# Handling



## yearsexperience (Nov 21, 2009)

Okay so im new here obviously and i would like to ask for someone elses opinon on how to handle a pigeon. I'v just started to give them showers due to a lot of poo on their feet. I'v come to conclusion the problem is that the coop doesnt have any sunlight hitting the coop. The area is very damp and their poo isnt getting hard and falling down to the ground. Anyways, back on handling. When i do hold them they kick and try to fly off and its very hard for me to hold them still. I try to keep them calm by just the simple "shhh...shhhh..." HOW CAN I HOLD THEM SO THAT THEY ARE MORE CALM AND I CAN SHOWER THEM WITHOUT RUINING THEIR FEATHERS?


Opinons are much appreiceiated


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

the way i hold my birds is by placing there head in between my pointer and middle finger. with the back against the palm of my hand i then wrap the rest of my hand around their body and fold their feet down. i will post a picture for you in a minute.


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## yearsexperience (Nov 21, 2009)

Thank you for the post, but my hands are very small  i dont think my hand can fit my big pigeons. Especially my homers. They are very powerfull and i dont think my one hand can hold it


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

i have tiny hands. lol
as long as you can get their wings pinned you will be ok. i learned this trick from a vet. it took me a few trys to get it but its pretty easy now. try it out a few times. if you get their wings held down by your fingers then they dont have any way to get away.


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## dovelove<3 (May 28, 2009)

also. pigeons usually will bathe themselves. try giving them water in a shallow dish big enough for them to sit in. they should bathe themselves eventually.


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## yearsexperience (Nov 21, 2009)

I put a bowl in their coop and they seem to just drink the water instead of bathing in it. So i took it into my own hands...litterly bathing them myselfs . But thanks for the tip. I may try it !


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## jandkds (Aug 25, 2009)

Hi, Someone on here gave me a great tip a while ago...take a spray bottle and mist the bird with warm water....he loved it!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

here is a link to a pic of how a pigeon should be held, note the feet between the fingers and the wings are held down by the thumb and forfinger. http://www.pigeonnetwork.com/articles/images/Donacloney_loft2.jpg


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

on another note, you can bath them everyday, but that is not going to stop the wet poop problem in the loft, can you make the loft better and drier for them? add a window or aviariy for sunlight. your birds will not do well in what you are describing.


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## yearsexperience (Nov 21, 2009)

Okay, thanks for the tips guys, very much appreiciated


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2009)

handling doves and pigeons is really not the same thing lol for one they are so much smaller


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## Becca199212 (May 10, 2007)

spirit wings said:


> here is a link to a pic of how a pigeon should be held, note the feet between the fingers and the wings are held down by the thumb and forfinger. http://www.pigeonnetwork.com/articles/images/Donacloney_loft2.jpg


I hold mine like this, as long as you have a firm hold on their wings and feet they can't get away. I've saw people hold them by grasping their wings together- so they're sort of angelified against their hands with their wings open and their bodies just hanging- it doesn't look too comfy for the birds but I suppose they get to that position when flying anyway so it can't hurt them.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

i have small hands also, so i towel anything my hands are not big enough to hold or if i need both hands for what ever it is i have to do to them.
i also have rectangle pieces of cloth with strips of velcro so i can wrap them up if i need to


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

altgirl35 said:


> i have small hands also, so i towel anything my hands are not big enough to hold or if i need both hands for what ever it is i have to do to them.
> i also have rectangle pieces of cloth with strips of velcro so i can wrap them up if i need to


Pieces of cloth with velcro sounds like a good idea.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

yearsexperience said:


> Okay so im new here obviously and i would like to ask for someone elses opinon on how to handle a pigeon. I'v just started to give them showers due to a lot of poo on their feet. I'v come to conclusion the problem is that the coop doesnt have any sunlight hitting the coop. The area is very damp and their poo isnt getting hard and falling down to the ground. Anyways, back on handling. When i do hold them they kick and try to fly off and its very hard for me to hold them still. I try to keep them calm by just the simple "shhh...shhhh..." HOW CAN I HOLD THEM SO THAT THEY ARE MORE CALM AND I CAN SHOWER THEM WITHOUT RUINING THEIR FEATHERS?
> 
> 
> Opinons are much appreiceiated


Being in damp conditions is very bad for the birds. Maybe they need more ventilation? I'd try to fix that problem. I don't know if you fly them or not, but if you don't, they do need some way to get sunshine. They can't be in the shade and damp all the time. They need sunshine for vitamin D, or they won't absorb calcium.


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## yearsexperience (Nov 21, 2009)

Thanks for The advice guys  really do appreiciate it


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