Greetings!

[Dezirrae]

Hi Bernadette,

I was wondering how Bo was doing... hope s/he's continueing to make progress. I look forward to an update when you have time

[nikku-chan]

Hey Bernadette!
Glad to hear that Bo is doing so well.
I think i'm going to build some kind of aviary for Pecky, as feral pigeons are far less stressed in captivity.

I'm hoping if i get her a mate she will like him! From what i've read on here, pigeons tend to only pick and choose when they can...so usually, even if they don't like eachother at first, eventually they should.

I'm really facing a huge dilemma though. I really don't know what is right. Whether i should keep her so she has her health and a safe place to be and medicine if she needs it and security etc...or whether it would be better to somehow try to socialise her enough to let her go, and hope that she joins a flock. Either way i go, i could be making a mistake.

My mum says she'd rather 3 years of being free, then 15 years of being captive. But i don't know how Pecky would feel about it. I wish she could talk :P

To make sure that Bo comes to you when he's older, call him and hold your hand out with his most favourite food and make a special noise that you only make at that time. Pecky has picked it up pretty quickly. Sometimes she even lands on my head. Then, if Bo ever gets out into the world, or if you do release him, he will come back to you when you call him. I hope it works that way anyway.

I have a shed too, but it has a concrete floor, and water gets in between the iron and the floor, and it gets really damp when it's rainy. I hope yours isnt the same, because i've heard that damp environments are really bad for pigeons.

Has Bo started flying yet, or are Doves different in that respect?

Anyway, make sure you post some pics soon
Nikku x

[Athalie]

Greetings everyone! Hope you are all well and had a great weekend!
Hello Nikku! Hope you’re ok too and your sweet Peky! I agree with your mum on this subject, that I would rather live just 3 years free than 15 captive. Ever since I found Bo I intended to release him, but I thought the parents would take interest in him again. Now that I know they won’t I would rather keep him… hurts when I think of him all alone outside at night in cold n all I’m being silly… I certainly kept the handling to a minimum, I take him with me everywhere in the house but I try not to pick him up n cuddle him as much.
He isn’t flying yet, he is trying but he can only get from the top of the bed to the floor and always lands awkwardly on his crop. He might still be very young, he still has fluff on his back only just starting to get his proper feather. It might be his wing though, I’ve noticed that a while ago, that his right wing sort of sticks out away from his body but it never seemed to trouble him in any way it just looks weird. I will post loads of pictures soon, have to get hold of my fiancés phone, mine fell in water n is knocked out and I don’t have a camera. I will try to get one of that wing too, see if we can figure out why it’s like that.
He is absolutely the sweetest thing I have ever seen, I always stare at him while he’s grooming, he does that A LOT
Wish everyone a great day! Finally we have some sunshine in England too missed it after all the rain.
I will try to post those pics this afternoon or as soon as I can, he has grown so much has trouble turning in his box
PIGEONS AND DOVES RULE! Just wanted to shout that sorry

[cyro51]

Hi Nikku-Chan,

When I rescued my first pigeon I shared your mother's view, and sent her off to a rehabber for release in the wild. Since then I have found out that according to many the average lifespan of a feral pigeon is 2 years.

Last year I rescued 6 sick pigeons from a flock that is fed and inspected daily. They recovered quickly and were released back into the same flock three weeks later, each was banded so that I would be sure to recognise them again. Within 6 moths they had all disappeared from the flock.

When we talk of "freedom" and "captivity" we think of open skies and a small cage...but (at least in the UK) the freedom that a feral pigeon enjoys appears to me to be very much like the freedom that a homeless person, sleeping in doorways and begging for food, has. Their "captivity" appears to be much like our daily routine , shuttling securely between home and work with brief breaks for socialising.

Twice I have found pigeons trying to get into my aviary. One was a youngster that we had released ans who came back the next day to cling to the aviary as she tried to reach the other piegeons. The other was a strange white pigeon that came and sat on the aviary for two days until we gave in and let her join us. Having shown quite plainly that they wanted to get in to the aviary, neither has shown any desire to leave...nor have any of our other "captive" pigeons.

Cynthia

[John_D]

I must echo Cynthia's view, both from my own observations of our 'captive flock' and those who frequent the balcony at my apartment.

(At the aviary, there was a third one, Star, who one day just wandered out when the doors were less secure and took off to explore. Within 2 or 3 days he was back, pecking around outside the wire, and Cynthia quickly led him back inside where he went straight back to his mate.)

I sometimes refer to my balcony as the 'aviary without wire'.

I have pigeons who come to feed and enjoy a bath, and six to eight who make the balcony their 'home', and roost each night. One pair have been nesting here (usually on dummy eggs) for just under four years. The pigeons roost around the apartment blocks or at the church a few hundred yards away. During the day, most spend their time lounging on the long roof across the street.They actually live in a very small world, because that is their nature.

I see little difference in how these free pigeons live and how our aviary birds live, really, especially when my 'balcony residents' go no further than across the street

'My' lot do, admittedly, have the freedom to do a few laps around the block, but aside from that they just don't go anywhere. But how the members of this gathering change! I have one dear pigeon who visits and who is now entering the tenth year since I first met him, plus three or four of my 'stay-at-homes' who have hung out here for quite a while, but with the others it seems like I start to recognize them as regulars and then they disappear.

In the aviary at Cynthia's, the pigeons do just as they please, get everything they need and more, mostly stay pretty healthy, the more able-bodied have plenty of flight space. They get waited on wing and foot - and they can beat the heck out of us without repercussions if they feel like it

John

[nikku-chan]

Well, you don't know how much better you've made me feel!

I was so conflicted over this decision, that i even dreamed about it last night.

Now i know what i'm doing is not selfish. YAY! That's a great feeling.

Time to spend what piddly student savings i have and get to work!

It's so unfair how jobs that matter are never paid.

I want to spend my time rescuing animals..but it's not a viable "career path".

Just wait until i'm retired!

nikku x

[Athalie]

Greetings everyone!
I feel very relieved now that I’ve read your posts (Cynthia, John). I thought that keeping Bo wouldn’t be fair to him, but now I am certain it is for the best. He is a very curious little bird, wants to see everything, loves looking out the window and wandering around on the bed. He grooms a lot too, guess it’s because his new feathers are grooving, he is certainly a joy to watch. He seems genuinely happy to me, I thought it was just wishful thinking at first, but now he has his own little routine, he knows when the water comes, when the box needs cleaning etc. I’m definitely going to build him a nice big aviary and see what I can do about getting him a little friend or two.
I have been counting his poops for a while now, but it’s still only one every hour. Is that ok? Phil said it should be between 40 to 50 in 24 hours. He only has 30 in that period. He is eating very well, millet and canary seeds mixed together; he also drinks a lot of water. 5 times a day about 10 ml each time. The poops are ok, dark green, towards brown with some white in them. I was thinking that 30 is ok for a convalescing bird but now that he’s better shouldn’t he start producing more?
Here are the pics I promised, couldn’t post them yesterday, site was under maintenance. Hope you like them
Wish everyone a great day! Hope to hear from you soon!
BIRDS RULE !!!
Bernadette

[Athalie]

This is a picture of that right wing I was telling you about. It doesn’t seem to bother him at all it just looks unnatural. Hope it’s not broken

[Reti]

What a cute little dove.
They make great pets, you will enjoy his company.
The wing looks a bit odd positioned. Is it all the time like this or just now in the pic?
I have some doves and pigeons with a wing that hangs lower, they have no problem flying though and as long as he is kept as a pet it doesn't really matter if he is the best flyer or not.

Reti

[John_D]

Hi Bernadette,

Wouldn't worry about the poops. Sounds OK to me. Phil's estimate would have to based on birds with which he is familiar, which may well have a somewhat different metabolism.

Sure is a cutie, like the one Cynthia currently has inside.

John

[cyro51]

Hi Bernadette,

There is no rule about how many poops any bird should pass in a day and Phil was probably thinking of a larger bird anyway. However, if you are concerned that he isn't thriving then keep an eye on his weight, that is the best indicator.

He shouldn't be falling on his crop when he tries to fly. Are his legs OK? Can he stand and walk properly? Is he able to perch on your finger and grip it?

He is also drinking a lot more than I would expect. Drinking a lot won't do him any harm, but it is often a sign of an underlying problem. It is best to leave water with them so that it is available all the time.

Cynthia

[Athalie]

Hello Cynthia!
He can stand and walk normal and he can grip my finger if he stands on it but sort of leans backwards like he has a weight on his tail. I left water in his box for him but he either spilt it or pooped in it so I give him some bit by bit . He seems very thirsty in the morning; I give him water at 6 am, then again at 10 or 11, at 3 or 5 pm, at 8 pm and at 11 or 12 pm before bed. He usually drinks about a teaspoonful each time, maybe more in the morning and at bedtime.
He can flap his wings normally and stretches them quite often and doesn’t mind me touching it at all that’s why I said it doesn’t seem to bother him in any way it just look weird. It is always like that, sticks out away from his body. I only noticed it last week, t first I thought his feathers were growing odd. I couldn’t tell before because he was constantly fluffed up He is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen
BIRDS RULE !

[Athalie]

Hello, my name is Carl, Bernadettes fiance.
We was holding Bo and it jumped and tried to fly. Luckily it landed on the bed covers, or so we thought. It's right leg seems to be pointing out 90 degrees from it's body. Bernadette is nursing it now, she asked me to write to see if anybody can help, it cannot walk no more.
It seems to be in pain, twitching and shaking, please help us in any way.

Thank you.

Carl.

[AZWhitefeather]

Originally Posted by Athalie

Hello, my name is Carl, Bernadettes fiance.

We was holding Bo and it jumped and tried to fly. Luckily it landed on the bed covers, or so we thought. It's right leg seems to be pointing out 90 degrees from it's body.

Bernadette is nursing it now, she asked me to write to see if anybody can help, it cannot walk no more.
It seems to be in pain, twitching and shaking, please help us in any way.

Thank you.

Carl.

Hi Carl,
Is there any chance of posting a picture of what you're describing regarding the 'new' injury to Bo's leg?

Others, with more knowledge of injuries than I have, will be along to help assist you.
In the meantime, I would suggest securing Bo so he is unable to further injure something. I would also place him on a towel lined heating pad, set on low.

Cindy

[Athalie]

Hello it's Carl again.

Bernadette cannot write at the moment, so she asked me to do it.
I'm sorry to have to say that baby Bo has died. We dont really know what happened, his right leg swelled up, he started twitching then went stiff and died.
We are sorry, we could'nt do more.

Bernadette will post when she is better.