# Found pigeon is now 150 miles from where we found it.



## doogiewray (Jan 25, 2008)

Hi-

My friend who runs a dairy farm in Connecticut (www.catocornerfarm.com) found a beautiful pigeon at the Green Market in New York City when she was selling her cheese last Saturday.

It was very cold and almost unresponsive, so she kept it in a box in her van. When it was time to leave, it was still very cold (it was a frigid day/week), so she took home to CT (about 150 miles from where it was found).

During the last week, with warmth, water, birdseed and love, it is doing much better, but we're reluctant to release it because of the distance from where it was found and because it is still very cold in the northeast.

It's band: NPA 7 07 CD 602 (which we take to mean: registered with the NPA; size 7 band; born 2007; i.d. CD 602).

We wrote an email to the NPA, but they are all at the NPA Grand National in Michigan until next Tuesday (office closed).

Is there anyone else who can help us get in contact with the owner? It's a beautiful bird!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi and welcome to Pigeon-Talk. Unfortunately there is no way to locate the owner until the NPA band secretary is back home and able to look up the information for us. Given the size 7 band, I would say that this bird should not be released under any circumstances. The bird is probably a Roller or another small breed of show or performing pigeon that would not fare well on its own or be able to find the way home.

Terry


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Can you feel the breastbone (keel) and see if it's real prominent (sticks out like a knife)?

Pidgey


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Hi Doogiewray, thanks so much for taking this pigeon in, I'm sure you saved its life. Please go to 911 Pigeon Alert and post about it there, as this is the fastest and best way to find the owner since it is banded. Keep in mind the owner may not want it back, if it was lost during a race. Hopefully they will want it back. Please, whatever you do, do NOT release it. It is not used to being outdoors, especially in this weather, and that's undoubtedly how it ended up in that situation in the first place. If the owner is located and does not want it back, we have several members in NY who will probably be able to help. The good people on 911 Pigeon Alert should be able to track it down. Please keep us updated and check back here for any additional advice as more members log on throughout the day. Thanks again to you and your friend for saving it.


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## doogiewray (Jan 25, 2008)

*911 Pigeon Alert*

Thanks for all the advice. I'll try to answer questions above when I have a bit more time (errands to run). I did a google search on 911 pigeon alert, but the link for their preformatted alert form seems to be broken. I finally found the yahoo group by the same name, joined it and posted the same note (with a bit of editing) there, so we'll see what happens.

It's kind of ironic, but this summer we just torn down a beautiful old shed on the farm. We're not sure what we're going to do with the piece we saved from the front wall just under the peak, but it has beautiful lines and about a half-dozen triangular holes that lead to what look like homing pigeon "homes" (the holes lead to a boxed in section that runs the width of the old shed).

Maybe it will get some use, after all, right? (grin)

Again, thanks ... you folks sound like really good and concerned people (in a relatively self-centered and care-less World).

Douglas

"In the end, only kindness matters."


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Well, I posted while Terry posted so I could be wrong about 911 being able to help, I guess we will see. That is always a good option, to keep him, if you can set up an area for him. More will probably find you and/or your friend; I swear, word gets out amongst pigeons lol. I love your quote, as it's so true; in the end only kindness matters.


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## Guest (Jan 25, 2008)

kindness and a handful of seed


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

LokotaLoft said:


> kindness and a handful of seed


Lol, that's the truth! I'm sure you know, but be sure to provide some red grit for him. That is how they digest their seeds, with the help of grit.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

Hi Douglas, The number 7 band is not a homing pigeon band if you release it,it will not get home. This is a show bird of some kind. i would love to see a picture of this bird. GEORGE


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

HI DOUGLAS, I check out your web site and I am empressed, love the names of your cheeses Hooligan,Drunken Hooligan, and Drunk Monk. I see that there is a store in DEL MAR, CA, thats just down the road about 25 miles next time I am down that way I will stop. .GEORGE


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## Spin city (Dec 11, 2007)

hello mate you got any pics of this bird???

if you do show us


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

Please thank your friend for careing enough to help this litte orphan. So many people just walk by or just step over them, and leave them there to die. 
I hope that you are able to keep this little bird.


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## doogiewray (Jan 25, 2008)

*Latest on Relocated Pigeon*

OK, let's see now, first off, the pigeon is doing quite well. We moved him(?)/her(?)(how do we tell, anyhow?) into a larger dog crate (one with solid sides, but wired front) which means it can now stretch its wings and it seems much happier than cooped up in the small cat crate (it doesn't get its food mixed into the water anymore since they aren't side by side now).

When I get done typing this, I'm going to go outside and lop off a branch that will fit through the upper side ventilation holes to give it a perch (not sure if it will use it, but what the hell, right?).

Now for the detective work: Steve at NPA headquarters wrote to us and said that the band was sold by Foy's Pigeon Supplies. We called them and they gave us the name and phone number of a fellow in Edmeston, NY. We then called him and he said that he sells alot of pigeons and that he thought that this one had been sold to someone in Manhattan, but that he really had no way of tracking him down. After our description of the bird, he said that it was a "Flight Pigeon" (though that might have a different spelling, that's how it sounded over the phone). He was very helpful, but, alas, no owner identified yet. I guess the only hope is if the owner reads one of these bulletin boards.

Also, someone (Pidgy?) above asked about the breastbone: yes, it is very pronounced.

Lastly, I have a few pictures and I will try to figure out how to post them here next. Wait, let me try something here and we'll see if it works:

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2230/2231277036_e323c939b8_o.jpg">
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2123/2231277042_e728e5472d.jpg">
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2176/2231277046_09d0008fc6.jpg">

(If it doesn't crash the whole system, maybe you can find the urls of the three pictures).

Thanks for all your concern. 

Oh, one last thing (now don't start snickering and saying "we told you so"): the bird is starting to grow on us.

Douglas

"In the end, only kindness matters."


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## doogiewray (Jan 25, 2008)

I just noticed this feature; let me try it:


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

S/he is beautiful!!! My kind of pigeon


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, maybe we ought to address some of the possible health issues: can you get a weight on the bird? You might have a scale for your kitchen or something like that that can measure in the quarter-to-half-pound range.

Take a picture of the poops and let's take a look.

Where in Connecticut are you? We've got a member or two over there somewhere who might could give you some medications if that should prove necessary.

Pidgey


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

That bird appears to be a Flying Flight.
Here's a web site of a man who flies them. Just so you can see the pics of the birds. http://www.2racepigeons.com/JoeCampione_Flying_Flights.html
The bird will not go home if released and it sounds like the owner can't be found, so, it's perfectly ok for you to get attached to it and keep it as a pet if that's what you want to do.


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## pigeonmama (Jan 9, 2005)

Your new "kid" is a beauty. So glad he/she was saved by you. Your pigeon would be so much happier with a brick to perch on, instead of a branch.
Daryl


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## doogiewray (Jan 25, 2008)

*Questions/Answers*

Again, thanks for all the feedback. Answers (and a few of my own questions) follow randomly:

I'll go get a brick as soon as I finish typing (the bird doesn't seem too interested in the branch, so thanks for the suggestion);

Pidgey: Well, I thought that your asking about the breastbone was to determine what kind of bird it was, but now I sense that it was a diagnostic check. We'll weigh it and I'll send a poop picture along when we get a spare moment (some days, spare moments, though, are very rare around here). Along that line, I see in various places lists of pigeon symptoms with their possible causes, but I have yet to find a short list of things to check the overall health of a pigeon (particularly for someone who knows very little about pigeons, in general). Does such a quick check exist (think of lists of things to check when buying a used car, versus a troubleshooting guide)?

Also (I think it was Pidgey): the pigeon is in Colchester, CT.

How do you measure the length of a pigeon?

How do you determine the gender of a pigeon?

In considering whether to keep a pigeon, how do you factor in that a farm has 7 barnyard cats, 2 exuberant border collies, 50 sweet cows, a gaggle or two of geese and other various cluckers (stray hens/roosters) here and there, but more importantly(?), a pack of coyotes and (ta-dah!) regular visitations from hawks, owls and turkey buzzards? With precautions, would a pigeon be ok in such a situation or should we be looking for a less threatening home. If ok, what are those precautions?

Note: the cats, dogs, etc. are all pretty friendly with each other and any other creature that they sense as family, but woe to the occasional lazy bird at our many feeders and definitely watch out if you're a rat in the grain bin - your days are numbered!

Again, thanks for your support.

Douglas

"In the end, only kindness matters."


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## doogiewray (Jan 25, 2008)

*Please - We need your help.*

As much as we love this bird, we've come to the conclusion that it would be better off in a home that has at least one other pigeon with owners that know what they are doing and have a bit more time than the realities of a dairy farm permit.

The pigeon is doing very well, but it does seem quite lonely (even with the dogs and cats "visiting" it's crate (usually they just give the crate a sniff and move on).

So, please, if anyone in the Connecticut area (Bird is in Colchester) would take her (I think it's a she .... I held up a mirror and she didn't react in the slightest and I don't see much of a ruff around her neck), then contact us through this thread. 

Also, Liz mongers her cheese every Saturday at three of the New York City Greenmarkets (Union Square (where the bird was originally found), Fort Green and Grand Army Plaza (Brooklyn) and she could bring the pigeon there. If that is a possibility, though, a new owner would have to meet her there, because it is a very long and busy day that doesn't allow time for side trips to new homes. She usually ends up doing the Grand Army Plaza market herself, but she could leave the pigeon at either of the other two markets if that is preferable.

Pictures of this beautiful creature are posted earlier in this thread.

By the way, she loved the old brick I put in her crate, but the other day we found her happily up on the tree branch that I had earlier installed as a perch.

Anyhow, We feel sad that we can't keep her, but, realistically, we realize that she would be happier and get more interactions in a home where 15-hour workdays are not the routine.

Thanks for any help you might be able to send our way.

Douglas

"In the end, only kindness matters."


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

doogiewray said:


> As much as we love this bird, we've come to the conclusion that it would be better off in a home that has at least one other pigeon with owners that know what they are doing and have a bit more time than the realities of a dairy farm permit.
> 
> The pigeon is doing very well, but it does seem quite lonely (even with the dogs and cats "visiting" it's crate (usually they just give the crate a sniff and move on).
> 
> ...


I appreciate your honesty and kindness.


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## horsesgot6 (May 30, 2007)

Boy I Know What Your Saying About Dairy Farming We Just Sold The Cows Off A few Months Ago. We Still Have Some of Them. 

With This Bird Can You Ship? 

Hope All Goes well For Her.


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## doogiewray (Jan 25, 2008)

*Shipping?*

We know nothing about shipping birds (but UPS stops by daily to pick up shipments of cheese). How do you ship birds?

Douglas

"In the end, only kindness matters."


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

doogiewray said:


> We know nothing about shipping birds (but UPS stops by daily to pick up shipments of cheese). How do you ship birds?
> 
> Douglas
> 
> "In the end, only kindness matters."


Douglas, shipping birds is fairly easy and I expect most anyone here willing to take the bird has shipped or is familiar with the process. It gets discussed here about once a month it seems. There are special boxes approved by the USPS and from your end, it would mostly be getting the bird in the box, to the PO. It's a very safe way to get birds a far distance and/or across country. Depending on where the receiving person is, weather can be a factor. Once you know where the bird is going, then the PO has to be contacted to make sure there's no problem in getting the bird from point A to point B. 
I'll go over and post a thread on this bird in the adoption section. Some members may miss the post here with it being in the middle of the thread on finding a bird. 
I expect once people start seeing the post, you'll get some offers for homes.


PS: Here's the link to the new posting in Adoption section
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=25182


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