# Henny - Strange behaviour



## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Everyone, 

I just came from the pigeon room, I was down there watching and observing the birds. Henny is doing a very odd thing, she's licking the plastic mesh of the wall that divides the two sections of the room! She's actually sticking her tongue out and licking at the plastic. I've never seen a pigeon do anything like this before.

I'm not overly concerned about this because she seems fine otherwise but it's very bizarre. I was thinking that perhaps she is lacking in something in her diet but what on earth would she be getting from the plastic? The only thing that would be on the mesh would be feather dust....would she be licking at this? If so, what on earth for?

Here are two videos of the strange behaviour that I just took.

http://www.jusspress.com/day.php?userid=21732&currentDate=20050903&currentTime=180602


Any thoughts, ideas, or similar experiences...thanks.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

LOL Brad, this is just too funny. I loved that video.
Sorry, never seen this behavior before.
I would think she is playing.

Reti


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Brad,

It looks like she is trying to catch something.

Is the plastic shiny? Does it look wet? Does she not like her drinking water today?


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Reti & Treesa, 

No, the plastic isn't really shiny, it was originally, but with the feather dust on it now, it's not shiny at all. It's not laden with dust but it's got a light layer of dust on it. I wipe it down every so often but at this time, it's a little dusty  

Eggbert was watching her do this and was trying to preen her, but she just kept avoiding him and would go up and down the length of the mesh wall doing this.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hey Brad, I sure enjoyed seeing this. I've often noticed some pigeons just pecking away at things I can't even see. She must just be picking at the minute particles of dust. maggie


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Brad,

I agree this is highly unusual bordering on unique. You're just going to have to lick the same stuff to see what she sees in it. Be sure and film yourself doing it and post it so that we can compare techniques. Do it in the name of science and try to avoid becoming an addict.

Pidgey


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Maggie, 

I'm glad you enjoyed the videos....My birds are have been known to do very strange things at times 

Pidgey, I'm NOT going to lick the plastic and take videos. I'll just have to trust in Henny that there is something tasty there, lol.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Brad,

I know you offer the birds different supplements - is one of them a red vitamin/mineral powder? That is one of the most popular ones with the pigeons here, especially hens. I recently added one that has seaweed which they also enjoy. Since they can't get out to forage on their own, some deficiency is a possibility.

If it's always the plastic which separates the two pairs, she might be indicating an interest in interacting with Ricky and Lucy...or did she attack them previously? 

Time spent just observing the birds is frequently very helpful. The other day, Walter was pacing the end of the flight pen as if he wanted to go under the deck. I eventually realized that he could see the pile of pine branches stored at the other end (our pine needly "warehouse") and that the pile of nesting material inside their pen was low. They do a pretty good job of complaining when they want something.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Terri, 

Thanks for your reply No, I don't have/use red vitamin/mineral powder. Can you tell me which brand and where you get it from and perhaps I will try that. 

This behaviour of licking at the plastic has just started. She's always kind of paced the wall, but all the birds do to a point. She is afraid of the youngsters though and will only attack them when they encroach on her nesting areas. I've tried placing Henny in their side of the room on occasions and all she does is want back to her own side. There are times when she seems curious or eager to see what the youngsters are eating, both grit and food. They all get the same things though. 

But for supplements and offerings, they all get oyster shell grit, red cross grit, 2 different vitamins (a powder) and liquid ones with added garlic, the probiotics, ACV, and brewer yeast (once a month). I think perhaps there is something missing though in her diet that she might be trying to gain from pecking and nosing around at different things maybe.

Very good observations of Walter and what he was really after, I wish I could tell with Henny but it's not very obvious to me and I've tried to imagine what it could be.


Thanks!


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## mistenle (Feb 7, 2005)

My pigeons would lick things and I think it is just part of the way they investigate things.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Pacing would suggest that Henny would go into the other area if the fence wasn't there. Although being interested in what the other birds are eating/doing is typical pigeon, it does seem like she is searching for something and thinks Lucy and Ricky may might have found some. Reading your list of supplements, you've covered Calcium and vitamins very well but I don't see a mineral supplement. My favorite is Global's MINERALVIT - part #600-114, 2 lbs $3.50. Easily the most popular of all the supplements - each pair has their own personal little bowl near their nest box. (No, they are NOT spoiled,, just well pampered!) There are also red/tan pickpots/pickstones. They seem to be higher in mineral salts than the powder. Initially, I only had the red pickpot and Mieke ate so much (for the minerals) that she overexcreted fluids (clear liquid with some solid pieces of poop) to try and clear the salt overdose from her system. I was panicking that she had...who knows what...before someone on this forum mentioned about the high salt intake.

I recently evaluated my collection and realized that what I thought was vitamins is minerals, :O so I need to order vitamins. What powdered brand do you like? My veterinarian suggested that vitamins in the water could, over the course of a day, grow a nasty collection of bugs, so I'm planning on putting it on their grain.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Terri, 

Thank you for the information. I think I will order some of the minerals you suggested, I know it can't hurt

Right now I'm using a brand of powdered vitamins from the pet store. I forget the name of them off hand, but they are pretty expensive. Before, I was using Nekton Vitamins but I haven't been able to get those again locally. 

Hmmmm. This is starting to make sense to me actually. I know for a fact that the nekton vitamins had trace minerals added to them and were specifically for pigeons and doves. The vitamins I'm using now, I'm really not sure if there are minerals added...I'll have to check on that when I get home from work.

Thanks Terri, I think this could very well be what is going on here!


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Yeah, I've used Nektron - good stuff. If I need something in a hurry, there's a parrot store nearby and a good feed supply store a little futher away. I order most of my stuff from the on-line pigeon supply places. Knowing what to order has taken longer.


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## Poulette (Feb 5, 2002)

Your videos are very funny Brad! Henny is maybe trying to kiss or preen her reflexion in the plastic wall? The Attack pigeon is a very combative guy 

This is not the case with Henny but it makes me remember I read on a list long ago that for calcium emergency like soft shell eggs, one can crush a Tums (calcium carbonate) and put the powder in the seeds. Somebody has heard this before?
Suz.


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## *ADRIAN* (Jun 3, 2005)

*Superb*

Your Videos Are Superb 

I Wuold Have To Think That Your Pigeon Is Playing
*adrian*


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Poulette said:


> Your videos are very funny Brad! Henny is maybe trying to kiss or preen her reflexion in the plastic wall? The Attack pigeon is a very combative guy
> 
> This is not the case with Henny but it makes me remember I read on a list long ago that for calcium emergency like soft shell eggs, one can crush a Tums (calcium carbonate) and put the powder in the seeds. Somebody has heard this before?
> Suz.



Hi Suz, 

Glad you enjoyed the videos, they are quite something aren't they? LOL . I don't think Henny is trying to preen her reflection as the plastic is rather dull with a layer of feather dust and doesn't really have the surface area to see herself in  

Suz, you're right, with calcium depleted birds, you can add 1 regular tums to their drinking water. Dissolve one tablet in the birds drinking water. I would think most likely the powder could be sprinkled on the seeds as well, but you'd have to lightly coat the seeds with oil first so that it would stick.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Fascinating behavior Brad! Is it pretty much a one off or does she now keep doing that? They certainly do seem to investigate things which we may not comprehend as being of interest, but that is really strange. Lovely Henny 

Love 'attack pigeon'. Our Snowflake was exactly the same about chasing the 'evil hand' and attacking. Now he's got his box with his little blue bar mate in the aviary, he has become much more laid back and accepts the intruding hand with good nature 

Our friend Les in London got Alfalfa tablets from the health food store and crushed one or two to powder, then rolled peanuts around in it after a light coating of olive or vegetable oil. I tried it on my balcony birds. Seems it has a whole herd of vitamins and minerals including calcium and some of those trace elements. Good for people, too, I'm told. 

Quite OT, Les also found that the only way he could give his friendly, but wounded, wood pigeon some antibiotic for combatting wound infection was to coat it onto peanuts for 10 days. I wouldn't know how successful it is, but as he had the peanuts to himself he obviously ingested the full dose, and it may have saved him from big infection problems

John


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