# Soft release of 7 weeks old woodie



## fu-chan (Sep 20, 2014)

Hi all,

Been passing this forum before and it's now my turn to ask for some advice. 

I found, in early August, a 9 day old woodie by my drive. As I couldn't see a nest in any of the nearby trees I suspected that the nest had been blown away by the strong winds we had that day. 

I prepared a cardboard box and left the lil woodie up in a tree overnight but because of consistently bad weather decided to take him in the next morning.

He's been eating fine from day one. Initially some porridge with a supplement (king premium, egg??) and then gradually changed from around 2-3 weeks old to a homemade mix of seeds (sunflower, hemp, flax, crushed wheat and rye, coarse oats, sesame) again with the supplement. He also gets leaves from the garden (loves especially dandelion and broccoli) and is not to hot on neither peas nor sweet corn. Altogether he's seems to be a healthy bird and I'm really happy that we have made it this far but I'm sure we're missing something in his diet that he can only find himself in nature. So it is time to let him go.

He spends his days in our barn. Stays upstairs between the hay (where we have made him a nature-like environment with some cut-down trees and braches and from where he can look out over the garden) during the day and then come downstairs to rest for the night by himself so he seems to be able to fly fine. Albeit within a limited space. 

So far it all sounds fine, I suppose, but we have two problems here. The main problem being feeding. He still needs, at nearly two months old, to be fed from the homemade bottle/latex glove. Although he has plenty of seed spread out in several places and in deep and shallow bowls he will not eat by himself. He'll pick up a seed. Preferably a hemp seed. Move it around a couple of times at the front of the beak and then drop it. He might do this for several minutes when he's being kept company and have success with actually eating one or two. When fed from the bottle he gulps down the food so I'm not too worried about canker although I haven't checked (tried several times but although he's being very friendly he wont let me open his beak). He does pick and eat with great speed from the leaves he is given though.

I take it that it is very simple that he needs to be with some other woodies that he can mimic which brings us to the second problem. We live in Denmark and no wildlife rescue here wants to take him so we need to deal with this ourselves I suppose unless someone has any contacts over here that could help out. Preferably in the south near the German border (we are in Haderslev).

Also just found out that I should have been misting him daily, to waterproof his coat, which I haven't done so don't know how long I will have to do this for before he can be released? He has taken a bath by himself twice now by the way.

Any help will be much appreciated!

Pablo


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Perhaps you can find a local rescue that can take on care and release (please check this link) , they may have some young wood pigeons that this youngster can socialize with and be released with:

http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/rescuecentres.htm *


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## fu-chan (Sep 20, 2014)

Many thanks for the info Skyeking. I wish I was back in the UK where I lived until quite recently. Unfortunately I now live in Denmark where a woodie is something you hunt and not something you rehabilitate or worry how it will fare once released into the wild.


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi, thank you for taking such good care of this Woodie.
They are quite slow at starting to feed themselves so I wouldn't be too concerned an out him at the moment. They play around with seeds a lot before they really get the hang of doing it themselves. I'd carry on leaving seeds about for him but give him a hand feed at least once a day.
Leaving water for him to bath in is fine, there's not need to mist them for a long time before release.
If you have a Wood Pigeons in the area then if he can see them he will soon integrate into life in the wild but give him a bit longer to get the feeding experience first before allowing him the chance to go free.
Sadly Woodies are being depleted here in the UK too. I live near fields and every day they is shooting going on. It's very upsetting to hear this happening so although there are rescues that help them they are still in need of people like you that are willing to help them.
Good luck and keep us posted as to how he's getting on.

Janet


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## fu-chan (Sep 20, 2014)

Hi Janet,

I've just seen your reply this instant.

I released Fu (an alternative Japanese reading of their sign/letter for wind as we found her on a windy day and assumed her nest had blown away) this morning after speaking to several local racing pigeon clubs (none of whom would think of helping out a woodpigeon of course). I felt that at two months old it was now or never as she's getting too imprinted on us, needs to learn that everywhere is not as safe as the barn, the weather is still being fair and food is plentiful.

She's had a view over the garden and over to our small wood (maybe some 80 tall trees) through the open hay-latch in the gable in the barn that's been her home for the past month. Lots of woodies and other wildlife to watch so I hope that's been enough to acclimatise her.

Anyway, she had her meal this morning before we took down the fence we had sat up in front of the "window". And in no rush and all in her own time she left and flew across the garden to the wood. Sat on a low branch, pecked at a couple of leaves and surveyed the surroundings from the opposite side to what she was used to. I went off to get my binoculars and as soon as I got out of sight she flew off... and she flew high.

Then there was no sign of her until dusk when she came back to the exact same branch and flew over on my shoulder. She then flew off into the wood again and left with two adult woodies. Her parents? Or someone chasing her? I can't say. But she was originally found by the road on the other side of the wood so could well be her parents. Perhaps chasing her away as they did no longer recognize her. Then some ten minutes later she came back on my shoulder and lucky her, I had her "bottle" in my pocket. She ate a little, much less than she normally does before bedtime so suppose she's been feeding herself and just needed a top-up. Then she flew up into a pine to rest for the night I suppose.

I expected a scenario like this. And hope she will in the next few days find a group of fellow juveniles and forget about us. Otherwise I guess we'll have to catch her and take her to Germany where the nearest rescue centre is. 

As we're just on the edge of the village and with no bigger forests around I don't think there is much hunting going on right where I live so she should be quite safe if she stays local. But then again it's my first year here and the hunting season is only just about to start. 

I know one reason that the UK was being depleted of woodies was because of my ginger Tomas. They were unfortunately a favourite of his. He's now got a proper cat-run to keep both him and the Danish birdies safe!

Again, thanks for your advice!

Pablo


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## fu-chan (Sep 20, 2014)




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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi, well that was a great story and very touching that he came back and sat on your shoulder.
I think it sounds as if he'll gradually integrate into a flock as he realises he's a Woodie and hopefully will learn from others what and where to find food but also his instincts will kick in too.
It would be good if you can just be around to give him food if he shows a need still but I'm sure he'll soon not bother.
So for now I'd enjoy keeping an eye on him and leave seeds about should he want. It sounds like a perfect place for him to be living.
Thanks for writing this update. I'd love to hear how he gets on over the next few days, wish him luck!


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