# pigeons killed



## pigfid (Feb 17, 2004)

Yesterday, my female homing pigeon got killed by a hawk or some kind of bird. The day before she died her mate got killed by the same bird. His whole head was gone when we found him, we then chased the hawk(?) up the tree and later it flew away. I did witness the death of my female though, it was sad. I tries to get her to come home but she wouldn't. (does this have anything to do with the male not being there, she always followed him every where)So then as I tried to coax her using some seed, she flew off north then suddenly turned back and the hawk was right beind her. It cought her half mile, about. So me and my brother ran there as fast as we could after putting our snow boots on (winter). I was so furious I wanted to kill the hawk(?). As we got closer it tried to carry it but I guess the female was too heavy for the hawk and it droped it a couple of times, before flying off. We found her and she was grabed in the back. You could see the wounds. The hawk(?) was brown mostly in the front and I am not sure that it was a hawk. But after killing my male and didn't get anything it came back the next morning and waited and killed the female.


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

I'm so sorry you had to witness the loss of your pigeons. Your hen might have been reluctant to come in because she knew the hawk was waiting for her. Hawks are savvy and quickly learn to wait for domestic pigeons to return to their loft, then they grab them.

We had a roller hen who tried to come home after a hawk scattered the flock and got one of them (didn't see it, but we knew it got one 'cause she never came home). My daughter saw her on the roof of the house behind us, but she didn't come in. A couple days later we got a call from someone who found her a few blocks away. We took her to the vet and found three wounds on her back, under the feathers. I'm sure the hawk chased her off when she tried to come back to the loft, because this particular hen was well-trained and knew where home was.

Winter is a tough time because hawks are hungry and there are a lot of them around. It's infuriating, I know. Despite my love for birds, I wanted to kill the Cooper's hawk that attacked my pigeons. However, this is their territory and they are just trying to survive. 

Do you have other pigeons? If so, you should at least keep them in for several weeks and hopefully the hawks will go elsewhere for a meal. Some people keep their pigeons in during the winter and fly them again in the spring. We opted to stop flying our pigeons altogether, but some people are successful flying them only at certain times. I'm sure you will get more advice on this.


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## pigfid (Feb 17, 2004)

no I don't those two were the only one I had. I only let them fly out when the weather is nice in the winter, cause they live in a medium cage inside in the winter. I want them to excerize too and make them feel free. It makes me happy when I see them fly, it looks like they really enjoy it.
I cried myself to sleep last night. I really loved them.

[This message has been edited by pigfid (edited February 17, 2004).]


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Pigfid,

That is terrible for you, and unthinkable that you had to witness it. I'm sorry. I think Birdmom4ever made a salient point that the hawk, like any other wild animal, is itself trying to survive. I know that doesn't help you, but unfortunately the food chain is part of nature. I guess every time we humans eat meat, we are essentially doing the same thing, just in a (hopefully) more refined and humane way. I have to resign myself to the fact that some of my feral friends will one day themselves become the victim of a predator. I think all that we can ask in this respect is that our feathered friends have as comfortable and enjoyable life as is possible - for the time that they do have with us. If you have managed to achieve that, I am sure the birds will have been eternally thankful.

What does defy sensibility in my opinion are birds that become the victims of well-fed domestic animals. Whilst it might be possible for you to ultimately put tragic events such as yours down to the imperfections of nature, I realise this does not lessen the blow in any way.


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## pigfid (Feb 17, 2004)

I know what you mean. Nature just has to be heard. Buts its not fair. Homer and Spot never had a chance to have a family. I feel like I've let them down. I did not want Homer and spot to die like that. The Hawk didn't get anything anyways, it killed them for nothing. I feel guilty that I got them get killed, it was me who let them out. I miss them sooooo much. I was in complete shock when I saw homer's body on the snow. I imediatly new it was him. Why did god create such vicious animal? *sign*


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

But you gave them a good and loving home. What percentage of the world's bird population can lay claim to such a luxury as that?


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## pigfid (Feb 17, 2004)

Thank you so much..... It is nice to know there are people like you who really care and listin. I envy you. Do you have any pigeon that you would like to share with me?


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

I am so sorry to hear of the attack on your beautiful birds. Equally as sorry you had to witness the event. 
Life certainly does suck some times.

"Why did god create such vicious animal?"

I have never witnessed a hawk attack & hope that I never do, so I can't say I know how you are feeling. 

There are no boundaries in the sky. I can understand a hawk attacking a bird. I don't like it, but understand it. He is only displaying his natural instincts, unlike some humans (also God's creation) that find pleasure in harming and or killing a wondrous pigeon 'just because'. This, I cannot understand.
Cindy


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Pigfid,

Well if you look at my posts, Dimity, a white escapee has come into my life, but I have chosen to let her enjoy life her "own" way. Mingling with the ferals, flying anywhere she pleases, and calling on me whenever she wishes. She seems so happy I am loathe to do anything to upset that balance. yes, it's a risky existence either way, but I can hardly explain such things to a pigeon that I have difficulty even explaining to myself.

One thing I've learned very quickly. Some people just seem to be bird "magnets". Sometimes I think birds can read a human better than a human can read a human. The fact you cared so much for these birds tells me that sooner or later more will come into your life hoping to get a sampling of the same sort of security and happiness that Homer and Spot were privy to.


Jonathan

[This message has been edited by dodo (edited February 17, 2004).]


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## palomar (Dec 5, 2001)

Your post almost made me cry! (i didnt because i hold back my tears) i dislike hawks very much too! but i couldnt never kill one neither because of the thought that they might have some babys waiting in the their nest! they arent vicious... they need meat to survive so they go out looking for it! too bad they found your pigeons! i had lost some myself (by the hawk) so i dont let them out too often... it seems like every time i do i loose 1 or 2!!! and i do get very upset! i'm not sure if i will let them out again ... i know they love to fly but i love each and one of them and keeping them in , means safety! so theyre in all the time.







The animals we eat every day were killed in the most horrible way! iv seen the videos on the net! it made me stop eating meat for a while., there are millions and millions of animals suffering the most horrible deaths for humans to survive. So when i think about that. and i think about my pigeons dying in the sky! i think that at least they had a short happy life! and a death even thoug cruel not as miserable as the ones that humans give to all those cows, chickens pigs lambs and in some parts of the world even dogs and cats! so dont hate the hawk and dont let your pigeons out if you dont want the same thing to happen again!


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## pigfid (Feb 17, 2004)

I understand, sometimes I feel that way when someone I know has killed a deer or any ohter animal to eat at home, It makes me wonder if the deer or any other creature had any children waiting for their return. ( like bart the bear and his sister huny-bump, Their mom was killed by a hunter,watch Animal planet to see more.)I just have to get over the loss. All that really matter is that they had a good home and that someone loved them 

[This message has been edited by pigfid (edited February 18, 2004).]


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

"I just have to get over the loss. All that really matter is that they had a good home and that someone loved them" 

Hello pigfid,
I truly beleive this & find myself repeating it when we have lost a beloved pigeon.

"The day a pigeon comes into our lives, they begin building a nest in our hearts. It's purpose? To hold all the treasured memories of the time spent together." 

Our grief becomes shadowed as we look to our hearts & begin sifting through the wonderful nest of memories.
Cindy


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## pigfid (Feb 17, 2004)

anynoe who wants to see a picture of homer please give me you e mail. my e mail is [email protected] I dont not know how to post it on here. just got the picture pack today with the kodak digital disc. no pics of spot ran out of film


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

I would enjoy seeing a picture of Homer.

My email address is:
[email protected]

I'm so sorry you were unable to get a picture of Spot.
Cindy


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## Tobynkiwisma (Aug 19, 2003)

I am sorry to hear about your loss. I lost one of my cocks to a Cooper's Hawk last month and I have another one who has been missing for a day now. The best way to head off this creature is to buy a gazing ball and set it up in your backyard. When the hawk comes in to attack your birds, it will see it's own reflection and flee because it will think it is in another hawks territory. Until last month it hadn't gotten any of my birds in 3 years.

Meg


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

I'm so sorry, Pigfid. Surely more pigeons will come into your life. There are many, many unwanted homers and ferals that need homes, and hopefully some will come your way. If there is a racing club in your area you could contact them and ask about culled pigeons. So many people who race destroy their unwanted birds, and these are perfectly healthy pigeons that would make good pets. Perhaps you can build or buy a larger enclosure with a flight cage so you won't feel compelled to let them out. 

As to God, what He made originally was good--death and destruction are a result of the Fall. Genesis 1:29-30 says that God made *plants* for food for all living things: "And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food. And it was so." (Gen. 1:30) There is no indication of anything eating meat until after the Fall. 

I've always thought the brutality of nature seemed wrong. Well it is, but the good news is, it won't always be that way! There will come a day in the Messianic age when there is no more death and destruction. The prophet Isaiah wrote about it: 

"The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:7-9, NIV)

This gives me great hope and I hope it will give you hope, too.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

It gives me hope.
Thank you.
Reti

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## PidgePidge (May 14, 2003)

I am so very sorry. Although I know I would also blame myself if this happened to me, from the outside I can only say that it is obvious from your posts that you cared very much for your birds and were good to them, and I hope you can forgive yourself eventually. Nature can be cruel, but I guarantee they had a better chance of survival with you than they would have otherwise, and we can only do so much to protect them. My pigeon Pidge Pidge came to me wounded, perhaps by a hawk, we don't know. He was lucky enough to pull through, but of course sometimes they don't, and I'm so sorry yours didn't survive the attack.

With sympathy.


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## myriam (Jan 18, 2004)

> Originally posted by pigfid:
> *Yesterday, my female homing pigeon got killed by a hawk or some kind of bird. The day before she died her mate got killed by the same bird. His whole head was gone when we found him, we then chased the hawk(?) up the tree and later it flew away. I did witness the death of my female though, it was sad. I tries to get her to come home but she wouldn't. (does this have anything to do with the male not being there, she always followed him every where)So then as I tried to coax her using some seed, she flew off north then suddenly turned back and the hawk was right beind her. It cought her half mile, about. So me and my brother ran there as fast as we could after putting our snow boots on (winter). I was so furious I wanted to kill the hawk(?). As we got closer it tried to carry it but I guess the female was too heavy for the hawk and it droped it a couple of times, before flying off. We found her and she was grabed in the back. You could see the wounds. The hawk(?) was brown mostly in the front and I am not sure that it was a hawk. But after killing my male and didn't get anything it came back the next morning and waited and killed the female. *


Hello

I did not visit the forum for a few days and just read now about the killing of Homer and his mate.
I know words are not going to be able to take your pain away.

I have many pigeons myself, and in 12 yaers I saw many of them die, for sickness without remedy or killed by a predator.
Everytimes one of them dies, it hurts very much. I myself cried myself to sleep many nights.And you had only 2, and the hawk killed both of them.I feel so sorry for you.

In Belgium we have also hawks, but not so many, I managed to save 2 pigeons of mine from a hawk, running behind him in the fields. He was afraid and flew away. My pigeons were badly injured but survived.

But don't hate the hawk for that, he is only trying to survive himself and feed his youngsters.
I read the words of the bible that one of the members posted about a world without killing. It gave me a very warm feeling of hope inside to know that such a beautiful world will exist some day.But in the meantime I am convinced that in nature everything is good, except the human being. He is the only one to kill for pleasure or power.Animals kill to eat.

I read your post in the adoption forum.
If I did not live so far away, I would certainly give you my most beautiful and affectuous couple of pidgeons that I have in my lofts.I know that you would give them a wonderful life, like you did with Homer and his mate!Unfortunately this is not possible.

I hope I could give you some comfort with my message.

I would appreciate to see a picture of Homer.I will send you my email adress in a personal email.

With symphaty

Myriam (la paloma triste)


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## firstimer (Aug 26, 2002)

I read the words of the bible that one of the members posted about a world without killing. It gave me a very warm feeling of hope inside to know that such a beautiful world will exist some day.But in the meantime I am convinced that in nature everything is good, except the human being. He is the only one to kill for pleasure or power.Animals kill to eat.

Myriam (la paloma triste)
I couldn't agree more. Humans are the real predators.

pigfid you asked the question......

"Why did god create such vicious animal?" (s)

Well I hope you are including yourself in that question because we humans are the worst when it comes to being Vicious.
There are thousands of people everyday who kill for no good reason.
That so called "vicious" animal has a need to survive as well. 
Please don't start feeling that way.
I too have lost 3 Pigeons and I'm sure they were dinner too, but the fact of the matter is if you can't handle nature don't free fly. Simple as that.And I am speaking from experience.
I blamed myself too and you know what? it was my fault for letting them out but I now know I can't handle the fact that my pigeons might be dinner, so I just don't free fly.


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## Thunderbird (Sep 7, 2003)

WRONG!
When male lions take over a pride, the first thing they do is to kill the previous male's cubs. Black widows kill the males after mating. Orcas often kill and leave the carcus of the whales/seals etc. When a skunks enters a loft, it kills lots of birds, eats a half of one, then leaves. It's called nature. Humans kill other humans to take power, land, property. It's all nature. Humans are the only species on the planet to consider any of it as right/wrong or good/bad. Perhaps because GOD wanted us to have that ability as stewards of the planet (?).


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

You have recieved good support here. For me, when I lose one of mine, there is a joy that leaves the world never to return and I am devastated. And I'm still devastated. The only way to go on is to get more birds--you will find they are not the same birds but they have the same spirit. There are more birds down the road that need your help and they will get you through this. 

In practical terms, this spring you may call vets to see if baby pigeons have been turned in for adoption, you can ask the local homer club members for unwanted birds, or try this forum. Later, you should consider keeping your birds in during the winter--in a snowbound world the hawks have no varmints and few birds. Pigeons don't mind being wintered indoors (racers do this routinely). In terms of hawks, I used to hate them but in addition to what has already been said, pigeons would not be superb sky pilots they are without a superb foe.


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