# Nebraska Pigeon: is he tame?



## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

At about 11:30pm last night I encounter a very docile pigeon. He let me first pet him then pick him up and he perched on my finger.
I have very limited experience with birds, so I thought about the situation. I thought I would prompt him to fly. I tossed him up a couple feet, he flapped but didn't fly in the slightest. He then stood in the grass for 20 minutes while I called a friend who has a bird. We agreed he was probably sick or poisened. So I picked him up and put him into my truck, he rode infront of the passenger seat. He walked a little bit during the ride, to situation himself more under the warm dash.

I took him home and put wild bird seed and water in a dish in a large rabbit hutch next to our bunny. He still showed no hesitation to letting me hold him.

Today though he was much more lively and would let me get near him. He is still in the cage, I take a couple pictures tonight.

Any help please. 

Should I set him free?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

No, there's obviously some sort of problem. Are there, by any chance, any little yellow hairs sticking out of the feathers anywhere?

Pidgey


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Welcome to Pigeon Talk Love2everyone ~ No please do not set him free. He may need attention. Where in Nebraska are you located?


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

He is safe and I am very comfortable caring for him as long needed. I like birds but have never had one. 
On a side note pigeons seem like an amazing bird. I excited if the bird decides to stay around.
I assumed that I wouldn't be setting him free, right away atleast. The girl at the local pet store I called this morning wondered if he was someone's pet or if he was a fledgling. I assume that is what you asking by the question about the yellow feathers. I don't think he has yellow hairs. are these what are called pin feather?
I live ten miles south of Lincoln, but found him on a city street in Lincoln.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

You said you had taken pics. Can you post some of them?


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Yes, Pigeons are truly amazing and intelligent birds. Normally though if a pigeon will not peck at you or try and get away, fly away, it is generally a sign of weakness, illness or injury. Have you examinded its body to insure there is no bleeding or flesh wounds?


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Sorry I'm at my desk at work and made an error typing, I haven't taken a picture, but I will do that when I get home from work, then I 'll post them.



Victor said:


> Welcome to Pigeon Talk Love2everyone ~ No please do not set him free. He may need attention. Where in Nebraska are you located?





Pidgey said:


> No, there's obviously some sort of problem.
> 
> Pidgey


What might be wrong with him?


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

At this point is is difficult to determine what is wrong with him/her without getting more information from you on its general appearance, and pictures would most definitely help when you can post them.Can you tell us what the poops look like now?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

We assume that there is a problem because in most cases, you don't just pick up a pigeon unless something is wrong.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Ya there were no wounds, unless very small and I can't see them. He was so docile I examined him pretty well. His flapping seemed healthy, and this morning when he was flapping in the hutch he seemed to get a little lift. But again I don't have much experience so maybe he was just jumping a little.

The only odd thing I noticed was a bit of fluid, I would discribe the placement as just above the breast and just below the neck. I don't know if it even came from him, but it was sitting on him. I would describe it as about 4-5 drops worth and clear. If my memory serves me right the fluid had some small bubbles suspended in it, and the fluid had good surface tension in that it was raised up and on top of the feathers.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

There could be a lot wrong with him. Try this: does the keel feel real sharp? That's the breastbone.

Pidgey


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I remember the poops but, not well enough to describe, and since I saw them I've been reading posts on this site all day to become somewhat knowledgeable.
Needless to say I've read a lot more about poops then I've actually seen. So my memory is muddled by all the descriptions I've read today.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

This fluid on the base of the neck--is it possible that it came from a hole down in the feathers? Their crop is in that area and might have gotten punctured. Did this water appear after he took a drink? By the way, has he tried to eat or drink?

Pidgey


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

I understand he is in a hutch of sorts. Place some paper towels of newspaper underneath and check the droppings at this point. Is it drinking water on its own. It is best to have a deep container, as they "sip" as we do from a straw.A normal, healthy dropping is brown or green with a white swirl (urates) in the center, with the shape and consistency of cookie dough.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

The fluid was there last night when I found him on the sidewalk. There was no water around. I when I checked him this morning there not being fluid.
I did see the dropping on the ground and I think they were as you described.
I'm not sure if he ate or drank any. If he did it wasn't enough to notice. I have the water in a deep amount, I read about how they sip. How much would you expect him to drink?
And I put a lot of seed so I don't knw if any is gone. When I get home I'll take some out so it becomes apparent if he eats.


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

When you get home from work, re-check him please, and monitor his food and water intake. If you can stop at the store and buy some *unflavored *Pedyilite drink, that would be great. Replace it with the water he has now. It will help restore some of the electrolytes he/she probably lost. If you can't a cup of water, with a pinch of salt, and a pinch of water will substitute. Check the droppings when you can.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, let's say that he was a 300 gram bird, then he'd drink about a tablespoon's worth a day unless something is wrong. When will you physically see the bird again?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I guess with my imagination flying full bore at the moment, the biggest worry that I'd have right now is that he has a canker lesion (that's not cancer) that has penetrated the chest and liquid is oozing out. I say that as there's no evidence of blood noticed by the rescuer.

Pidgey


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Love2everyone said:


> How much would you expect him to drink?
> And I put a lot of seed so I don't knw if any is gone. When I get home I'll take some out so it becomes apparent if he eats.


They will only drink what they can readily consume...not too much as a general rule.

For one pigeon, two tablespoons maximum of seed should be more than ample.

I have to sign off for a while, but I see Pidgey, and Lovebirds is still available, and I am sure there will be others along as well. Thank you for your interest in helping this pigeon in distress. It was lucky to find you.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I'll get home at 12am(midnight). And I'll take a flash picture, unless thats a bad idea, or unless that won't offer any help. Otherwise I'll take some pictures tonight and post them tonight.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

How long ago did you last see the bird?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

You don't work at a pharmacy by any chance, do you?


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## bevslape (Jul 22, 2005)

A flash picture will be fine. Usually there is someone on here through out the night to see the pictures. Thanks for taking care of this pigeon.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Victor mentioned it finding me. I read a few posts today about a Pigeon seeming to find someone to help. That doesn't seem far off in this instance as the pigeon was right sitting right in front of my truck. 

From what I've read and what you've said about canker it seems rather serious, but other then being docile he doesn't seem inhibited. When I would hold him ackwardly that he didn't like he would flap to move my hands from covering around him, but would stay perched on my finger. As if to say you can hold me but don't do it that way. Is it normal that he didn't want me to hold around him. Does he maybe have a bruised wing.

I'm also asking if he could have canker with the amount of livelyness he displays.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

no i don't work at a pharmacy, and I came to work at 9am today, I checked on him right before I left.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Canker can be widely disseminated and not very bad and it can be very concentrated and horrible. It's always hard to say. I just don't like that it had fluid on its chest for no real reason. I suppose that we can hope that it coughed something up but that's not really that good, either.

And, yes, birds can really try to fool you and behave like there's nothing wrong and then fall dead the next instant. Personally, I'd like to see the bird on a few different medications all on once as soon as possible but the one that I'd like to see the most is Metronidazole, or "Flagyl". If you personally know a pharmacist, it'd be nice if you could pick up just one 250 milligram pill.

Pidgey


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I don't know a pharmacist, is there another way to get this


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

At this time of day? There is a medication for fish tanks called "FishZole" that used to be prevalently used and it was Metronidazole. It's getting harder and harder to find but occasionally you can still find it. I don't think that the larger pet stores (like Petco or Petsmart) carry it anymore. All you can do is start looking in your local phone book for aquarium supplies and start calling.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

What you need to do when you get back to the little fellow is open his beak up and look inside to see if you can find any little yellow bits of cheesy looking stuff. Kinda' like Velveeta. Another thing is to go looking through the feathers where you saw the liquid at. You can probably blow on them while you're looking to help part them. Pigeon skin is kinda' funny but you should be able to see if there's a real problem brewing.

Pidgey


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I'll do that tomorrow when places starting opening for the day. What is Metronidazole used for?


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## A_Smith (Aug 8, 2006)

Love2everyone said:


> The fluid was there last night when I found him on the sidewalk. There was no water around. I when I checked him this morning there not being fluid.
> QUOTE]
> 
> This is a long shot but I am hoping that s/he may have just finished eating (from parrent) before you found it, and was just a sloppy eater. I am new so I am learning also. Can't help you much. But I will keep my fingers crossed for you and the bird.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Okay here is a big pigeon question, how do I catch him if he doesn't want to be caught. Today when I checked him he flapped all over the hutch. So I don't want im to hurt himself flapping all over and banging against the sides if I try to catch him. 

You can tell me if this is a good idea but I thought to throw a pillow case on him and grab him that way? What do you think, I sure you have a way to do it?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Love2everyone said:


> I'll do that tomorrow when places starting opening for the day. What is Metronidazole used for?


Metronidazole is an anti-protozoal. The organism that causes canker (Trichomoniasis) is a flagellating protozoa called a "trichomonad". The response that the body makes is an inflammatory response. In birds, pus is more dense, approaching cream cheese in consistency.

Another question--on a pigeon's nose is a section that is normally white when they're adults. It's on the top beak near the face. Do you remember if this bird had the white part?

Pidgey


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

When you say nose is that beak or no? The beak was somewhat white as I recall. But the hair above the beak, maybe the nose; I don't remeber if there was any white.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

The back half of the top beak is actually a set of nostrils and it's called the "ceres". In an adult bird, it usually gets white. In a nestling or fairly young adult, it's not completely white yet. It's just in front of the feathers. Anyhow, it's just in question whether this is a young bird or not. Some of the behavior could be explained by it being a nestling. If it's an adult, then we're back to the kinds of problems that we've already begun to discuss.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

This bird, for instance, looks like a youngster:

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p285/Tim1046/OurPictures115.jpg

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Whereas the bird in the second picture of this post is definitely an adult:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=171156&postcount=6

Pidgey


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

He is substantially bigger then this bird. When you asked about the yellow hairs earlier I was curious if that was what is called pinfeathers. Pinfeathers was something the petstore girl mentioned. She also mentioned him being young but used the term fledgling. I was hoping he was just young and thats why he didn't fly, but I told the pet store girl that he was big. She said fledglings can still be big. 

Again though, he is bigger then the picture, but maybe that just means he is another breed. He is darker and has some green metalically looking feathering at the base of his neck.

Is there a place I could look through pictures?


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

he kind of looks like these:
http://milov.nl/2006/03/hamburg-pigeon/673
http://www.handr.co.uk/literature/images/feral-pigeon.jpg


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Yeah, all over the site but they're like gold--they're where you find them. Some of the characteristics of that youngster in the picture are normal for a fledgling regardless, though. I'm hoping that's what you've got. We'll know more when you get to see the bird again. If you have Internet at the house, you can get on even at that time of night and someone may be on to help.

Pidgey


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

It's looking as though I'll be leaving sooner then I thought, and yes I will be posting pictures as soon as I take them.


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Love2everyone said:


> Okay here is a big pigeon question, how do I catch him if he doesn't want to be caught. Today when I checked him he flapped all over the hutch. So I don't want im to hurt himself flapping all over and banging against the sides if I try to catch him.
> 
> You can tell me if this is a good idea but I thought to throw a pillow case on him and grab him that way? What do you think, I sure you have a way to do it?


A towel might be better for best potential for gripping the pigeon.Hold the top wings with one hand to keep him from trying to get away. 

I have one that has predominately green iridescent feathers under the neck. The more bright and vibrant ones are good indicators they would be male.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

*Pictures*

Yeah, he let me pet him again.
okay my pictures are too high of resolution, they are too big, I'll go take different pictures. These turned out well though.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

*Here they are*

Okay I think I uploaded them correctly.
I hope a few people are around to offer some incite. What type is he? Is it a he? Any new question?


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

*Normal poops*

​they are white with a greenish streak.
It is a pretty bad picture, because the flash makes the picture turn out completely washed out, and the one I uploaded is the night shot by handheld flashlight.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I think he probably ate and/or drank water while I was gone, because he made a mess of the whole thing. The food and water are in one of those two part dishes(cat sized), and there is a lot of the seed that has been put into the water, and a bunch of seed on the ground underneath.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hello, 

This appears to be an adult feral pigeon, the white cere and coloured eyes indicate an adult of at least 4 months old. I think this bird is older than that however. 

It's really hard to know what is going on with the bird but like others have said, they don't just let a person pick them up so there is definitely something wrong with him. 

If you could provide some kind of extra warmth for the bird, this would help. A heating pad underneath him or a light source over him but not too hot and where he can get away from it if he becomes too warm. Warmth is very important to ill or injured birds so they don't expend too much energy keeping warm rather than healing.

It's hard to see the enlarged poop picture but I think I see good poops in the picture of him in the hutch on the wire floor.

If you can get the metronidazole, this would be a good start, but I think you might need to get some de-worming meds and possibly something for coccidiosis as well. Perhaps another one of our members will be able to help you out with meds.

Good luck and keep us posted on the pigeon.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

What should I be watching for? What should I keep you posted on?


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

You want to watch for any signs of him becoming lethargic, "depressed", fluffed out, unresponsive etc. It would be good if you could get the weight of the bird and keep track of it. Did you feel the breast/keel to see if there is meat on it? 

When I said to keep us posted, I meant with what happens daily. If you get any meds or if the birds starts to improve/get worse, anything unusual that you notice etc. 

There really are so many unknowns here with this pigeon and we can't possible diagnose it over the internet. There are common things they get that can "ground" them such as bacterial infections, worms, coccidiosis. It could also be old age, poison, internal injuries or something else entirely.

If poops are good, this is a very good indicator of what's going on but it's not absolute. The important things right now are warmth, hydration and food and in that order.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I think there is meat on the keel, but I'll go make sure when I put up the heat lamp, tonight.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Sometimes, you have to measure the amount of water and food that you put in and then re-measure it later to see if any is gone. As for poops, there needs to be some solids. They will usually poop a blob of solids that is somewhat dark green to brown with a "whitecap" that is a smear of urates. They will almost always poop out a small blob of dark green that is a smear of bile, even when they haven't had anything to eat in awhile, at least until their GI shuts down. In cases of bad dehydration, it may get to the point where you get a lot of white, chalky stuff out (like Maalox) and that means they need fluids badly and it might need to be given by needle (parenteral administration).

You still need to open the beak and have a look inside and it would be a good idea to call around and see if you have a local vet that could do a "fecal float" test to look for worms and coccidia. A lot of times, vets will do that test without ever even seeing the patient (and charging the full office visit price) but you can tell the vet that it's for your pet bird. It doesn't change how the test is done.

Another thing we can do is feel the wings and rotate them, one at a time, to see if you feel any swellings or bumps that feel odd.

Pidgey


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Love2everyone said:


> I think he probably ate and/or drank water while I was gone, because he made a mess of the whole thing. The food and water are in one of those two part dishes(cat sized), and there is a lot of the seed that has been put into the water, and a bunch of seed on the ground underneath.


Greetings my fellow Nebraskan 

Yes, pigeons are messy eaters and tend to shake the seeds to find the ones they love best. They can be picky when given a nice choice to select from. Many of us place the water and seed dishes away from each other. I also place the grit dishes next to the seeds so they can consume at their leisure.

If possible.try and give us a recent picture of the poops.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

*What a sweet bird*

Wow if this birdy addopts me; I'm hooked. He is so sweet. He let me open his mouth(no yellow). Here are poop pictures. I took a video while I did the whole thing, I going to go try and figure out Youtube, I've never posted there. When I get the video up I'll post a link within the next 20 minutes.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

*I posted the video*

I posted the video. I don't think there is anything wierd about the wings. I can feel the keel fairly well. I would say there isn't much meat on it. No yellow down in his beak. A very small speck of something yellow up by the tip of his beak, on the inside of the bottom jaw. I guess jaw is the word.

It hasn't been processed yet. It says a few minutes but already been 20 minutes so I don't know when the site while post it, but I'll let everyone know. Or you could check in the next few minutes, it should be up soon at this address. 

Now its ready!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7p86bulU4o


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hello Love2everyone, 

I looked at your video and this pigeon definitely seems very feisty, active and alert! I'm wondering now if perhaps this is a down and out homer but one that was never banded. Sometimes pigeons get lost trying to find their way home and become weak from hunger & dehydration. It is possible that this pigeon just needed a good rest and time to refuel. This could also explain his semi-tameness, being a domesticated pigeon.

Again, the poop pictures are quite fuzzy and blury, but I think I see normal poops if I squint my eyes. I think you should just keep offering him rest, warmth and good food for now and see if he comes around in another day or so.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

For how long, and then what. I'd love to be this guy's home, but do think he is someone's pet. Should I put an add in the paper, and call the humane society. Or, could this guy be from far away.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> For how long, and then what. I'd love to be this guy's home, but do think he is someone's pet. *Should I put an add in the paper, and call the humane society*. Or, could this guy be from far away.


No, there is no point in doing this. When a pigeon isn't banded, there is no way to trace the owner. Placing an ad in the paper won't help to find the person who owned him, assuming now that he's a lost homing pigeon.

I'd say keep him, nurse him back to health, the feds won't come after ya, lol


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

There won't be any meat over the actual keel--there's muscles to either side of it. You can tell if a bird is emaciated by whether or not you can pinch the keel bone. If if feels like the blade of a table knife then you know the bird's been starved. If the muscles are so full that you can barely feel the ridgeline, then he's been eating pretty well. Somewhere in between is normal.

Pidgey


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

His keel is somewhere in between, closer to the healthy full muscle side. 

Are we guessing that he is a homng pigeon because he seems healthy but is tame?

What exactly does him being a homing pigeon mean? (pet?, carrier?)

Your so silly, I'm certainly not worried about the feds, just other pigeon owners who would possible be heartbroken if their pet was lost.

But I understand he could have come from afar, so ads are most likely useless.

He can fly enough to get up the walls and then he stands up the wall holding onto the mesh.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> Are we guessing that he is a homng pigeon because he seems healthy but is tame?
> 
> What exactly does him being a homing pigeon mean? (pet?, carrier?)
> 
> ...


I'm only guessing he could be a homing pigeon, it does make sense and his shape and colouring is a little "suspect". Ferals come in all colours too but there is something about the head of this bird and he looks a little more muscular in a way, indicating a homer.

Homing pigeons are domesticated pigeons that are bred to find their way home over long distances. They are raced in competition for money or just for the pleasure of the owner. They are "pets" in a sense yes....but not all fanciers are made out of the same metal. I don't believe that if this pigeon is a lost homer, that the owner is going to die of sadness It's just part of the hobby, the losses are expected and they take those risks by flying them and they all understand that. And as I said, when there is no band, this just makes it next to impossible to find the owner anyway.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Just getting in on this post....sounds like he may be a former-feral that someone raised. Often they will get out of their owner's house by accident, or be released and not willing to leave the area. You might post a few notices around the neighborhood you found him in; when one of my first pigeons got out, he landed on a neighbor's coop several streets over. She posted about him and we were thrilled to have him back, let me tell you!! You could just put up that you found a pigeon, and to have someone call with details to describe the bird so you don't get any weirdos.  Then if nothing happens, at least you know you tried and can feel easy about keeping him as your pet.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

A homing pigeon is by definition a variant of the typical Rock Dove species that has been bred over a very long period to be a superior athletic bird with an incredible instinct for being able to point towards home and fly somewhat straight there. Homing pigeons are often used for races of 600 miles and they usually only take one day's daylight to do it in.

Generally, but not always, the bridge of the nose (the white part) is more massive than the bird you've got there so he may or may not have homer blood in him. If he did and somebody else, somewhere else was waiting anxiously for his return, there's virtually no way on earth that you could find them--only the bird could if he were able to get there and you released him.

Make no mistake, though, this bird isn't as tame as you might have thought. His actions now show that he's a little bit scared of you, just nowhere near as much as he'd be scared of a hawk or a cat. I've got an entire loft full (mostly rescues) and only really have one bird that I can bring in the house that will truly laze around in my hand. We use her for all the Christmas pictures because she's so friendly. All of the others would rather not be held, thank you very much, even though they know who brings the food and water.

Pidgey


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Pidgey said:


> Generally, but not always, the bridge of the nose (the white part) is more massive than the bird you've got there so he may or may not have homer blood in him.
> Pidgey


Not all homers are made the same There are different reasons for varying size of ceres in these birds. Sex, age, and different strains/families of homers in themselves dictate the size of their ceres


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Pigeonpal2002 said:


> his shape and colouring is a little "suspect". Ferals come in all colours too but there is something about the head of this bird and he looks a little more muscular in a way


What is wierd about the colouring of his head? I'll post a better video of him.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> What is wierd about the colouring of his head? I'll post a better video of him.


It's not the colouring of his head, it's the colouring/pattern of his entire body. The head looks bigger, broader and more prominent. The body looks more bulky and muscular, even if he's thin underneath. You said yourself he's quite a big bird Homing pigeons tend to be a little larger and for lack of a better word, "robust" than ferals.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

thats really interesting thank you for your help.
What should I do now? I have the heat lamp on all the time and water and wild bird food.
I guess I need to stop by the pet store for Pigeon seed and Red Pigeon grit.
What else should I do?


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> What should I do now? I have the heat lamp on all the time and water and wild bird food.
> I guess I need to stop by the pet store for Pigeon seed and Red Pigeon grit.
> What else should I do?


Hello, 

Not sure if you were talking to me or not but I think these ideas sound very good Keep him warm, provide good clean seed and water for now and keep an eye on him. Excellent that you will provide a real pigeon mix and grit for him as I'm sure he'd appreciate both

If you are so inclined and as Pidgey suggested, it also wouldn't hurt to take him to an avian vet for a once over. If you are willing, able and want to do this, get them to do a fecal float and general phsyical of the pigeon. You need to find a vet that deals with exotics/birds and will accept a pigeon patient however. Tell them it's your pet bird


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Here is a better video of Horace, better quality and better angles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJkaFTb_-lU


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Love2everyone, 

Nice video and you managed to put music to it SO QUICKLY Well, in actuality, this video is not as good as the first one. Speaking in terms of what we can actually see by the behaviour of the bird, the first one showed a very vibrant, active and energetic pigeon trying to get away from you. This video shows a more docile bird and that can be taken negatively from our point of view. 

Still, he does seem to be mostly ok and healthy. I really do think it's prudent to get the bird to a vet just to be safe and to have an experts' opinion on what might be going on. Whether or not this is a lost homer or not is mostly irrelevant and even though it could explain some things most definitely. 

If it were me, I would do these things: provide the heat, fresh seed and clean water, let him be and adjust to his environment and this means giving him some space, keeping a comfortable distance from him, and then try to get him to a vet for an inspection and to run a few tests. 

If you decide to and think it's worth while to put up a flyer in your neighbourhood regarding a lost pigeon, that is up to you and fine but just be careful as Maryjane has mentioned. There are lots of mean and nasty people out there who DO NOT like pigeons. 

If nobody claims him or calls, then you're free to go ahead and adopt him for yourself and then take on all the responsibilities of housing, food, medical needs etc 

Check out our "Resource" section of the forum and you will find lots of information about care, housing, diseases, nutrition, pigeon supply stores etc.


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

You did a great job posting the two items on You Tube. Horace looks like he was just down on his luck, perhaps tired, hungry, disoriented perhaps, but you did a great job rescuing this pigeon in need. It would probably been a good candidate for prey. 

I was looking at the pictures of the droppings, the second one...to blurry, but from what I can tell from the 1st one, it looks pretty normal.

I believe Brad is right. Looks like you have a homer there. They are more muscular...athletic looking. I have one male (Paris) former racing pigeon that is about 8 years old that I adopted last Summer from a couple in Davenport Iowa. He is a homer...large in stature...good build.

Now, looking at Horace a bit closer, it would not surprise me that he may be a she. The colors around the neck appear in the picture to be "duller" which usually the female pigeons have. I have a female blue bar that we rescued last Summer(Barbie) that has less coloration around her neck compared to the "boys" we have, which are deeper blue, purple or green iridescent coloration around their necks.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, to my mind the music seems a bit on the dramatic side...

However, what I think I see is a feral hen. You never know until you get an egg out the back end, of course, but I think it's a hen. It's definitely old enough to have lived under its own recognizance for enough time to know the street. I think the bulk of the guessing of whether it's a homer or feral is due to the question of tameness. On the one hand, they can get pretty docile when they're sick with something and you could easily assume they're tame. And on the other hand, if they're used to humans they can be quite tame, regardless of whether they're of royal blood (homer) or just feral (commie).

Going with the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) principle, the most likely scenario is that the bird has been sick with something and is a feral. That said, it becomes necessary to discover if there is a medical condition that's going downhill and that's what the vet tests would be for. I've seen a bunch of birds that were strong enough to evade me but were going to die within hours at the rate they were going. There are a few things that they can get that will knock the stuffing out of them and you can just pick 'em up, though. You just hope that time and diagnostics will tell. They are probably the toughest bird on the planet, though, and can recover from an awful lot as long as they've got safety, warmth, good food and clean water. There are few diseases and parasites that they need help with and that's really the first order of business here.

Pidgey


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Oh, one ,more thing, If you go to Pet co, you can get _Katytee Paloma-Dove _mix, which has a good blend of needed pigeon seeds, plus has nutrients and vitamins in it. Safflower seeds are available also, but give it to him/her in smaller quantities. It is like candy to them, but most pigeons love it. We can discuss other low cost food options later that are readily available at most super marts, like raw unsalted peanuts,raw shelled unsalted sunflower seeds, lentil seeds, dried split green peas, and on and on!

You seem like a very caring person. Good job on your rescue!


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Love2everyone~ If you are going to running around the next day or so, if I may steer you to the local health store in Lincoln (GNC?) Get Bragg's Raw Unfiltered _Apple Cider Vinegar _(*ACV*). It costs less than 3 bucks, and goes a long way. It is a very good healthy supplement to to Horace's water. I give mine a dose of it a couple of times a week on staggered days as a good preventative measure. I add a teaspoon and a half to a half gal. of water. Shake the bottle well before adding, and when you mix it up, shake it again. I would increase the dosage to 2 teaspoons for Horace as a start. I firmly believe it saved my Barbie's life last summer when I found her on the curb after a terrible thunderstorm that we had here in Omaha.It certainly boosted her immune system.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I understand about the bird being less lively, I just meant a better video in terms of being able to see the bird better. If you want I can go out and see how much I can get the bird work up. Just joking.

I have some Eden Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar. I'm sure that would do (I love that stuff), who woud have guessed; good for birds great for humans. I always have apple cider vinegar around. I have a petco very close by and will get that stuff soon. 

The music was really the only music clip that I had on my computer. Other then my wife's Dixie Chics songs. I know it was extra dramatic but it made more interesting then me and Mrs. Horace(I don't know what I'll call her, now) restling around.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Pidgey said:


> There won't be any meat over the actual keel--there's muscles to either side of it.
> 
> Pidgey


Hey Pidgey....I just caught this, you are such a nit picker! LOL  You KNEW what I was getting at 

Someone needs a good beating I see and now that I'm in "costume", I'm ready to do battle, lol

Victor, great mention on the ACV , paloma mix and possible hen attributes of love2everyone's pigeon, due to the less vibrant neck colours


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Actually pigeonpal I think Pidgey was being perseptive about a misunderstanding I had. I mentioned something about there not being meat covering the keel and Pidgey noticed that I misunderstood what everyone was saying. I took Pidgey's comment as dirrected at me because I knew that I had misunderstood.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> Actually pigeonpal I think Pidgey was being perseptive about a misunderstanding I had. I mentioned something about there not being meat covering the keel and Pidgey noticed that I misunderstood what everyone was saying. I took Pidgey's comment as dirrected at me because I knew that I had misunderstood.


Could be..but you don't know Pidgey like *WE* do You are probably right in your thoughts, but it's fun for us to nettle him at times too and I'm JUST starting to get on that bandwagon


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

*Looking good*



Love2everyone said:


> I have some Eden Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar. I'm sure that would do (I love that stuff), who woud have guessed; good for birds great for humans. I always have apple cider vinegar around. I have a petco very close by and will get that stuff soon.


 The Eden product will work just fine. If I may suggest , Add two teaspoons to a half gal. of water, and give it to "Horace" or Horacia, for the next couple of days, and then switch to regular water. It will boost her greatly. You will be amazed.Good luck to you all.


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Pigeonpal2002 said:


> Could be..but you don't know Pidgey like *WE* do You are probably right in your thoughts, but it's fun for us to nettle him at times too and I'm JUST starting to get on that bandwagon



Yup, we like to nettle him sometimes but we all love the guy! He is our "on site pijie expert" .

Oh, by the way Love2everyone, congratulations on your pigeon promotion here! I see you are officially a "Youngbird" now!


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

My vote is also that she is a hen.  But only time (and eggs) will tell.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

She has fresh food and ACV water. She still behaves the same.

How often, when should I expect to see an egg, if it is in fact a she?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> She has fresh food and ACV water. She still behaves the same.
> 
> How often, when should I expect to see an egg, if it is in fact a she?


Well, if she's a hen, she will have to "be in love" to lay eggs. Female pigeons will lay without a male bird around, but they must have a mate of some sort, and in many cases, that's their "human" companion. They aren't like chickens that lay every day, all the time, without a really good reason to except they are chickens and that's what chickens do. LOL If she's a hen, a lot will depend on how close to you she gets. I wouldn't be looking for eggs for a while at least..........


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

A male is necessary to fertilize the egg and complete the cycle of pigeonhood, but as Lovebirds stated, she could "fall in love" with you eventually. I have had a female blue bar since mid Summer and she has not produced anything yet. She used to be "fond" of me, but she has been courting her boyfriend Paris, for about 2 months now, much kissing, preening,etc,but still no egg.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Victor said:


> A male is necessary to fertilize the egg and complete the cycle of pigeonhood, but as Lovebirds stated, she could "fall in love" with you eventually. I have had a female blue bar since mid Summer and she has not produced anything yet. She used to be "fond" of me, but *she has been courting her boyfriend Paris, for about 2 months now, much kissing, preening,etc,but still no egg*.



Patience, Victor, patience...ROFL   I'm sure they are getting to "know" one another...


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

*Paris and Barbie*

Actually I am hoping the couple in love will wait til early Spring to bless me with pigeon #7, but if it happens, well, we...I mean, they will deal with it...maybe the first option is best suited for me. I know I will be on pins and feathers if it happens. They are a couple meant for one another, and he is such a gentleman with her, it amazes me. They are truly in love. 

I hope the Lincoln pigeon is doing well.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> She has fresh food and ACV water. She still behaves the same.


Hi love2everyone, 

It will take some time for the pigeon to become used to it's strange surroundings and you. Even if this is a domestic racing pigeon, it needs time to acclimate itself in a new place. 

The ACV doesn't work overnight and it's not a drug so you're not going to see an improvement like what you might be expecting. It's just a good additive to use that stimulates good bacteria and promotes health.

Have you decided if you're going to take the bird to an avian vet? How are the poops, still looking good? Have you seen the pigeon eat yet or know if it's eating?

Spend a lot of time around the bird, but at a distance, try not to disturb it too much for a few more days. Maybe on Tues or Wed you could try testing her wings again inside your house. Take her into a small(er) room and one that is very uncluttered and empty of you can. A bathroom might be ok too but you'll need to make sure the floor is cushioned or put down a mattress on the floor...something though. Two people holding a sheet might be a good secondary precaution to use as a net to catch her if she falls to the ground.

What I'm trying to get at is see if she'll fly a bit in a small room, but have precautions in place to make sure she doesn't hurt herself. Make sure there are no other pets around and that the door is closed too. If you use the bathroom, make sure the toilet lid is closed and the bathtub/shower is closed off. Block off mirrors and close windows.

Please do continue to keep us posted on the bird daily if you can.


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## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

I've only just read this thread but, it reminded me of one of my birds.

This summer I got a phone call from folks who found her, the daughter wanted to keep her because she was so 'tame'. She had simply picked her up in the park. In actual fact, she had probably met a hawk and flew into the ground in her panic. She was healthy an every other way but, was unable to fly due to a broken keel. I kept her confined to a box for a while then let her loose in the loft. Before long she was recovered and was out loft flying.

Good luck with your pigeon.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Sorry for not updating; we have horses and I was working outside with them all day. It being so cold and snowy outside I was completely out of energy yesterday.

I didn't post because there has been no news. Steady progress. Thank you for your suggestions tuesday or wednesday I'll try her in the house. 

She ate all of her food probably a quarter cup in two days (that is a rough estimate). I wondered though; I still have the heat lamp on her, but I read in something about putting a towel over the bird cage in certain situations. Is the lamp on in the hutch 24 hours a day going to cause any problems?


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Could her bunny pal even cause her to lay an egg, Haha? They are a funny pair, but they do interact with each other a lot. Mostly Betty(the birdy) intimidates the bunny.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I understand the advantages of using apple cider, and I didn't expect immediate effects. However she seems completely healthy; I don't really know. What more needs to happen?

Ya, we take our dogs to a vet out here that visits the TSC store, and makes house calls. I will ask him about their bird experience. I'm sure he has training about birds and feel comfortable with him.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> Sorry for not updating;
> I didn't post because there has been no news. Steady progress. Thank you for your suggestions tuesday or wednesday I'll try her in the house.
> 
> She ate all of her food probably a quarter cup in two days (that is a rough estimate). I wondered though; I still have the heat lamp on her, but I read in something about putting a towel over the bird cage in certain situations. *Is the lamp on in the hutch 24 hours a day going to cause any problems? *





Love2everyone said:


> However she seems completely healthy; I don't really know. *What more needs to happen?*
> 
> Ya, we take our dogs to a vet out here that visits the TSC store, and makes house calls. I will ask him about their bird experience. *I'm sure he has training about birds and feel comfortable with him.*


Hi Love2everyone, 

Thanks for the update on what is going on with your pigeon. The good news is that the bird is still alive and is showing steady progress according to yourself. Sounds like he/she is eating well enough as well.

Regarding the heat lamp, you could probably stop using it now as it seems like the pigeon isn't in dire straights. However, you did mention it's been cold and snowy there. Where is the hutch, is it in a barn or just exposed to the elements? If you plan on keeping this bird, then it's going to need appropriate shelter for the winter, from the wind and snow etc. They are hardy birds but they do need to be able to take shelter from wind, blowing snow, rain etc. Also, does this heating lamp give off a lot of light? If it does, this might be disturbing the pigeon and your bunny at night with sleeping. 

The pigeon did seem mostly healthy to me in the videos as well. I think what you need to ascertain is whether or not the bird has regained his ability to fly. This is the reason you were lead to our forum in the first place....finding a pigeon that couldn't or wouldn't fly that you were able to pick up. When you do test the pigeon in your house, please make sure you have all kinds of safety precautions in place like I mentioned because we don't want it to get hurt crashing to the floor or into a hard surface. Be very careful transporting the pigeon from the hutch to your house as well. You don't want him to squirm loose and escape without having regained full mobility of flight but get just far enough out of reach where you can't catch it again. Placing him into a box for transport to the house would probably be best. 

Let us know how this all plays out when you test the pigeon. If you test the bird in a small room and he appears to fly somewhat ok or enough to prevent himself from crashing to the ground, then you could try him in a big room. All the same things apply in a big room though if at all possible. Preferably a room with not too much clutter and one where there are no other pets, no dangerous things around where the bird could fall behind a shelf or get stuck somewhere trying to get away. Try to think of anything possible that might go wrong and then see about preventing it before doing these test flights.

As for your vet, he may or may not know very much about pigeons. I think you just need to figure out whether the bird has regained enough strength to fly and then we can take things from there.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Pigeonpal2002 said:


> Hey Pidgey....I just caught this, you are such a nit picker! LOL  You KNEW what I was getting at





Love2everyone said:


> Actually pigeonpal I think Pidgey was being perseptive about a misunderstanding I had...





Pigeonpal2002 said:


> Could be..but you don't know Pidgey like *WE* do You are probably right in your thoughts, but it's fun for us to nettle him at times too and I'm JUST starting to get on that bandwagon...


There, see? Yet another example illustrating how much I'm picked on... 

(Bursting into song)

"NOOOOBOODDYY KNOOOOWS THE TROUUBLE I'VE SEEENN.... "

Pidgey the Persecuted


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## Unie (May 4, 2006)

Pidgey said:


> There, see? Yet another example illustrating how much I'm picked on...
> 
> (Bursting into song)
> 
> ...


Oh, Dad...

I love you and all, but... you know... sometimes you are SO full of it...

Unie


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I'm not sure about the poops. I think they are normal, but I haven't been able to get any good pictures, so I tried a short video. Yes a poop video. Although it is hidden so people won't happen upon the video; only be able to view it with this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN316SBDs_M


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Uh, it is so well hidden I couldn't find it.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Pidgey, Pidgey, Pidgey! Persecuted my foot! 

Using that sweet baby is shameless. Just you wait until Shi comes on.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> I'm not sure about the poops. I think they are normal, but I haven't been able to get any good pictures, so I tried a short video. Yes a poop video. Although it is hidden so people won't happen upon the video; only be able to view it with this link.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN316SBDs_M



This is what comes up when you try to view the video?

_This is a private video. If you have been sent this video, please make sure you accept the sender's friend request_


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

I agree with Maggie! 

"Using" a blind pigeon is despicable...HOWEVER, UNIE is VERY special AND a SPP (Super Power Pij). She can take care of herself (has to - living with Pidgey).  

She is ALSO extremely perceptive..."full of it is RIGHT" and "bird seed" is NOT what she meant!


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

ya, I realize now; that didn't work. So now my poop video is public:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN316SBDs_M


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, that's some of the crappiest video I think I've ever seen. However, I don't see anything visibly wrong with those poops.

Pidgey


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I know you can't see it very well but that is a pretty extreme response. Maybe you are making a joke saying that the poop video is crappy.

I can't get my camera to focus on the poop, either in the video or in pictures it focuses on what is behind the poop. As in the video you see that the hutch wall in the background is what is being focused onto.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Yeah, I couldn't resist making a joke there, sorry!

Most cameras don't focus too closely--usually you're starting to get fuzzy any closer than four feet.

Pidgey


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Yes, Pidgey was making a joke .. kind of a crappy one, huh?  Seriously, the poops look pretty normal to me. 

Terry


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## Coolpigeon (Feb 2, 2006)

I saw your video. It is a little fuzzy but from I can see, it does look solid and well formed.How is she doing tonight?


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

I have to agree with my grandson. You now have 4 approvals on her poop!


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

oops

This is a picture of the hutch. The shed behind the hutch is blocking north wind, and right be hind me(the picture taker) is our house. The hutch seems gaurded between the building, and the left part of the hutch is enclosed on all sides except open mesh screen bottom. The snow blew pretty hard on sunday and there was some snow in the open part of the hutch but none in the back part.

What does everyone think about this as a pigeon home?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Eric,

That looks like a pretty good pigeon house. You might want to consider putting down something on the mesh floor in the enclosed area during the winter to allow for a bit more warmth in that section or perhaps making a nest box in that section that has a solid bottom. If it gets really cold and nasty, then you could temporarily cover the open sides with a painter's tarp or plastic.

Does the bird have something to perch on in there? A brick, 4x4, or a piece of cinder block or cement paver works well. Pigeons like to perch on a flat surface as opposed to a round perch like is used for hookbills.

Thanks for the picture!

Terry


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I was going to ask about something for her to stand on. Because I don't have anything in there except the water and food bowl, which is plastic. She tands on the side of the dish some times, so I wanted to ask if maybe she doesn't like standing on the cold metal mesh all the time?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

It's not just that the bird might not want to stand on the mesh wire but more that they really like a flat surface to perch/stand on. Just a piece of 4x4 or 2x4 wood will work fine. I suggested the brick, cinder block, paver because those are rough and will also help keep the toenails "trimmed". 

Terry


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Love2everyone said:


> What does everyone think about this as a pigeon home?


I like it! Many pigeon owners keep their pigeons in hutches. Two would be quite comfortable the one you have.

I was considering a couple of hutches when I only had 4 pigeons. I have 6 now, so I had to go the coop route.

It is good that the hutch is away from the north. Pigeon housing that faced mainly south is good as it provides good morning/some afternoon sun exposure.

If I may suggest Eric, I would add a piece of plastic that could be opened up later in the morning for ventilation, but keep more of the cold draft out.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

This is a short video of Betsy(formorly Horace), on the side of her cage after I reached in, she is very lively, and flies a little in her cage. After my son'e nap I will try her in the house.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d76jQ5rd6c


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

she flies around the bathroom. Flight test was successful. I'll post the video address once it gets posted.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Here is the video of Betsy's short bathroom flight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKTW9JVA93Q


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Betsy looks very healthy and content in her new home and surroundings. Her white feathers really accentuate her looks. Nice video.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> Here is the video of Betsy's short bathroom flight:


Hi Love2everyone, 

Great, excellent!!!!  I'm so glad to hear that the flight test was successful! Betsy appears to be in great condition and now you need to test her in a bigger room where more sustained flight would be possible.

As it would seem, there is nothing wrong with this pigeon's ability to fly and the bird definitely seems quite healthy

If you've decided to keep her, and if the next test flight proves that she is able to fly for a longer duration, you might just want to consider getting her a mate in the not too distant future 

You've done a great job caring for and looking after this pigeon that was "brought" to you under uncertain circumstance


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Are you checkin' out my bird

Actually I really appreciate your comment. You have really been a lot of help. I want to stay active on this forum, but I don't think I know enough to help others out yet. Maybe I will stay and ask more questions. 

As an ending I would like people to suggest on Betsy's future. 
Should I possibly let her go at some point thinking she would return to her previous home?
If I were to do this when would she be ready, I don't think so, but maybe she is ready now?
If she stayed with us, what more does she need in her life? 
-food -housing -attention and -exposure
By exposure I partially mean; what is with the talk of exersize? How does that work? I read something about the birds of course needing excersize so does that happen in a big cagged building, in my house, or is it that I let he out when she is health and hope she flies around a little and comes back into her cage?

A guess that is when I find out if she has adopted us or if she wants to be free, or if she wants to back to a previous home.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> Actually I really appreciate your comment. You have really been a lot of help.
> 
> As an ending I would like people to suggest on Betsy's future.
> *Should I possibly let her go at some point thinking she would return to her previous home?*
> ...


Hi Love2everyone, 

I'm glad that my suggestions and advice have been helpful to you. We all really want this pigeon to be healthy and happy Yes, do stay, you are more than welcome to.

I don't think you should release her and not yet anyway. We really don't even know for sure whether she was once a domestic pigeon or is a wild one. 

To me, it seems that you are quite smitten with this bird and she is also quite trusting and tame towards you too. I believe she would like a mate to be happy, as pigeons are very social birds. They live to be with a mate, build nests, raise or attempt to raise familes

The only reason I suggest to get her a mate is because she would likely be an outdoor pigeon at your house. This is fine but a bit of a lonely existance for her out there in the hutch by herself. I don't think the bunny can offer her exactly what she needs, lol. Would you consider bringing her indoors and becoming a "house" pigeon? This would tame her up even more and if she had the company of humans around all the time, then she wouldn't need a mate necessarily and to keep her company.

Yes, pigeons do require excersise and to be healthy. This means that they are given time, space and room to flap, "helicopter" and fly for even short flights indoors in a room or outdoors in a loft/aviary. The don't need to fly marathons to be kept in shape 

Keep her for a while longer, get her back to full health and then decide what you feel is best. I'm sure others will offer their opinions as well as to what you should do with Betsy and how to make her happy


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Eric, I was about to call it a day, but read your last post.

It would be great to have another good pigeon person (especially another Nebraskan!) on the forum. As far as helping others, you will do well and in time, will be able to help another person in need...sooner than you think. I joined in December of 2004 after having rescued my 1st pigeon Tooter, in the previous April or May.This forum is a wealth of information, and all it takes is a bit of time reading, and getting to know your way around the sections here.

As far as the future of Betsey is concerned, that is entirely up to you Eric. You are her caretaker and have been since she found you when she was in need of some help. I am convinced that pigeons have an instinct where to go when they are "down and out". 

It is up to you to decide if you should release her to go where she came from. But, what if she came from a place that really did not want her? And another factor to consider is that Hawks are really on the watch this time of the year for food.I would worry about her becoming a victim. And winter has not really started here in Nebraska...the worse is yet to come.If you must release her, can you wait till early spring, and if you do, please release her near a feral flock that she can join.

Pigeons do not ask for much or really need a lot. Just that you take a small part of your day, as you would with any pet that you may have. 

They do not require too much , just a little attention and good care.

As far as exercise time, yes, that is important. It has been suggested here that a pet pigeon that is otherwise contained, be given a minimum of two hours free flight time to do what they love best...fly. It keeps them in shape and exercises their wings and spirit. I used to allow mine free time in the house before I built my pigeon coop last Summer, but 6 pigeons, whew, it was a challenge and not really good for them, or us.

Now that we have the coop, I can allow them to fly about much of the day. In the evening, most of them are trained now to go into their respective cages. I close the doors, and turn on the heat on medium. My coop has Plexiglas in the center section and plastic on the other sides. We hope to add a flight aviary attached to the coop as a Spring add-on.

As far as food ,I get Kaytee pigeon dove mix from Petco because they like the variety and has nutrients and vitamins in the blend including corn which is important for pigeons in the Winter. I can get pigeon feed it at the feed store, but I trust the brand I get.I do get the safflowers at the feed store, but Wal-Marts now have this available as well. 

Lentils, split green peas, unsalted raw sunflower seeds (given minimally) are available at most Super marts.You already have the ACV in check which is good for a healthy pigeon. 

I personally hope you keep her, but the choice is yours sir. I think it was meant to happen.Pigeons do make excellent pets. Good luck to you whatever you decide.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Eric, 

It's been a long time since you let us know how things are going with Betsy. I sure hope things are ok with her. Do you still have her, has she fully regained flight, did you let her go? I see that your last visit here was on January 8th. 

It's so easy for us to get side tracked with all the members posts, the questions and just keeping up daily with this VERY busy forum But for some reason today, I remembered you and Betsy and I hope that you've just been busy and haven't had time to post about what's going on.

I know the other members would be interested in hearing an update


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Betsy is doing fine but I'll start a new post for help.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Eric, 

Thanks for letting us know Betsy is doing well, when you have time, fill us in a bit more


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

I have the pigeon food that Victor; suggested Betsy likes it and she seems to be happy. She flaps while Bob the bunny gets food and water because she knows her's is comming. However she is less tame or maybe just more lively. But either could be the case because I don't get a chance to handle her much. 
I was raised to think that it was hard on animals to be brought inside during the cold of the winter. That the temperature change is something they aren't used to and something that is had on animals. Is this true for pigeons? And is this really true for any animals?
Given that I have been apprehensive of this, I haven't brought Betsy inside to fly again.
Someone brought up having her fly in a bigger room of the house. won't she poop all over?
Obviously I'm a newbie.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Poop all over? Well, that does kinda' depend on the bird. Some birds get nervous easy and they can leave some wet (watery) poops around that are really fun to clean up and others can leave the driest poops that clean real easy. Some birds will stay on your shoulder so if you wear a towel, you're fine. Others are all over the place. Sometimes they don't recognize you in a new place and you end up chasing them all over to get them back out to the aviary and they poop in every place they stop. The sky is literally the limit when it comes to pigeon poop, its variety and quantity

Pidgey


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Love2everyone said:


> I was raised to think that it was hard on animals to be brought inside during the cold of the winter. That the temperature change is something they aren't used to and something that is had on animals. Is this true for pigeons? And is this really true for any animals?
> Given that I have been apprehensive of this, I haven't brought Betsy inside to fly again.
> Someone brought up having her fly in a bigger room of the house. won't she poop all over?


We have a pigeon coop out in the back yard where we keep our 6 pigeons, and though it has a space heater, it is not insulated yet, so we brought our pigeons in along with their cages indoors where they are staying in the laundry room that faces our back yard. They have been inside for almost two weeks now, and they do appreciate the warmth and the extra human attention. We live only a few minutes from each other, so I know it had been fridged at your place too. I remember at least once hearing on the radio that even if you keep pets outdoors as a norm, to bring them inside. We have had some below freeze temps though they are getting better this week, Yesterday took most of mine out to the coop to fly and stretch their wings, which was more time than they have had while indoors. Two of them remain indoors performing their parental egg watching/sitting duties. They are out in the coop again today, but will be inside before dark. We are maybe just overprotective caregivers, but I know they are warm and happy.

As far as the poop problem...well, when we just had the one pigeon, it was not too much of a problem as he found his favorite "hang out" to perch on, and we just placed newspapers underneath, so it was not an issue. Just see where Betsy chooses to roost , and she will probably have a few, and go from there. Two hours flight time is the suggested time if one has an indoor pet pigeon. I see you have a nice size hutch where maybe she can spend the day, and maybe at night, you guys can just bring her in. I have 6 small animal cages that we get from Wal-mart. Large enough for them to stretch and flap their wings. This is not optimal as a larger setting such as your hutch or my coop, but comfortable enough for eating and sleeping in.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Love2everyone said:


> I was raised to think that it was hard on animals to be brought inside during the cold of the winter. *That the temperature change is something they aren't used to and something that is had on animals. Is this true for pigeons?*
> Given that I have been apprehensive of this, I haven't brought Betsy inside to fly again.
> Someone brought up having her fly in a bigger room of the house. won't she poop all over?
> Obviously I'm a newbie.


Hi Eric, 

It's not hard on pigeons to be brought inside during the winter at all, they don't necessarily need to be brought in and unless it gets bitterly cold & blustery. Bringing animals inside during severe winter weather is usually recommended anyway.

The "problem" lies in big temperature fluctuations and often ones. They need to slowly acclimate themselves from going from warm to cold, but not really from cold to warm. 

I was the one who suggested you try to fly her in a bigger room in your house, but this was mostly to see if her flying ability had improved significantly and to the point where she was back to "normal". 

She would make a good indoor pet though, probably would tame to you much faster and she could be housed in a cage inside too. You'd just need to allow her some time outside of her cage for an hour or two daily to do some free flying and exercise.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

*Hello again*

I don't think I'm providing a very good home for Betsy. I've taken care of all the health needs perfectly and I do like her, but she is less interested in me. Maybe this is because she was a homing pigeon and got lost disoriented and I found her somewhat tame. But I don't have her inside and I can't get a handle on how to interact with her. My wife didn't like the couple times I let Betsy fly around inside because she left a messy poop, and shebangs into the windows. 

I'm open to suggestions about my ability to provide an adequite life for this bird, but I'm leaning toward letting her go. 

My wife brought up if we could keep her as a pet but leave he cage open, would she still live in the hutch or would she fly away never to be seen again. I'm sure either are possibilities, should I try it out and find out.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Betsy has messy poops inside but I assure you her poops are normal when she is outside. Maybe it is anxiety why she made a mess while inside.

The time she spent inside it seems that she can fly sufficiently.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

In my opinion, with time, this bird can become a good indoor pet. BUT.......you would have to deal with the poop issue. You are right about her droppings being messy indoors. Anytime these birds are stressed, their poop goes off a little. Taking her into a new enviroment probably set that off. I know you have the wife to contend with,...I"m in the same boat, except it's the husband here.  Only the two of you can figure that out.
Regardless of what you decide to do, letting her go shouldn't be an option. If you can't care for her or if you think she's unhappy, then you should try to find a home for her either as a pet or with someone who has a loft. 
I would think that if she isn't getting much human interaction, that she probably is quite lonely.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Her being lonely, is mainly whatI'm worried about. I completely respect and respect your response. However, as someone who doesn't understand (yet I want to understand). Why is it that it isn't a good idea to let the pigeon go, are there not many wild pigeons that function successfully? I would love to learn something new. and what kind of cages do people keep their pigeons in if they live inside?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

My concern is, that as far as I remember, we never determined if this was actually a wild pigeon, a pet pigeon, or a lost unbanded race bird. Without going back and reading all 9 pages of posts, was it ever determined that this was a youngster or an adult? If we knew for sure that this was a wild bird to begin with, then I would say, yes, take her where there's a flock and let her go. But the uncertainty as where this bird originated from, makes it very difficult for me to think she could function in a feral flock. If she couldn't, then she would wind up in the same shape as she was when you found her, except that she might not be lucky enough to find a caring human such as your self, if she could find a human at all. 
Please keep in mind, that this is my opinion only. I'm very surprised that no one else has chimed in with their thoughts. 
The OTHER option you have is to build her a decent size loft/house/coop and get her a companion. Have you considered that? Getting another pigeon would be NO PROBLEM.....believe me. 
As far as an inside cage, you'd be better off hearing from some members who actually keep some or one bird inside. I have over 100 birds and all of them are in the loft.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Oh okay Lovebird, I understand thank you.

I have thought about the idea of getting her a mate. Yes, this is an adult if you wanted to look back at the pictures and the videos maybe you could offer incite into her being a feral or a homing pigeon. Also I would want to be fairly sure about this being a she bird before finding a mate.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

Could she be releasable either way if there was a mate.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

It's not impossible and it's not "unheard" of for people to re-home a pigeon. There is a member here, Roxtar, that has a couple of birds that he bought at a flea market. Don't know how old they are, but they are adult birds for sure, don't know where they came from, but, he has them flying around his house. I've seen them fly. To be honest, I don't have to guts to try anything like that. I tried turning a couple of birds loose here that we raised in MI and brought with us to VA. They were never flown in MI. They were two years old and had mates. I let them out, they took off and I never saw them again. Their names were Lil' Red and Junior. I've never tried that again.  
The only way to know if she would stay is to let her out. If she does, fine, if not, then it's up to you whether you will worry about her, where she is, is she finding food, is she starving to death? 
As far as knowing whether she's a hen or not, you could go this route.......get a hen. If your bird is a hen, they will still fall "in love" with each other, lay eggs, pull nest duty and be very happy to do it. If your bird is actually a cock, then you'll have a true pair. 
I did go and look at your pictures. I think it looks like a homer, but all ferals don't look like ferals, so it's actually not really possible to tell. Just a guess.


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## Love2everyone (Dec 28, 2006)

so you said it was easy, how is that I would get a hen. Is there someone to tell that I would be interesting in rescuing another pigeon pal.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Love2everyone said:


> so you said it was easy, how is that I would get a hen. *Is there someone to tell that I would be interesting in rescuing another pigeon pal*.


You just told the right folks, Eric .. there are ALWAYS pigeons all over that need to find a good home. Be a bit patient, and I'll bet we can find you a pigeon pal pretty quickly.

Terry


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