Racer

[ruff72]

There is a racing pigeon been here for 2 days. He is fit and healthy, and sits on my roof most of the day. I am worried because he sits there at night as well, which is not very good i would have thought. If it rains he is going to get soaked and cold etc.
I feed him every day, can i offer him some kind of accomodation, and how to make him use it. By the way i cant catch him.
Thanks
Barbara

[Pigeonpal2002]

Originally Posted by ruff72

There is a racing pigeon been here for 2 days. He is fit and healthy, and sits on my roof most of the day. I am worried because he sits there at night as well, which is not very good i would have thought. If it rains he is going to get soaked and cold etc.
I feed him every day, can i offer him some kind of accomodation, and how to make him use it. By the way i cant catch him.
Thanks
Barbara

Hi Barbara,

In your own words he seems fit and healthy He could just be resting for the time being, collecting his bearings before he continues on home. Keep an eye on him while he's there, but don't try to catch him yet. From your description, he sounds fine

[ruff72]

Will he be ok if it rains then?
Wasnt going to catch him, thought maybe i could make something like he might be used to, to protect him from the weather, as they forcast 2 days of rain here and heavy. Dont think he knows about finding shelter.
Surley he will get ill if he sits in the rain. Will i be able to persuag=de him to go into a dovecote or something similar and if so how??

[Trees Gray]

Hi Barbara,

If the bird hasn't moved in 2 days, then he may not be feeling well or confused, especially if he is eating and drinking. I would try to catch him.

Here is a link for making a trap.

http://www.racingbirds.com/ptrap.html

You can put him a carrier or cage and bring him inside for now, or garage, but it would be good to get him before the rain.

Please update us with the band information, and what the poops look like and anything else peculiar.

[ruff72]

Oh he does move. He comes down to be fed and is eating well. When i first saw him he was soert of hunkered down resting, on the pavement by my house, and i got VERY close to him before he moved. So i went in a got seed and threw it down for him, and he got up and started eating then went back to resting. Then he dissapeared, Next morning he was back, but sitting on my lower roof, so hubby fed him and again he eats well. Now and again he is not on the roof, upper or lower, but before long he is back. Trouble is our house is very tall, on a hill and also up steps, nowhere to put anything, and i only ever see him at the front. I have no way of putting anything on the roof for him to get into, anyway it slopes. I have a side area where i could put shelter
but how would i get him to go round there. I cant catch him tonight before the rain it is 10pm here and dark and now he is on neighbours roof two up from me.
If he goes home will they kill him???
PS He will only eats off the pavement, food in loads of other places and wont go for it!!! Mind you when i came in today he had two woodies on roof with him eyeing the food, will he pal up with them???

[Birdmom4ever]

Originally Posted by ruff72

If he goes home will they kill him???

It depends on the owner. Some racing pigeon people love their birds and are delighted to get them back, others will accept them back and some will destroy a bird that gets lost. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt by at least attempting to contact the owner. You can tell by talking to him on the phone what type of person he is and if he wants the pigeon back. But all that is assuming you can catch the pigeon. Can you get a look at his band/bands? If he's hanging out with woodies, I assume you must be in the UK. I don't know if a pigeon would hang out with woodies, but I don't think so; they are separate species. He would flock with feral pigeons, though.

[ruff72]

Yes in UK, lots of woodies in our garden, no ferals, dont know why they are more than welcome. Seem to prefer dancing with death in the road, or supermarket car park!!

[Pidgey]

Actually, a full-grown pigeon is pretty rainproof. You don't realize that until you try to take one and get them wet in a bath to clean dried blood or something else off. If you don't use soap, you just about CAN'T get them wet, in fact.

Pidgey

[ruff72]

Oh that good then, perhaps he will learn the skills to survive. I dont think i will be able to catch him, he was more friendly the first day, more wary now.
I will continue to feed him, and see what happens, but on the racing pigeon website it says dont feed them after 2 days. Couldnt do that!! He waits for us. It also says unless you have caught them they dont want to know.
He is welcome here as long as he wants, but the winter is coming on we would build him something if we knew how to get him to use it. We have a half built tree house in the back garden (son and dad started when he was 10, Now 22, TREE HOUSE HALF DONE) If i could figure out how to get him to come round the back we could adapt that for him. Any ideas what would attract him to it, (if i could get him to go to the back)

[ruff72]

Racer is still with us, happy, healthy etc, not quite so friendly now, and spending less time here.
We have built him a box with pointed roof (felted) perches inside and out, landing platform by the doorway in, and put it on house wall near where he eats, but at mom, not showing any signs of using it. No longer sleeps on the roof, dont know where he goes.
Comes back in the morning for breakfast though.

[cyro51]

Hi Barbara,

Tried phoning you but no reply!

I personally think you are doing the right thing, giving him food and shelter and leaving it to him to decide whether to go home.

I read once that fanciers value racers that have survived in the wild and then returned. Apparently that makes them more likely to be winners.

Cynthia

.

[ruff72]

Cynthia i have lost your number, please pm me if you dont mind that is!