when i'm feeding her nuts.

i think we've become very attached to her n my mum wants to keep her too, our only concern is shelter. she still won't go into the bird box to sleep even tho i've tried enticing her with nuts etc...

if we managed to get her somewhere warm to sleep, would we be able to keep her do u think? 

thanks 

miffy


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Well, the first thing of course is catching her. Then you need to get the info off of the band. She does belong to someone and they just might want her back. Once the owner is contacted, if they don't want the bird back, then yes, you could keep it. 
First things first though. It's still not a good idea for her to be out in the wild day in and day out. Something will get her eventually. Hawk, cat, dog........whether you keep her or not, she needs to kept in a safe place. That's what she was used to where ever she came from.


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

ok i understand, operation capture tweety tomorrow lol
how do u take the band off to get the info? will it be easy enough to get just holding her?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

miffy said:


> ok i understand, operation capture tweety tomorrow lol
> how do u take the band off to get the info? will it be easy enough to get just holding her?


You can't take the band off. They are permanant. Made specially so that they can't be taken off and put on any other bird.


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

oh i see. 
ok i'll get the details tomorrow n phone the owner n take it from there.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

any news about operation catch tweety?


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

hello again guys,

unfortunately operation catch tweety has been unsuccessful to-date. we've had nothing but rain here for the last week. she has moved from the rooftop to the sky dish on the side of the house-think she's getting at least a bit of shelter from the wind but still getting soaked. 

tried the box n nuts trick but she's not buying it, think she's too smart for that. there's a man around the corner n he said he will try to help us capture her. think i'm going to buy a heating pad so we can keep her in the cage nice n warm.

she's eating the mixed bird seed n rice now 

will keep u posted

miffy


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

so my neighbour came round yesterday, he races pigeons and has over 70! confirmed it's a hen, black chequered and he thinks about 4yrs old.

she belongs to the irish homing union (north of ireland) so i've emailed them for more info. neighbour said if owner doesn't want her back n we want to keep her he'll help us make a bigger bird box for her with a perch and he'll even give us a mate for her so she won't be lonely.

will see what happens.

also, he said to lay off the nuts a bit because apparently there's too much protein in them? is that a bad thing?

miffy


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

thanks for the update...some do feed peanuts in small amounts...but it may give her good energy through those rain storms....good luck on catching her..keep us posted.


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Your neighbor sounds like a great guy. It's always good to have an experienced fancier who can mentor you when you're starting out, because you'll find you have _lots_ of questions. It's wonderful he has offered to build you a bigger enclosure and provide a mate for your bird. Now if you could just catch her!


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## kippermom (Jan 11, 2006)

I had one hanging around on the roof of my loft for a couple of weeks. We started setting out seed at the same spot every morning and evening and it ate there regularly. Then we set the box trap a bit way from the seed and moved it a little closer each feeding. The bird kept coming for the seed and became accustomed to the box. Then we set the trap without the string until the bird was comfortable going under it for the seed...and then set it WITH the string and "voila"...it took patience, but it worked.


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

hello again guys,

just an update on tweety...

since i last posted tweety has been living very happily at our house for maybe4 weeks now?-well fed and watered, even made her a bigger bird box to live in.

she started coming down to the front doorstep to be fed and was eating out of our hands.

unfortunately, today is the first day she hasn't come home. she's normally home before dark but we haven't seen her all day. i'm so upset that maybe someone else has captured her or hurt her. when we call her she comes straight down, but i've been calling her all day and nothing.

is it likely that she has gone back home now after so long?

i'm heartbroken


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Miffy, I'm so sorry to hear your little friend is missing. I doubt very much she went home after all this time. It's possible something frightened her and she flew farther away than normal. She may yet turn up.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

oh thats a shame...but she may turn up, just give it a few days....she really needs to get caught for her own protection...that is if you can and if she comes "home".....which I think she has chosen yours


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

oh i really hope she does come home. i thought we would be able to keep her and let her roam free but now i can see it's best that if she does come home, we should capture her and keep her indoors.

i'm so sad. i keep leaving her wee tray and dish out to see if she comes back.

thanks for all your support guys. i will let u know if she comes back

miffy x


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Miffy, sorry to hear that Tweety is missing, but it's VERY possible that she decided to go home. I've had birds return home after being gone for months. Some showed up in good shape and it was apparent to me that someone had been taking care of them, and in all likelyhood, thought that after a few months they could turn the bird loose and it would stay. They were wrong. I've also had them come home dirty and looking like they had been living "in the wild" for some time and for what ever reason, decided to come home. I, and no one else, can explain why a bird would do that, but they do. They never forget where home is and many of them just decide after a time to go back there. 
Did you ever get the owners info? You could always call them and tell them that you had been caring for her and she's missing and to at least let you know if she came back home.


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## miffy (Aug 6, 2008)

hi lovebirds,

yeah well i had sent an email to the irish homing union with her details but never heard back again. i'm sure i still have the sent email.

it's so upsetting not knowing what might have happened to her. i wouldn't mind so much if she went home as long as they don't kill her. 

i'm still leaving her feed out in the hope she'll return, but it's unlikely now because she's been gone since sunday.

i wish i had of listened to you guys from the start and captured her but i guess i thought my way was best.

thank you all so very much for your support and advice since she came here.

eternally grateful 

miffy


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