# Housing and releasing rescued birds: questions



## budbird (Apr 8, 2012)

Greetings. I'm new to this forum and have gotten a lot of help from reading archived posts. But I'm now struggling with some questions that it seems best to ask directly. 

I am currently caring for five adult pigeons who are recovering from a variety of ailments and injuries. All were picked up in different parts of town and belong to different flocks. Because I live in a small apartment and also do cat rescue, the bathroom is the only space in which these birds can safely fly free. However, because it is my hope that at least some of them will make a full recovery and ultimately be releasable, I worry that if any of the birds mate while living in my bathroom, I will have to split them up when the time comes to release. Therefore I have been keeping them in separate cages and do not let them mingle. But I am concerned about the stress of confinement, plus the frustration for the birds in not being able to socialize with their fellows, and I wonder if there isn’t a better way of managing the situation. I try to give each of them some out-of-cage exercise time every day, but this doesn’t seem adequate. I would very much appreciate hearing others’ opinions and experience with this issue. How do you manage your rescue population, meeting the need for socialization and exercise without compromising the birds' ability to eventually rejoin their home flocks?

A related question: If two rescued birds from different flocks are allowed to pair up in confinement and are later released together into a flock that is familiar to only one of them, will the other bird stick around the new flock in order to remain with his/her mate? Or will he/she simply be disoriented, have difficulty integrating, and end up (badly) on her own? 

Finally, is there a time limit on the safe release of a pigeon back to her home flock? For example, will a pigeon remember and rejoin her flock -- and will the flock accept her -- if she is returned after an absence of, say, four or five months?

If you've gotten this far, thanks for slogging through these questions! I welcome any thoughts or advice.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

budbird...if these birds were injured or became ill and were *adult* birds at the time, you should be able to release them without worry. If a pair has mated, they may likely stay together if their mates from the outside have found other mates.
On Easter, I released a pigeon that had been necessary to keep for so long because of his injury. I released him where he was found and his mate was waiting for him. Had I held him longer, she may have remated.


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## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

And it would also be best if you released them together as they have a better chance of surviving together. It would be like a mini flock. Safety in numbers!


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

I 'd agree with you, Lucas, if they were all adolescents. But given they were adults when found, one need not release 'em all together into one flock.

Regarding the bathroom. I'd say that if they are becoming frantic being kept in separate cages in the same room, then maybe let a few out to mingle. If they are not frantic and just bored, don't worry about it. 

Although, if I may say so....they DO need some flying practice once they are on the mend...otherwise how can you be sure they are releasable ?

So....you could let them alternate out of cage. But again, they will need a room larger than a bathroom to determine their flying ability is good/normal.

In answer to your second question, if they mate up, that's fine. Just release the pair into one of the Pigeon's initial flock (if you can keep track of that). Are they guaranteed to stay together ? No...but, that is up to them...and the future.


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## budbird (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks for all of your replies!

It's great to know it's OK to release a mated pair together into one of the couple's flocks. This resolves one of my major concerns. I guess the only potential downside, then, in allowing the birds to mingle is that a releasable bird might conceivably mate with an unreleasable. That's a distinct possibility, since at least one of my rescues is an iffy case: he's recovering from a wing fracture and is now able to fly again, but possibly not well enough to be released. 

So I'm glad you mentioned flight-testing, Jaye. Other than a bird's ability to achieve and maintain height, navigate obstacles, and land well, are there any tell-tale signs I should look for that would indicate a bird might have problems flying free outdoors?

Unfortunately, the largest space in my apartment is about 15 by 16 feet. Is that enough room in which to assess a pigeon's flying ability?


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Well...besides the parameters you mentioned....see how he/she lands. Is it relatively smooth, or very shaky. Also, how elusive and evasive are they becoming. And can they turn well.

15x16 is a pretty good sized room. I would imagine that they will try to land on high things, given their druthers...such as bookshelves, tops of lamps, or curtain rods and such.

Yes, that is true...you probably wouldn't want a releasable and unreleasable to pair up.

Regarding the one who is healing. It usually takes a good 2 weeks once any splint is removed for them to really get back into decent flying shape....

How's about some pics ?


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