# Failure of surival after releasing babies



## longlive_pigeon (Aug 17, 2012)

It is quite a while after I posted in PT. It is summer here and I come across more orphaned babies (pigeons reproduce faster in summer right) I take them back to the shelter, nurture them until I judge that they are mature enough to live on their own....i.e. fully feathered, fully weaned, can fly, can peck on their own, got bold enough to compete with their grown up fellows for food. By that time, I release them into the flock which I feed almost daily. 

To my dismay, among the recent release, most of them did not make it through. Something I suppose rather strange is that, in the past those failing to settle down will soon vanish tomorrow and never show up again. It is a certified failure. 

But now the scenario is that, the released youths seem to immerse themselves into the flock. In the first couple of days after release, they are capable of actively pecking and competing with others, flying and landing between the facilities where the flock perch ( lamp posts, roofs, columns) and joining formation flight. *What assures me most is that they know how to return after the night. They recognize the way of returning to and fro between the area they flock at daytime and their roosting site at nighttime.* 

However, showing up 2-5 days continuously, they don't show up again. What's wrong? They couldn't have lost their way because they have proved successfully making their trips between the flocking site and the roosting site(which is not particularly far apart, just about 400 meter. Some flock can roost >2km apart) That's the major obstacle for released juvenile and since they have overcome, what's other things have gone wrong that render them disappeared? (I suppose they have deceased) It is a total waste of my effort to nurse them if they eventually cannot settle down in the flock after releasing. 

I know the concept of soft release but due to the feeding ban I cannot be too showy. If you bring a cage with you all others will know you are feeding the pigeons and breaking the law! 

And should I release them in situ? The flock where I release the babies is not the flock where I pick them up. I suppose where I am releasing them is more ideal and safe for pigeons life, at least spared from menace of vehicles. Vehicle is nearly the top cause of death for pigeons in this city. But if releasing them at a different site has such a high failing rate, should I compromise to the fate and bring them back to the vehicle-menacing flock instead, so that they get slightly higher chance of survival? Thank you for reading such a long passage and any guidance will be much appreciated.


Another question but I don't want to start a new thread..recently more new young birds (not babies) contracted with pox. Among 1 out of 4 show pox. How to halt it?


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Well...if you really cannot soft release, then THERE may lie your answer.

You only had them acclimating to half of what the regimen is supposed to teach them. They learn to forage, but they also must learn to flee. The second part is the part of Soft Release which most people either forget, or never get to, because as soon as they see their rescues 'want to go out of the cage', they open it, assuming their obvious desire to be out and among the Flock, as opposed to in the cage, is enough of a sign of acclimation.

The flee part of Soft Release is really important. It could be that they just never caught onto this so ended up victim to a vehicle or predator.

Of course, it is also possible that after a few days with the Flock you released them into, perhaps they were able to home...back home.

Just because they do not stick with the Flock you released them into doesn't necessarily mean they are dead. 

This is why sometimes it is preferable to release them to a Flock near where you found them, if possible... and if you feel the Flock is healthy and getting along OK in a relatively safe place. If for example the original Flock is in a dangerous area, be it vehicular, hawks, or mean people, etc....then it is wiser to release them into a safer flock. Same goes with health. If the Flock they came from looks like it is struggling health-wise, then it's not a good idea to release them back into it.

Another thing to consider is the AGE at which your release them. At first I was doing it at 6-7 weeks old, since in the care of their Mom and Dad... Ferals often fledge at 6 weeks, occasionally even 5 weeks. But member Charis convinced me to hold off longer than that, because at 7 or 8 or 9 weeks they are far more robust than they are at 6 weeks. Better able to weather the storm of their initiation into Feral life. Also, if females, this makes them nearing at least adolescence and easier to segue into a Flock at that age since they are closer to sexual maturity than a 6-week old would be. So I never suggest releasing prior to 8 weeks old.

Pox is a virus. Only way to 'halt' it is to catch the infected birds and separate them from the Flock. Let the virus shed, then return them. This would at least take away some of the carriers of the virus and make the spread less prevalent.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I don't think it's possible to do much about the pox in the flock. Unless a bird is so sick that he is easy to catch. You say that 1 out of 4 have pox, and even if you could catch half of them, the others are still with the flock, and able to spread the virus. It will work it's way through the flock, and sadly will thin the numbers down. Maybe you can just keep an eye on them and try to catch any that are obviously struggling, and help them through it. That's probably the best you can do when it comes to a flock.

That's too bad about the babies not making it. When first joining the flock, feral babies would still be under the watchful eye of their parents to help them, and continue teaching them. Unfortunately, your releases don't have that option and are pretty much on their own. This is the problem with releasing, even in a soft release, and many don't make it. When they do go back to roost at night, how do they fit in? If most pairs have a nest or section where they roost for the night, these guys don't really fit in. Look at a loft situation. A new bird in the loft, especially if he is young, really has no clue as to where to go and not to go. A new young bird in the loft will repeatedly try to join others in their boxes or on their perches or shelves. Of course, they get attacked by the property owner, and driven away, so they try another spot, and the same happens, over and over. So in the wild when this happens, the young bird could be injured, or driven out of the flock. If he goes off by himself, he could get lost or predated. It really is better when several young birds can be released together, as they at least do have their own little flock. It's hard, as many other factors go into releasing young birds, that we don't even see or realize. And sadly, many don't make it. If you stop seeing them with the flock, just assuming that they have gone back to another flock that now will not recognize them, may very well not be the case. I agree that being older probably helps the survival rate, and even then can be iffy.


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